Even this small example serves to highlight the many different ways that challenges can be overcome in Hard to be a God. Combat and diplomacy are meted out in equal measure - can't kill an enemy? Bribe him for the information you need. Gang proving too tough to handle? Take out the leader and the rest will be more willing to cooperate. Every mission usually has at least two possible methods of completion and it's nice to see that care has been taken to provide options for those who prefer an alternative to hacking their way through every living thing out there. Although the game comes across as a standard hack 'n' slash affair (albeit quite a challenging one), there's much more depth on offer than is first apparent.

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t's the main storyline that truly excels. After graduation I was sent off to Arkanar, a distant city, to assassinate a couple of fellows who had done something they shouldn't have done. Along the way I was set upon by Monks believing they should purify the land, had to break out of prison and ended a rivalry between two nasty sorts just so I could get the city gates open. Oh, and I also had some rather enlightening conversations with myself. This is how much of the plot is filtered through: from time-to-time I was transported 'somewhere' and told snippets of events obviously far larger than anything happening in Coronation Street this week. Hints of a new messiah, betrayal in the monarchy, some trouble with the timelines and some other pretty dark stuff all presented themselves and every time I was confronted with my alter ego, a new twist on the plot set me thinking about my own motives for fulfilling this mission. Just what was going on and why was I here?​