Age of Decadence Reviews

[Vault Dweller]

Firstly the your advertised backstory was a lie.

Fixed Version: In a land where ancient evil has never awakened, the job of destroying the world was left to mankind Extra-dimensional Super Beings.

You could argue that they where brought in to this world by the “actions of men”, but that is an intellectual slight of hand.
“Isildur keeping the One Ring” or “Captain Obed Marsh seeking out the Deep Ones” could also be spun as “actions of man”.
The apocalypse is no longer “man made” if sentient higher beings are key movers and shakers. The theme is altered.

Well... there's a difference between 'ancient evil destroyed the world because men failed to stop it' and 'men summoned beings they didn't truly understand, collared them and tried to use them as their attack dogs, hilarity ensued'. Plus the war wasn't between men and 'gods' but between two empires and men did their fair share of heavy lifting (see the airship and the description of its final battle or the attack on the temple).

Its prelevent in much of derivative “high fantasy” where the is the “Good Guys Kingdom(s)” and the “Dark Lords Empire” and the “Fate of the Entire World” will be settled by who wins. I can't help thinking about what is south of Harad or beyond the Easterling Steppe and fondly remembering Robert E Howard's Hyperborea...

Which isn't that unrealistic. In WW2 it hardly mattered what was happening in the east, west, south of the Allies or the Axes and the victors did determine the fate of the world, at least for the next 40-50 years.

This also applies to Age of Decadence where the whole three cities a short travel distance apart are all that determines the fate of your counterpart Roman Empire. It could have been averted by implying that the game takes place in only one of the provinces of the vast fallen empire.

It does say that. Plus there are references to 'China' (if you talk to Feng), once mighty Ordu (if you talk to the keeper of tales), northern Europe, Africa, etc. However, most people living in those three cities would be unaware of any of that.

Also the fascinating early game spectator of a rising new faith inspiring fanatical adherence and disrupting the old order is instead revealed to being strictly limited to one (probably grifting) power broker and to be easily nullified simply by sticking him with a knife. And there are no potential unforeseen consequences or stubborn hanger ons in spite of being portrayed as being something people where willing to die for.

I assume you're referring to a particular ending here. Naturally, there would be stubborn hangers ons and such but it would take a long time for these unforeseen consequences to take effect. It took 300 years for Christianity to go from a sect to a state religion.

Aftershocks and trace elements of “The Unity” still show up in both Fallout 2 and New Vegas. AoD handling comes as a wasted possibility...

Hard to compare what three games do with the setting over a period of 120 years to what one game does, no?

And finally is that you basically "smash the sand castle" that you built.
There is basically no opening in the likely endings for a return to the fascinating “Fall of Rome” setting.
Which you admit in planing to set the a sequel in lands across the sea.

When you go with radically different endings it's hard (but not impossible) to pick one and discard the rest. The main reason why I wanted to set the sequel across the sea is that it offers something vastly different to explore. Even though the Qantari were eventually defeated, their own land wasn't touched by the war and didn't suffer any devastation. Since they did manage to retain the knowledge and machines, it would be a land ruled by demigods each with his own priesthood, temples, place in the local pantheon, ambitions, scheming n plotting, etc.

 

[thesecret1]

Which isn't that unrealistic. In WW2 it hardly mattered what was happening in the east, west, south of the Allies or the Axes and the victors did determine the fate of the world, at least for the next 40-50 years.

Not really disagreeing with the rest you wrote, but the vast majority of the world was involved in WW2 one way or another. "East, west, south of the Allies and Axis" were just more Allies and Axis.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Firstly the your advertised backstory was a lie.

Fixed Version: In a land where ancient evil has never awakened, the job of destroying the world was left to mankind Extra-dimensional Super Beings.

Not really. The evil didn't awaken, mankind brought it by their own actions.

It'd be like if they had summoned Sauron instead of Sauron just waking up and hovering over the plot like an ocular Sword of Damocles the whole time.

You're not the chosen on recruited to fight an ancient evil either. There is no fellowship of the ring and you aren't a long prophesied hero. You don't even figure out that any kind of inhuman evil exists until the late game.

