(If you want to play the game, I'd recommend just taking my word that it's good, skip the rest, and go play.) The idea of Geneforge is that in this fantasy world, there is a race named the Shapers, called that because they shape into being a number of creatures of varying intelligence to serve them. Allow me to demonstrate by thoroughly spoiling its plot and ending. Geneforge strikes a nice balance between directed storytelling and meaningful player participation. A game like those of the Elder Scrolls series, the argument goes, offer much more freedom. You can control an individual fight, but not the course of the story. One of the arguments against the JRPG style of game is that meaningful choice only exists on a micro level. But mostly, what I'll remember is the ending. There were some epic fights along the that I'll remember and curse fondly: the battle against the spawners in the Dry Wastes, the endless onslaught of monsters in the Shaper Crypts, and the Fight Against Pylons in the mines. It worked the experience system meant that instead of sharing my battle points with a team, I hoarded them all for one character, and was rather godlike by the game's end. I, on the other hand, chose to play a solo game, minimizing the shaping magic in exchange for strength and melee superiority. So a lot of the game is about managing your team of up to 8 different monsters. The big innovation for Geneforge is that you can play as a Shaper, a being capable of creating monsters to fight for them in battle. Let's focus on the fighting for a moment. Combat is designed to favor three distinct styles. The movement is a much simpler point and click system. These guys have had some practice at the form, in other words.īut generally, it succeeds where Eschalon failed for me. And this type of game is their specialty: there's 3 games in the original Exile series, 6 in the Avernum remake, and 5 in the Geneforge series, and they all follow this basic format to one degree or another. And to be fair to Basilisk, whereas Eschalon was the first commercial game by a company of one person, Spiderweb is larger, and already had a good three or four games out. It may also look very familiar (and a bit worse, in fact): No, if this was old school RPG, I was dropping out.īut then we have Geneforge, by Spiderweb Software, first released in 2002. Good thing I liked it, because I saw it a lot. The best thing about the game, in fact, was the death scene: And third, the reason I like my old school RPG is, in large part, for the story. Moving across an area map was a long drawn out process. There was no scrolling within the game box, and no selecting a spot on the screen clicking in front of the character didn't move them to that spot, but moved them an inch in that direction. Second, the mouse controls left much to be desired. When over half of your game time is spent resting, something has gone wrong. I went with a mage-type character, but I could barely fight a single enemy before having to go off and rest to recover enough magic to fight the next one. First off, either I chose a horrible character skill set, or the game's woefully unbalanced. (And for those who think this looks somewhat familiar, yes, I have a type.) The game bills itself in providing an old school RPG experience, and as those who suffered through Dragon Age Week or this recent post know, I do like my RPGs old school. Nonlinear gameplay! Dozens of quests, each with many alternative solutions.Let's start off with a discussion of another game entirely, for comparison's sake: Eschalon Book 1 by Basilisk Games. Many deep, multiple-choice dialogues that feel like real conversations with the unique NPCs of the game. Random encounters with the dwellers of the Soviet Wasteland – both friendly and dangerous. Turn-based combat, inspired by Fallout 1 and 2. Or simply lose yourself, fishing at a scenic pond… Work out the secrets of an old military bunker. Venture into the wilds, where mutated creatures and savage bandits lurk. Meet the other survivors in a brave new settlement, built from the dust of the old world. Many hours of gameplay on all sorts of locations. Each stat combination provides a unique gaming experience, unique dialogues, and new ways to solve some of the quests!ĭozens of skills, from lockpicking to gambling! A powerful character creation tool, aimed at making the wasteland hero you want to portray!Ī balanced roleplaying system inspired by GURPS.
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