Kult: Heretic Kindoms, should i play it?

[Romascu]

I'll just copy past one of my older messages about another game to save time:

What i value in an rpg are the following attributes , in this order: good , interesting/non-bland quests (at least side-quests if not main plot) , maybe even some branching and choices ; interesting characters with depth, interesting interactions and convos with them; the writing - anything from object descriptions , location descriptions, dialogue etc.- everything besides the actual storyline needs to be good ; the story itself and finally the real replay value (story, character or quest-wise).

Ok so in the following order i value the quality of : quests, characters, writing, story and replay value.

Can you tell me about each of those in reference to this game ?

Recent games i played that were up to snuff in most categories or all: quest for glory series, escape from hell (obscure old game), anachronax, betrayal at krondor , witcher 2 (my fav.) , dragon age 2, new vegas

I don't care much about combat, mechanics or exploration and i don't want to play games that are mostly about that the wizardy series or ToEE.

Basically, could those be up to my standards? I mean is it at least above average on those markers?

I ask because this game is pretty big, so they could turn out to be a big time investment that i would not make unless it's my kind of game.

Thanks.

 

[amar0k]

> interesting/non-bland quests (at least side-quests if not main plot) , maybe even some branching and choices ; interesting characters with depth, interesting interactions and convos with them; the writing - anything from object descriptions , location descriptions, dialogue etc
> Dragon Age 2

Whats wrong with you, man?

Anyway, Kult doesn´t fit at all to your criteria. Quests *are* bland, sidequests are few and mostly fetch/kill. Almost no choices until the last 30 minutes before the end of the game. Interesting characters.. well.. no. They are kinda cliché. Conversation is sparse, not many characters have much to say. Almost no object/location descriptions. It also has extremely poor combat design. Imagine Diablo, just without any skills. You really don´t have any skills in this game besides "left click for attack", even magic is just "left click to attack with a stronger attack every 4 shots".
Setting and writing are kinda interestint in the beginning though, but the game gets worse from start to end. Very unbalanced too, monsters are HP-bloated and battles take a long time (with nothing to do but attacking and running). Seriously, game is shit.


BUT: if you really do think Dragon Age 2 is awesome, this game might be something for you. Could be a bit too complex and hardcore though..

 

[Murk]

This thread covered similar ground, might be useful: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...gdoms-heretic-kingdoms-the-inquisition.77047/

Kult is one of "those games" where threads about it are quite common, and usually the same question. Huh.

 

[mikaelis]

Kult is one of "those games" where threads about it are quite common, and usually the same question. Huh.

And usually the same answer. Huh.

Spoiler

It's shit and bland

Gorasul: Legacy of Dragon is another one.

 

[Murk]

I'm more of a "worth it, but nothing magical".

Divinity 1 used to be as such as well.

 

[Aothan]

going by your criteria I would tentatively suggest trying the recent Inquisitor rpg, its key strengths mostly align with your interests besides replayability which may or may not hold much appeal after two or three games. Notwithstanding the regrettably bland combat and limited depth of encounters I think it is one of the better rpgs I've played of recent times. The start of the game requires a great deal of patience since any grasp of the setting and the character's role therein depends upon careful reading of vast amounts of text that as an aggregate would approximate a small book. However, there is a surprising degree of integrity to the writing with extensive and thoughtful character dialogues relevant to the setting and which forms the basis for the intrigues the main character has been sent to investigate. Once again though, whilst not actually bad (indeed the attribute and skill system offers interesting possibilities for character design) the combat is by and large bland, not so demanding at the start but somewhere around mid-game the thought of another twenty or so levels to develop dedicated skills makes this already limited aspect of the gameplay seem particularly onerous.

 

[Romascu]

This thread covered similar ground, might be useful: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...gdoms-heretic-kingdoms-the-inquisition.77047/

Kult is one of "those games" where threads about it are quite common, and usually the same question. Huh.

I've read that thread, but i got nothing conclusive out of it.

I need more opinions that address the points i listed in the OP.

Thanks.

 

[FeelTheRads]

I need more opinions that address the points i listed in the OP.

witcher 2 (my fav.) , dragon age 2

Fuck off.

But yeah, Kult should be fine for a story fag, especially since it's also very easy so you don't have to bother too much with actually playing the game.

 

[Rake]

I need more opinions that address the points i listed in the OP.

witcher 2 (my fav.) , dragon age 2

Fuck off.

