Review Hinterland Reviewed

[Jason]

Tags: Hinterland; Tilted Mill

We asked local deviant JarlFrank to try out <b><a href="http://www.tiltedmill.com/hinterland/" target="blank">Hinterland</a></b> to get the lowdown on Tilted Mill's RPG/strategy hybrid.
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<blockquote>Now, besides town management, there’s also the RPG part of the game. It’s very simplistic, though. Combat is like Diablo, but a lot more simple. There are no special attacks, and there is no magic. You just stand there and click on the enemy until one of you drops down dead. If your health gets low, you can drink a potion and are instantly healed. There is no strategy to the combat, and no effective tactics. You just click until the enemy is dead, that’s it. Combat clearly is the weakest part of the game. The RPG elements like leveling up and using equipment are also very simple. There are four equipment slots: one for your weapon, one for your armor and two for other items of your choice (helmets, shields or rings). You gain levels by fighting, and that’s it. There’s no other way to gain experience in this game. Upon leveling up, you can raise either attack, defense or health and choose one of three skills which increase either one of your combat abilities or one of your town management abilities. The three skills that you can choose are always determined randomly. You can also order up to three of the NPCs living in your town to join you in adventuring. They will follow you and attack enemies, or heal you if they are priests. Taking companions with you doesn’t really add much to the combat, though, since you have no direct control over them.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=185">Read on...</a>
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[notnats]

Now, besides town management, there’s also the RPG part of the game. It’s very simplistic, though...

Well I haven't played the game, but talk about a simplistic review. I'd expect something like that from Gamespot, but not from the codex.

 

[Jason]

Did you bother reading the rest of the paragraph where he describes the simple RPG elements? Seems pretty clear to me.

Now, besides town management, there’s also the RPG part of the game. It’s very simplistic, though. Combat is like Diablo, but a lot more simple. There are no special attacks, and there is no magic. You just stand there and click on the enemy until one of you drops down dead. If your health gets low, you can drink a potion and are instantly healed. There is no strategy to the combat, and no effective tactics. You just click until the enemy is dead, that’s it. Combat clearly is the weakest part of the game. The RPG elements like leveling up and using equipment are also very simple. There are four equipment slots: one for your weapon, one for your armor and two for other items of your choice (helmets, shields or rings). You gain levels by fighting, and that’s it. There’s no other way to gain experience in this game. Upon leveling up, you can raise either attack, defense or health and choose one of three skills which increase either one of your combat abilities or one of your town management abilities. The three skills that you can choose are always determined randomly. You can also order up to three of the NPCs living in your town to join you in adventuring. They will follow you and attack enemies, or heal you if they are priests. Taking companions with you doesn’t really add much to the combat, though, since you have no direct control over them.

If you're complaining about the overall brevity of the review, there's not a whole lot more to the game from what I hear from nearly everyone that's played it.

 

[Mr. Wednesday]

Now, besides town management, there’s also the RPG part of the game. It’s very simplistic, though...

Well I haven't played the game, but talk about a simplistic review. I'd expect something like that from Gamespot, but not from the codex.

You're right. Where are the cheap shots at developers? Where are the long, incoherent rants? Where is the insinuation that anyone who disagrees with the reviewer is a grade A moron?

 

[spectre]

Well I haven't played the game, but talk about a simplistic review. I'd expect something like that from Gamespot, but not from the codex.

Right. Balanced reviews are soo mainstream.

Not a bad review overall.
I missed some introductory remark in the beginning (something that would tell me who the hell I am in this game. It can be inferred , but I think it would be better if it were told more explicitly).
Overall, I think that if someone didn't hear a thing about Hinterland, some bits might have come out confusing.
Or perhaps it's just me, but at times I thought that If I hadn't played it, I wouldn't know what you're on about.

Anyways, personally I agree on the conclusion. The game is repetitive, and beyond a certain point it just felt like a chore - only two goddamn regions and I am done.
Main problem is, higher levels just don't unlock any spectacular abilities, items, buildings, that would meaningfully affect the gameplay. It's just more of the same.

 

[LCJr.]

Now, besides town management, there’s also the RPG part of the game. It’s very simplistic, though...

Well I haven't played the game, but talk about a simplistic review. I'd expect something like that from Gamespot, but not from the codex.

In all seriousness it's an incredibly simplistic game. Jarl's review covers all there is to the game. Given the experience and talent at Tilted Mill they should be ashamed of themselves putting out something like this.