Until then, the biggest threats you face are from other humans trying to gut you and loot your corpse, or else have you executed for daring to get in their way.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

Not really. The evil didn't awaken, mankind brought it by their own actions.

Th evil didn't awaken because extra-dimensional beings were not evil.

 

[Goral]

After almost 2.5 years AoD positive/negative review ratio has dropped from 81% to 80%. The last Steam sale has brought in a plethora of negative reviews from Bethesda lovers. When I see "reviews" like these I start to understand why we're getting less Grimoire games and more Skyrim:

el gato
233 products in account
8 reviews



Not Recommended
2.6 hrs on record
Posted: 5 July
This game keeps pounding in the fact that combat is hard and should be avoided. Correspondingly I wrote up a high diplomacy character and went to town... only to find myself repeatedly attacked in situations with no options. I tried some combat, found it difficult and ultimately found the game to be unplayable.

Seriously, how can you have problem when playing a pure talker character? That's the story mode, you can't have it easier.

 

[Rahdulan]

Seriously, how can you have problem when playing a pure talker character? That's the story mode, you can't have it easier.

I love the train of thought he must've had:

1. heard the game's combat is difficult and should be avoided
2. made a talky-talky character expressly to avoid the above
   
3. still did combat despite clearly not being built for it

Although I think it may be genuine mindset confusion coming from games where combat is, in fact, the meat of the game and then there's some extra shit thrown on top of it to distract you from said core gameplay loop. Poor dude probably went into AoD expecting he'd be fighting regardless of his build instead of playing as that build in a sensible manner.

Or he brainfarted, I don't know.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

Someone asks for a similar game in the community hub.

Then this monron posts this:

Sandra GIGI ☃︎☚ 11 May @ 2:59am

Unfortunately AOD is very unique and since years I´m looking for games with this mature and realistic tone.

Tyranny: You´re the bad guy (however you can also be the good bad guy). Still the world feels similar and there are is some nice moral dilemma and ambiguity in it (although Obsidian played it again too safe, wasting somewhat the "bad guy" setting). World feels pretty similar to AOD but is more high fantasy. Don´t get distracted by the strange comic art style they´ve chosen for the covers and cutscenes, probably to make it appear less "evil" for the "oh noes I have to play a tyranny guy?!" people. However the game´s art style and immersion is pretty free from that. The world of the story is limited to one region somewhat hampering the feel of an epic world some people desire.

Pillars of Eternity 1: Pretty big game when counting in all content, alot of quests and locations which should satisfy your "find out something new" needs. Writing & story pretty mature with focus on spirituality & religion, writing loses sometimes itself in too extreme descriptive details even surpassing novels but for that you have skimming. Alot to discover. Grand scale. Alot argue that the main story of POE1 misses bang and epicness. Also it follows somewhat the one-dimensional doctrine that playing the nice guy is more rewarding than anything else. Has some good moral ambiguity in it and some exciting unforeseen consequences.
POE2 improves on game mechanics but other than that story, immersion-wise etc. the people aren´t that happy and I didn´t play it.

Inquisitor - also an indie project that got worked on over a decade. Mature dark world and you play an inquisitor (which is awesome), dialogue-heavy - skimming recommended, also very combat heavy. The oldschool diablo-like combat was very off-putting for me and in the end I couldn´t bear it despite the promising other parts of the game. If one loves Diablo 2 he may enjoy the full package.

Baldurs Gate 2 + Addons / Enhanced:Also a good one, some of the story elements are pretty cheesy

Expeditions: Viking

Dragon Age Origins

Fallout 1/2

Dungeon Rats (from the same guys, plays in the world of AOD, focuses on fights, almost no story)

I know there are many more and I know them all but they didn´t made it on my list.

These people should be shot down in the street.

 

[thesecret1]

Someone asks for a similar game in the community hub.

Then this monron posts this:

Sandra GIGI ☃︎☚ 11 May @ 2:59am

Unfortunately AOD is very unique and since years I´m looking for games with this mature and realistic tone.