But yeah, Kult should be fine for a story fag, especially since it's also very easy so you don't have to bother too much with actually playing the game.

Yes but has interesting story/setting? Are the characters/writing any good? What about the quests? Is there any branching and choices?
If a game is very easy so you can ignore the gameplay doesn't make it automaticaly a storyfag game. And if anyone (the OP) calls DA2 a good storyfag game deserves to be hanged

 

[FeelTheRads]

And if anyone (the OP) calls DA2 a good storyfag game deserves to be hanged

Which is why I didn't actually bother.
But I found it decent. Had more fun making the most overpowered character in the history of RPGs, though.

 

[Romascu]

Bumping for more opinions.

 

[Romascu]

Also can someone explain to me what you guys mean by "writing" and how is that different to "story"?

 

[Rake]

Also can someone explain to me what you guys mean by "writing" and how is that different to "story"?

Eeh, writing? Have you ever read a book? Don't you be able to tell if it's well writen or not?
You can have a game that has very interesting ideas but because the writing is crap you cannot take it seriously, and you can have a very standard story that because of the writing (well writen characters,dialogue etc.)
sticks with you.

 

[abnaxus]

Don't you be able to tell if it's well writen or not?

You sure you do?

 

[Murk]

Also can someone explain to me what you guys mean by "writing" and how is that different to "story"?

The storyline has more to do with the events and character interactions; the writing is the medium by which that is expressed. You can have cool ideas for a story but convey them through mediocre text. Writing also incorporates fluff from NPCs, item descriptions, and dialog options and all that jazz.

Kult has a neat storyline with pretty good writing. It's not the typical plot and it has some twists and turns in it but you're not going to find anything revolutionary in it. I think the most nuanced aspect is the healing system.

Anyway, just play the game -- you'd have beaten by now.

 

[Romascu]

Thanks for the info about writing , i haven't been in contact with the rpg community for some time.

Would like to see more opinions of each category i listed.

Also i honestly don't understand the hate da2 gets, i mean it's no masterpiece but it's a solid role playing experience. I guess i just don't care much about gameplay mechanics in general like combat and exploration though, i'm more of a "storyfag".

I've played almost all games that the codex appreciates and i just can't seem to see how da2 seems so bad to some here. I prefer it to dao just like i prefer me2 to me1.

 

[laclongquan]

Story is A do this to B causing C then C turn out to be wuving B but secretly in love with A but etc... Twists and turns. Quest directions.

Writings are general, overall, texts. Dialogues, quests, item descriptions.

For example, Bloodlines has great writing, but in my opinion is so so story. A new vamp get manipulated by old vamp in the shadow to causing/fixing chaos in Hollywood. Some may disagree with me and say the story is great because etc and etc...

Another example is the classic cult Planescape Torment. Overall the writings are great but story can be quite divisive among fans. Some around here say it's too convoluted, too jrpg-ish.

Generally a good story game can have good to great writing, but a game with great writings can have bad story.

 

[Romascu]

Story is A do this to B causing C then C turn out to be wuving B but secretly in love with A but etc... Twists and turns. Quest directions.

Writings are general, overall, texts. Dialogues, quests, item descriptions.

For example, Bloodlines has great writing, but in my opinion is so so story. A new vamp get manipulated by old vamp in the shadow to causing/fixing chaos in Hollywood. Some may disagree with me and say the story is great because etc and etc...

Another example is the classic cult Planescape Torment. Overall the writings are great but story can be quite divisive among fans. Some around here say it's too convoluted, too jrpg-ish.

Generally a good story game can have good to great writing, but a game with great writings can have bad story.

Thanks , i got that, but can you tell me how good kult matches my criteria?

 

[laclongquan]

amar0k answered quite thoroughly. And beside, with Codex can not even give it more enthusiasms than this, it's a shit game.

 

[Romascu]

amar0k answered quite thoroughly. And beside, with Codex can not even give it more enthusiasms than this, it's a shit game.

Sure, but opinions vary and i'm interested in more.

 

[m_s0]

Tedious gameplay, the setting doesn't carry it at all, the writing, as far as I can remember, wasn't that great either. Avoid.

