AntharioN

Don't let the looks of the game fool you, it's actually really good.

The game starts off similar to quite a few RPGs of old, you're prisoners that by blind luck get a second break at life. The village you were in has been mysteriously wiped out and the guards that left you to go battle never returned, and in their haste left the prison door open. After you make it out, you're confronted by a strange individual and your journey begins. The RPG mechanics live up the the games claim of being old-school. It's very D&D like, and you can even put points into Luck to try and help you. There are several races to pick from, a few portraits for each and craft a team of 4 characters before you set out. Let me just say, the game is hard. It punishes silly mistakes even on normal difficulty. I actually like it, you need to think ahead, make smart choices and have some luck on your end. Good thing you can put points into luck. The start of the game is rather slow, but the game really encourages you to explore and talk to people. The first major quest you get in the area involves a Butcher that's gone insane and set up shop in the sewers. A humble little nod to Diablo one in a way. You simply can't rush through the quest, or any quest. You get mangled, bbq'd and ripped apart if you try. Even simple rats and cockroaches are deadly enemies that can wipe out your small team of would be adventurers. The mechanics are simple, everything is turn based. Even outside of combat, but then during that time you simple hold in the mouse button and walk about. The turns here execute rapidly for you and NPCs so as to give the feel of normal motion. Stand still though and so does everyone else. Let me just say that a healer is essential, if your starting party doesn't have a White Mage you're in for trouble. Potions are rare, and the only other way to heal and recoup mana is through sleeping. Which is only possible through food. Each hour you sleep requires one piece of food. The quality doesn't seem to affect it, as a grilled Steak and Apple seem to do the same thing. The music is good, nothing amazing or mind blowing; and the ambience is alright. One very nice touch is weather. Fog and rain make it hard to see, and lower your characters visibility. Making it easy to get caught off guard by enemies. The same for dungeoneering or being in caves. Torches are essential for avoiding stumbling into groups of enemies unprepared. The dialogue options in game are nice, although don't expect sprawling conversations and lots of political depth. The game is a bit lacking there, but even then offers more than 2-3 on occasion. It's a strange little RPG, and I actually enjoy it. It might look shallow in the screenshots, and I was rather skeptical but the game is expanding before my eyes as I play, and more and more depth is piled on as I progress. I'm several hours in and I've barely touched anything related to the main story because the other quests, and exploration is simply fun. I would easily recommend the game to folks that like some proper old-school RPG fun, and enjoy a good turn based challenge.