Tyranny: You´re the bad guy (however you can also be the good bad guy). Still the world feels similar and there are is some nice moral dilemma and ambiguity in it (although Obsidian played it again too safe, wasting somewhat the "bad guy" setting). World feels pretty similar to AOD but is more high fantasy. Don´t get distracted by the strange comic art style they´ve chosen for the covers and cutscenes, probably to make it appear less "evil" for the "oh noes I have to play a tyranny guy?!" people. However the game´s art style and immersion is pretty free from that. The world of the story is limited to one region somewhat hampering the feel of an epic world some people desire.

Pillars of Eternity 1: Pretty big game when counting in all content, alot of quests and locations which should satisfy your "find out something new" needs. Writing & story pretty mature with focus on spirituality & religion, writing loses sometimes itself in too extreme descriptive details even surpassing novels but for that you have skimming. Alot to discover. Grand scale. Alot argue that the main story of POE1 misses bang and epicness. Also it follows somewhat the one-dimensional doctrine that playing the nice guy is more rewarding than anything else. Has some good moral ambiguity in it and some exciting unforeseen consequences.
POE2 improves on game mechanics but other than that story, immersion-wise etc. the people aren´t that happy and I didn´t play it.

Inquisitor - also an indie project that got worked on over a decade. Mature dark world and you play an inquisitor (which is awesome), dialogue-heavy - skimming recommended, also very combat heavy. The oldschool diablo-like combat was very off-putting for me and in the end I couldn´t bear it despite the promising other parts of the game. If one loves Diablo 2 he may enjoy the full package.

Baldurs Gate 2 + Addons / Enhanced:Also a good one, some of the story elements are pretty cheesy

Expeditions: Viking

Dragon Age Origins

Fallout 1/2

Dungeon Rats (from the same guys, plays in the world of AOD, focuses on fights, almost no story)

I know there are many more and I know them all but they didn´t made it on my list.

These people should be shot down in the street.

Not only is half of the list complete shit, but how is Inquisitor in any way like AoD?

 

[Butter]

Tyranny reminded me of AoD (setting mostly), but it's just shittier in every way.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Tyranny reminded me of AoD (setting mostly), but it's just shittier in every way.

WTF am I reading

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

So it turns out I can't beat the second fight with a bow build in Dungeon Rats. Not enough arrows!

 

[HeatEXTEND]

So it turns out I can't beat the second fight with a bow build in Dungeon Rats. Not enough arrows!

Throw stones ;]

 

[Vault Dweller]

So it turns out I can't beat the second fight with a bow build in Dungeon Rats. Not enough arrows!

IIRC, you get 30 arrows, which should be enough for 2 fights. Use more damaging attacks in the first fight which is easy (intro fight). You can kill them with ~10 arrows and save 20 for the second fight. Still, I'll take a look in case I remember it wrong.

 

[Deleted Member 22431]

IIRC, you get 30 arrows, which should be enough for 2 fights. Use more damaging attacks in the first fight which is easy (intro fight). You can kill them with ~10 arrows and save 20 for the second fight. Still, I'll take a look in case I remember it wrong.

Maybe I made a bad build, but in the first fight you face three oponents with 40HP. They are weak but they still absorb a lot of damage. What I really wanted was to replay AoD though, but the direct X bug made me give up.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Are you playing Solo or with Marcus? Use power attacks for more damage.

 

[Tigranes]

I just saw Grim Monk review, and without getting into the nitty gritty, I think the big point is a good one. I wouldn't say I was disappointed per se, but I found the game and the world far more compelling when it stuck closer to the fall of Rome inspiration, and it became weaker whenever it started dabbling in ancient evils, otherworldly powers and so on.

I don't even remember the lore around that super well anymore, but I think the bits with Antidas, Feng, etc. did a super job of showing a world where apocalypses come and go, but men remain men, and will repeat their mistakes, their intrigues, their avarice, even in the very ruins of those vices. It does seem to me that these themes, which AOD delivered with nuance and a down to earthness almost unique in video games, get a little bit diluted. I would not have minded if there was no Agathoth or any of that, and the fevered dreams of archaeologists and their imperial patrons turn out to be Qin Shi Huang looking for his elixir of eternal life.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I would not have minded if there was no Agathoth or any of that, and the fevered dreams of archaeologists and their imperial patrons turn out to be Qin Shi Huang looking for his elixir of eternal life.

I thought that keeping it optional (and giving you an option just to walk away) would be sufficient.