 

[iqzulk]

It's a damn fun RPG-lite. Probably, one of the best story-driven RPG-lites, I've ever played.
The writing is really entertaining with great sense of humor. The humor is all-pervasive, but somehow neither obnoxious nor coming as outright forced (even despite all the genre savvy), more like giving the whole thing more light-hearted, fun adventur-y feel - and it never tries to steal the spotlight from more important things. The writer was the same guy who fully wrote Discworld Noir - and I'd go as far as to say that writing in Kult is better. There is surprisingly interesting and complex backstory (all serious, BTW) which you learn from ingame books and "history lessons" with painted backgrounds, which is actually one of the main reasons to play the game. The whole thing is pretty linear (in contrast to openworld-y Divine Divinity), but there are many side quests. For the most part those quests are simple, most of them - with only singular way to resolve things - but they are highly entertaining because of writing and some (even if minor) twists or turns along the way, or just the "did not expect that!" factor in regard to the whole quest's setup. Basically, the whole thing is a competent comedy thriller, with your character being only one of numerous characters trying to influence the whole situation, which is, for the most part, entertaining, well written, and kinda keeps you on the edge. The beginning is kinda slow and meh, so you'll need to play for 2-3 hours before jumping to any conclusions. The resolution is kinda meh as well, but frankly it doesn't matter all the much, because the ride itself is more than worth its time. You can complete the whole thing in two or three evenings - and believe me, you could spend these two or three evenings in WAY WORSE ways than playing Kult.
The audiovisual part is nothing special, although the game does feature some really beautiful and atmospheric icy locations closer to its end. It does look alright for its time - and it doesn't detract from the narrative, that's all. Overall, say, Divine Divinity blows its out of the water in terms of thins graphical and musical.
The setting also has its unusual quirks - but overall it's basically there just to play its part in evolution of the main story. Or, let's say, it rather doesn't have all that much of individual value outside of context of the story.
There are lots of unusual gamedesigning quirks, which really give the game its own different flavor - and make it much more entertaining and varied, than it would be otherwise. Like, there is this really unusual leveling system with perks being unlocked via the use of various weapons and armors and whatnot. And there this thing that every location has the other side called Dreamworld, which has its own enemies - moreover, you can switch those two as frequently as you please - even while on the run. And there is this cool healing system. And, frankly, all of that works great. You would be constantly swapping your gear (like, non-stop), swapping dimensions while in combat, reassessing and swapping your active perk list while having a rest, etc.
I was playing as archer on max difficulty (while occasionally switching to magic rods) - and frankly I had some damn good time with the game. Some other people were complaining about melee combat being imprecise and clunky, so you might want to play ranged as well.
Basically, don't expect anything even remotely groundbreaking (or, like, any "TEH DEEP ARTISTIC STATEMENTS" or, like, "DEEP AND MEANINGFUL CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES CHOOSING YOUR ROLE TOTALLY MATTERS BRO"), because this game doesn't even PRETEND being anything more than it really is. And it's basically a game that is JUST a really well done "genre (RPG-like) work" with a lot of entertaining little twists (which actually work - in contrast with, say, Soulbringer) to the overall formula, and the some cool writing - and that's JUST a really nice way to spend a couple of evenings.

I've completed it, like, 5 years ago - and remembering it still brings warmth to my heart. Divine Divinity, despite all the exploring and superior audiovisuals, was much more rough around the edges - and overall I didn't like it as much as this game (although I would rate it pretty close). Anyways, Kult is (and will always be) a solid B+ in my book.

Oh, and one more thing. It has absolute zero of replayability. You hack and slash your way through it, with all the side quests - and that's it.

tl;dr: Highly entertaining (in terms of both gameplay and writing) and fun rather linear story-driven hackfest with lots of simplistic side-quests. The story is a competent thriller which has both serious and comedy parts, very well balanced. Nothing groundbreaking. Slow beginning, def. gets much more interesting along the way. Reading every single book is mandatory. Playing as archer(ess) on max.difficulty recommended. Zero replay value.

That's all. Hope it helped.

 

[Murk]

The history lessons with the art + voice over is awesome; other games fail to match up to it. MotB's ending comes close, but then it's just the ending. In Kult it's the main method of narrative exposition.

 

[DarthBehemoth]

I played it for a while... in my opinion it's nothing special, but depending on your taste it might be a fun RPG to play through.

 

[abnaxus]

The history lessons with the art + voice over is awesome

They reminded me of Fable: the Lost Chapters.