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Anachronox - what's the appeal?

Joined
Jan 14, 2018
Messages
50,754
Codex Year of the Donut
I'd never played it until around 2017 due to the Codex recommendations, and for me it was just to dated to get to grips with as a newbie to the game in 2017.

I find there's a lot of 3-D games from the 2000-2005 era, which carry that awkward feeling of transition from the 2-D era with them, and this is one.

Didn't find it awful, but I'd had enough after around 6 hours
2D & pre-rendered games from the late 90s/early 00s aged a lot better in general.
 

AdolfSatan

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
1,871
I's like reading Cortázar or watching a Wes Anderson movie. If you didn't do it when you were 16, I'm afraid the ship has sailed. The only way you can enjoy quirky shit like this as an adult is after sustaining prolonged oxygen deprivation.
 

Bigg Boss

Arcane
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Messages
7,528
This type of game was popular when it came out since they were cranking out Final Fantasy style JRPG's. The fact that it was made outside of Japan meant it was something totally unique. I still haven't beat it though. I got halfway through it I think. I do plan to go back to it in the future, but it bums me out that it ends on a cliffhanger.
 

Lord_Potato

Arcane
Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Nov 24, 2017
Messages
9,837
Location
Free City of Warsaw
I's like reading Cortázar or watching a Wes Anderson movie. If you didn't do it when you were 16, I'm afraid the ship has sailed. The only way you can enjoy quirky shit like this as an adult is after sustaining prolonged oxygen deprivation.

I have similar feelings about this game. Ok, I don't have any weed at home and with the covid outbreak and social distancing rules implemented I am not like getting any, but maybe high alcohol consumption would help?

Anyway, I'm on Democratus, trying to reason with the Council. The game still feels like pulling teeth.
 
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Terenty

Liturgist
Joined
Nov 29, 2018
Messages
1,367
Atrocious game, that shoudn't be anywhere near any tops. I too was a victim of a false narrative about it being some kind of a classic. Its not and it never was. Youtube is the only way to experience it
 

Lacrymas

Arcane
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Messages
17,949
Pathfinder: Wrath
It's about the setting and zany (actually zany, not Larian zany) characters. You get a planet as a companion. It's not a good game, though, I couldn't finish it even when I was a teenager. I think I got to some lava planet and the JRPG combat became too much to bear.
 

EldarEldrad

Savant
Joined
Sep 13, 2017
Messages
253
Location
Russia
Anachronox is fun game with interesting characters, stylish graphics and linear but remarkable plot. The main issue with the game that it is not really a game (and especially it is not an "RPG game", you know), but more like interactive movie with adventure elements and simplistic jRPG combat.

By modern standards its pure RPG though and could easily beat Mass Effect: Andromeda if it was released in 2017 not 2001.
 

Bigg Boss

Arcane
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Messages
7,528
Nah, I really think it could use a sequel, but it won't happen. If it does it won't be the same type of game. It would be like the FF7 Remake or something.
 

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
Patron
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
33,055
Location
KA.DINGIR.RA.KI
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
+ graphics and atmosphere are beautiful
+ story is good
+ humor is good
+ some fun things to discover when exploring
+ great area design

- lame JRPG style combat
- lots and lots of cutscenes like in JRPGs
- basically a western-made JRPG which is better written than the typical cringey JRPG but the gameplay is just as bad

conclusion:
watch Anachronox the Movie
 

Daemongar

Arcane
Joined
Nov 21, 2010
Messages
4,706
Location
Wisconsin
Codex Year of the Donut
Put down the walkthrough. Play and explore the game. It's more enjoyable like that.

Oh I try to play blind, but some quest solutions are very obscure and it's not like there are multiple ways to solve quests, usually it's a pretty linear affair in which you have to do everything like the devs invented...

Like the second ticket to Sunder. You cannot buy it, legally or illegally. You cannot wait for the next shuttle until they are available again. You just have to walk to a random guy in a random place and harass him until he gives it to you. That's bad quest design if I ever saw one.
Well, it's ok to look up hints. I do remember that guy DOES tell you he has a ticket and Grumpos' Yammer ability is probably the most ridiculous on letting you know when to use it. It is critical in spots to advance the story, but they don't give you any clues - which sucks. I had to look that one up as well.

But, I have to ask: why do you play games? To enjoy rich combat? To push your hardware to the limits? To cross something off a list? Not trying to be a jerk, but Anachronox is a good game to play. I've played it a couple times, and it has a lot of very funny and charming parts. I personally dread getting to Democratus and that Hive thing - but once I'm done, Haphaestus kind of redeems it, so I know I got that waiting. Its a good game to relax to, like Arcanum. It has major flaws... like Arcanum. Also, they add more stuff later on that just prolongs the game but doesn't contribute much (*cough* superhero *cough*). Wish they didn't do that.

I sorta relate this games combat to Wizardry 8's: not everyone likes it, but if you approach the game as a means to enjoy yourself, combat becomes less horrible.
 
Vatnik Wumao
Joined
Jan 29, 2019
Messages
13,187
Location
Niggeria
Anox is mechanically very bad, it uses FF7's system and strips out what depth is there. It does have an excellent sense of place and atmosphere though.
 

Lord_Potato

Arcane
Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Nov 24, 2017
Messages
9,837
Location
Free City of Warsaw
+ graphics and atmosphere are beautiful

Nah, they are not. The visuals were dated even in 2001, espiecially when it comes to characters (areas are okayish). Besides, I need something more than good presentation to finish a game.

+ story is good

I managed to complete about 1/4 of the game and it still did not grasp me or made me care about anything that was going on.

+ humor is good

As good as gnawing on stinky sock. Not my kind of humor propably.

+ some fun things to discover when exploring
+ great area design

Okay, I give you that. The locations were well designed and there were many secret areas to discover, especially once I mastered the lockpick and hacking minigames.


- lame JRPG style combat
- lots and lots of cutscenes like in JRPGs
- basically a western-made JRPG which is better written than the typical cringey JRPG but the gameplay is just as bad

Plus the fact that a storyfag game ends in the middle of nowhere, without resolution of its story.

conclusion:
watch Anachronox the Movie


Thanks for the link but at the moment I am not interested or engaged by Anachronox plot to watch a 2 hours movie made from its cutscenes...

I guess I'll just put my playthrough on hold. Propably, an indefinite one.

I hate not finishing games, especially when I already invested a decent amount of hours into them... but I am simply not having fun. Maybe there will come a day when I feel bored and have nothing else to play and I decide to load an old save from Democratus and deal with the freaking Council... but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 

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