 

[ScrotumBroth]

I didn't find supernatural annoying, but that's because it's not in your face. The game caters to player's interest like few others, if military or political intrigue is your schtick, there's enough on the menu to never have to read a book or dig ancient site.

 

[Tigranes]

I would not have minded if there was no Agathoth or any of that, and the fevered dreams of archaeologists and their imperial patrons turn out to be Qin Shi Huang looking for his elixir of eternal life.

I thought that keeping it optional (and giving you an option just to walk away) would be sufficient.

From a gameplay standpoint, it's sufficient; I wouldn't say that the 'supernatural stuff' is actively harmful. But even when something is optional, it's part of the story you're telling us, and part of the world you've built, and from that perspective, I guess I think it dilutes the themes rather than strengthens them.

Speculating about what I found to be AOD's great strengths, and what might have made the game even better, is where I think - well, I would (and I have) bust a nut telling people how amazing AOD's portrayal of human foibles and ruined ambitions is. But I would never mention the ancient evil stuff.

 

[Vault Dweller]

No arguing here. Well, I hope you'll like Colony Ship then - plenty of human foibles, no ancient evil.

 

[Tigranes]

You'll always be my human foible specialist, Commissar

 

[MRY]

I really liked the ancient evils from a lore standpoint -- particularly the way it tied together various cultural influences (like Aztec astronomy), but also various of the quest moments, like the Magneto helmet to protected you from the evil telepathy, the triumphal arch that you could use to stare into another world or whatever. I need to replay the game with the new ending material and with a more lore-oriented character to see if it paid off (my talker usually just skimmed the surface of these things), because maybe if I did, it would address the point on which I agree with the criticism.

Basically, the game can't entirely make up its mind on whether the temple is a McGuffin or the actual heart of the game. If it's a McGuffin then, IMO, the Meru plot really needed to be tied to that temple, rather than the other one out in the desert or wherever, and the siege and its outcome should be the endgame. By having the temple instead be the endgame, it winds up not feeling like a McGuffin at all -- that is, the game teases you that an ancient demon isn't the real threat, just human greed, but then it turns out that the final boss is an ancient demon, the final dungeon is the temple of an ancient demon, the coolest weapon is a weapon to kill the ancient demon, the grandest finale is uniting the clans to fight the ancient demon, etc. This contributes, I think, to the third city (blanking on its name) feeling kind of thin and irrelevant. The siege doesn't really matter to anything, and the game pivots away from it to the temple fairly quickly.

If the demon is going to be the final boss and his otherworldly temple the final dungeon, I think the game needed, in some larger sense, to acknowledge it. It's been too many years since I played to have a great sense of this, but I recall sorting of feeling like something was odd and coincidental about the role of the temple in the overall game, i.e., there's something weird that the temple comes into play at the same time that Meru is also communing with some other demon, that temple sort of (but maybe not fully) sets in motion all this chaos. It's too long for me to really know specifically how to deal with it, but it could be as simple as that the reason everyone is suddenly interested in the temple is that the demon has sent psychic vibes out that caused various people to dream of its existence.

That said, the fact remains that AOD's structure and plot are really remarkable, novel, and fun, so any changes would've risked throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I think CSG is likely to improve on all of this, except that I worry a bit that some of AOD's best aspects (the timeframe being so long that you had enough distance for both news, history, and myth, and the supernatural service as a way to drop the floor out from the player) may be absent in it, and may be hard to replace.

 

[Ninjerk]

From a lore standpoint, the game seemed like a fallen-Roman-Empire mashed up with a post-Cold War scenario where everyone lost and there are stockpiles of WMDs laying around everywhere to either be used or otherwise imperil the rascal that finds them (i.e. Alien/Prometheus).

EDIT: To the point, I enjoyed that the extra elements were there in contrast with an above poster that felt the game should have stuck to its Roman Imperial guns.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Speaking of reviews:

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198031527568/recommended/230070/

This game is very confusing and has a worthless tutorial. I couldn't figure out how to fight and the "tutorial" is just a bunch of text popups that are super vauge and confusing.

They actually have a special tutorial section of the game to train and I couldnt figure out how to practice

absolutely ridiculous. Very annoyed

 

[AW8]

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