Age of Decadence, by Iron Tower Studios is an RPG which sets the standard against which RPG connoisseurs will measure future role-playing games for years to come. The game has a number of features which set it apart from most RPG releases in recent years. To name a few such traits, I must refer to the realistic attitudes, motivations and interactions shown by its character cast and in its worldbuilding, the turn-based combat system with a heavy emphasis on tactics, which yet remains surprisingly intuitive, or to the mind-boggling variety of outcomes of its main story and secondary quests. AoD is truly an exceptional occurrence in the recent history of role-playing games. This may seem like it goes without mention, but really, in this game "think before you act" is your guiding principle, along with "save your game often". Whether it's about an ingame decision - like fighting a group of six armed-to-the-teeth thugs - or about your long term strategy in character-building - like spreading his character's skillpoints too thin over too many unrelated skills, being realistic about your character's capabilities is what will keep you alive. Putting yourself in your character's shoes, circumventing his limitations instead of playing superman - isn't this what role-playing is fundamentally about? Age of Decadence is unlike any other RPG you've played in that it will play out differently every time you replay it, depending on your character's background and skills distribution. The developers at Iron Tower Studios have spent a stupefying 10 years in mostly filling up the game with branches of the main and secondary quests, and with branches of the branches. Reactivity in an RPG can never be too much, and in AoD it reaches a point where the world begins to feel more real and alive than you are used to, especially if you have an affinity for its down-to-earth hardboiled novel-like writing style.
1st and foremost: Most negative reviews below are based on the version before the Day 2 Hotfix. In one sentence: this is Brytenwalda with a "hand-made" storyline. After the hotfix and patch have been installed, the CTDs and blurry textures are fixed. The story remains great, the characters have realistic motivations, at least partially based on historical sources I'd wager. The pillaging of Britain remains fun. Owning horses and good armor remains a privilege reserved for the noblesse, or other insanely rich people, as it should be. Overall, I'm quite satisfied once the visuals and CTDs were fixed. :D Find the 1.163 update for Warband here: https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Warband/Download Under the "Latest Patch" heading. And the Viking Conquest Hotfix here: http://download2.taleworlds.com/mb_warband_viking_conquest_setup_1162_10_hotfix.exe Install it and nevermind the "1162" in the filename. I'm only giving the DLC 4/5 because of the outdated engine it's using. I haven't completed it yet, but
