Game News Hinterland not so brilliant, say GameSpy

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Hinterland

<a href="http://au.pc.gamespy.com/pc/hinterland/915888p1.html">GameSpy have reviewed the RPG / RTS / Whatever game Hinterland, which is now available after being delayed for some reason</a>. Initiate Super-Highlight-Copy-Paste-Mode:
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<blockquote>The great conceit of Hinterland is that it's built around stripped-down versions of two endlessly compelling gameplay systems. The first is the classic city-building dynamic in which the player tries to marshal area resources, recruit citizens and construct buildings to create a functional, prosperous and eventually powerful medieval town in the Hinterland of an unnamed fantasy kingdom. The kicker is the way this is accomplished, through a simplified Diabloesque click-slaughter-and-loot system built around the main character and recruited parties of up to three other town citizens / adventurers.
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The combination of city-building and RPG adventuring is absolutely brilliant in concept. Players start out with just their own character wearing junky adventuring gear and a house in the middle of a hostile land filled with monsters of varying degrees of power. Every few game-days people will come into town as "visitors," stick around for a while and then leave. If the player believes that their professions can somehow help the town, they can use some of their stored gold to build them a house. Once visitors become citizens, they start to work offering various services. Farmers and herders, for example, grow food. Craftsmen build arms and armor that can be used to outfit the player or other citizens. Merchants make money, wizards research spells, guards protect the town from monster incursions and so on. The goal for the city is to create a profitable and attractive medieval hamlet.</blockquote>
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Summary: Fun concept but game needs more polish.
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Spotted @ <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</a>

 

[Bluebottle]

I think lack of polish, though true, tends to be interpreted by lots of people as buggy, which I certainly didn't find to be the case. What is there certainly seems stable enough. The real issue with the game is that it doesn't really try enough and isn't amitious enough with what is there. The player classes don't seem different enough, town managment is a little too simple (though I think this is definately a fine line), and there could do with being a little more in the way of combat variety in the wilderness squares. As such the middle to end game (once your town is pretty stable) can get a little stale.

The foundation for an interesting game idea is definately there though, and fleshed out could be a real, real classic. I certainly don't regret the $20. Here's hoping it does well enough to warrant continued work in the genre.

 

[Starwars]

Pretty much agree with Bluebottle. A lot of it also depends on the randomization, some of the most fun is when the game kinda screws you over at the start of the game and you just can't find that particular townsperson you need. The King is asking for stuff, and you get a particularly annoying enemy to raid your town.

Once you stabilize the town the fun decreases a bit and you just basically start "chipping away" at the world map.

I also thought it was worth the money, it's definetely an addictive game. But it could do with some fleshing out here and there. One thing I'd like is a sort of "random event" system in the town, which could bring some more chaos to the later parts of the game as well.

 

[Livonya]

Actually, it is pretty buggy.

The high score section for instance is totally fubar.

Every time I finish a new game it totally corrupts the last high score that I had.

And I have had at least a half a dozen times where items got bugged and changed from one thing to another thing.


Also, the lack of a manual and the fact that the game tells you almost nothing about how anything works seems like lack of polish.

I mean seriously, the game doesn't even tell you what kind of a spell a magic user will cast. Some cast heals, some cast damage but the only way to find out is by trial and error.

The game lacks a lot of polish.

Now you combine the fact that the game is SIMPLE with the fact that there is no documentation and it has bugs.

Give me a break. A simple game should work flawlessly with accurate documentation.

They did add an on-line "manuel" but not until after the game was released. Good god. How silly.

 

[SuicideBunny]

after a couple hours of playing, it feels like a very sub-standard and unpolished hns lacking anything that makes hns enjoyable.

 

[Ashery]

While I wouldn't say it's game breakingly buggy, there are definitely the bugs Liv listed as well as an overall lack of polish.

After my first and second play throughs, I pretty much agreed with the 3.5/5 score, possibly dropping a bit further. Now...now I'm looking at somewhere between a 2 and 3 score. Yes, the premise has a lot of promise, but there is one major element the game lacks...

Depth.

Yea, there are a lot of class choices, but most of the differences end up being minor at best. So you can chose a class that adds to farmer food production and so you require one less farmer to feed your twenty followers. Sounds like a good ability, right? Well, it would be, if you were restricted to ten total followers, but when you have plenty of excess follower slots, the benefit becomes pointless.

Combat is a complete fucking joke. Imagine something analogous to Dungeon Siege, but even simpler and you're required to click on every mob you attack.

The only time the game is possibly a challenge is in the first few days of your fort, especially if you start with a class with low starting gold and fame. Racing against the clock to acquire enough gold and fame to recruit a farmer to avoid starvation while dealing with raids is damn fun, even with the extremely simple combat. But this doesn't last. Really, by the time you get your inn up and running, the game just becomes a matter of formality...running through the necessary hoops to win.

If they were to add random elements, add more threats to the town beyond predictable, minor raids, and other elements that would add flavor to the mid/late game, the game would already be substantially better overall...but as of now...it's just meh...For a game that'd rely on replayability, there's very little of it unless you feel like bragging about the size of your pe...er...high score on TM's forums.

And I'll finish my LP...There's just so little substance to talk about :\

 

[Livonya]

For a game that'd rely on replayability, there's very little of it unless you feel like bragging about the size of your pe...er...high score on TM's forums.

That is pretty much all that it offers.

The only game I see now is trying to figure out how to finish the game in 40 days or less, and max my score.

The thrill of that won't last long.

I just got a score of 112,266 and that was damn HARD to do. So that part was fun, but that will fade...

- Livonya