Preview GamingNexus take another look at Eschalon: Book I

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Eschalon: Book I

<a href="http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/Another-look-at-RPGs2c-this-time-from-an-isometric-view/Item9552.aspx">GamingNexus have taken a look at the demo for Eschalon: Book I</a>. Here's a paragraph I found interesting enough to quote:
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<blockquote>But as I logged into that first game, with the tumbling sound of six-sided dice dancing on my digitized character sheet, with the moonlit soundtrack coursing its way through the woods, with the taughtly-written character development details ... I was already being struck with a sense of nostalgia for a computer roleplaying game when I had no basis for nostalgia and computer roleplaying games. It made no sense.
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That wouldn't have sealed the deal though. Not a misplaced sense of pseudo-nostalgia. I could have turned back at that moment and eventually convinced myself that I'd been completely unmoved. It might've taken a week, but I'd later describe my experience as "nonplussed." But then the story startled me from the very beginning. Not only did it open up with an overbaked amnesia cliche (something I'd railed against only one week prior), but I was being whirlpooled into this overused you-wake-up-and-have-no-idea-who-you-are convention, already sucked in beyond the event horizon. Somehow (!), I was falling for it. And it was from nothing less than the cleanly-penned authorial tone of the text. It sure wasn't the graphics luring me in. And it sure wasn't the off-handed turn-based movement scheme. But there was something about the writing... </blockquote>
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Amnesia? Good writing? Where have I heard those two combined before...
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU">GameBanshee</a>

 

[FrancoTAU]

The amnesia plot device had me confused too. I did like the game for what it was (and cost). Although, I have no idea why an Indy RPG who is trying to distinguish himself from mainstream gaming would have the same hack beginning.

 

[shihonage]

Imagine an amnesia story as filmed by James Cameron. Then imagine it done by Uwe Boll.

It's not what the story is, it's how it is told. The devil is in the details.

 

[LCJr.]

So did all the profits from this game go into bribes? Tad bit harsh maybe but the reviews I see of this game typically don't reflect the reality of it. It's not bad and it's not good either. It's simply mediocre. Seriously nothing about it stands out as memorable for me. I take that back the loose end with the padre stands out. The game is almost pure combat yet there's no attempt to make it interesting/less repetitive. Quests consist of either go here and kill critter X/everything. Or go here and kill everything that gets in your way to get item Y.

Hopefully now that he has the engine built more work can go into the writing and story in Book II.

 

[Bah]

My big gripe with Eschalon was the insanely slow movement speed with no option to allow it to be sped up. For a turn based game to force you to move so slowly turned it into a chore to play. I never finished because of that. If Eschalon Book 2 has the same issue, I won't be purchasing it.

 

[Azael]

I'd much prefer turn based combat with action points for the sequel, but I doubt that's going to happen. It was a decent game, but combat and travel was too slow and there was little variation for a warrior.

 

[Jasede]

Travel was slow only if you didn't change the graphic mode to Open GL - easily done, but maybe not very obvious.

 

[Jedi_Learner]

It was a decent game, but combat and travel was too slow and there was little variation for a warrior.

What?

 

[Azael]

What's strange about those statements?

 

[Jedi_Learner]

The combat in Eschalon: Book I is not slow. To say that it is brings into question your mental state of mind.