You can currently try Demise: Ascension for free at their site!

[Outmind]

If only I'd have checked up on the info sooner as about half the time allotted has already expired...

Anyway, Demise:Ascension, one of the greatest and grindiest dungeon crawlers ever made is currently in a free trial. If you go to:

http://www.decklinsdemise.com/

you can try the game out for free for two more weeks. If you are having qualms about its fairly steep price, try the game out now and pick it up after some hands on time / wait for a sale.

I've been following Demise since it was Mordor II back in the late 90s. It is definitely one of those cult, niche games that surely isn't for everyone and many people outside of the codex might be put off by its grindiness and somewhat steep learning curve. Still, if you can get past the Wizardry 8 level graphics and cheesy story line, you are in for one of the hardest, most well planned out dungeon crawlers ever.

If you do decide to pick the game up and give it a go, feel free to ask questions in here as I'm sure that even some of the codex's veterans might have a bit of trouble in getting their bearings at first.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Does his religion prohibit him from releasing it on Steam?

The game is fun though. I bought it off his website a couple of years ago.

 

[JAG]

If only I'd have checked up on the info sooner as about half the time allotted has already expired...

Anyway, Demise:Ascension, one of the greatest and grindiest dungeon crawlers ever made is currently in a free trial. If you go to:

http://www.decklinsdemise.com/

you can try the game out for free for two more weeks. If you are having qualms about its fairly steep price, try the game out now and pick it up after some hands on time / wait for a sale.

I've been following Demise since it was Mordor II back in the late 90s. It is definitely one of those cult, niche games that surely isn't for everyone and many people outside of the codex might be put off by its grindiness and somewhat steep learning curve. Still, if you can get past the Wizardry 8 level graphics and cheesy story line, you are in for one of the hardest, most well planned out dungeon crawlers ever.

If you do decide to pick the game up and give it a go, feel free to ask questions in here as I'm sure that even some of the codex's veterans might have a bit of trouble in getting their bearings at first.

I actually played (and beat) the original Mordor back in the days of shareware. It was fun and certainly unforgiving (petrification was instadeath I believe, poison was frequently deadly as well). This was back before I knew what a Roguelike was (granted it's not technically a roguelike since the map doesn't change, you can recover killed adventurers, but it's about killing a ton of mostly random enemies).

The developer had ambitious plans for the game that were mostly unmet due to his coding limitations. He actually tried putting together an MMO that had a number of interesting ideas, but it ultimately failed as well.

When they say grindy, you can get to level 999 in not one, but 4 classes (or more? It's been a while), and I believe you can have four party members. Oh, and having more than one class gives you an exp penalty as well. I played it for a while back in the day but couldn't get beyond dungeon level...17?

But it was good fun at the time, there wasn't much I knew about that was like it. I don't think it would hold up now with so many better games to play.

 

[SkeleTony]

If only I'd have checked up on the info sooner as about half the time allotted has already expired...

Anyway, Demise:Ascension, one of the greatest and grindiest dungeon crawlers ever made is currently in a free trial. If you go to:

http://www.decklinsdemise.com/

you can try the game out for free for two more weeks. If you are having qualms about its fairly steep price, try the game out now and pick it up after some hands on time / wait for a sale.

I've been following Demise since it was Mordor II back in the late 90s. It is definitely one of those cult, niche games that surely isn't for everyone and many people outside of the codex might be put off by its grindiness and somewhat steep learning curve. Still, if you can get past the Wizardry 8 level graphics and cheesy story line, you are in for one of the hardest, most well planned out dungeon crawlers ever.

If you do decide to pick the game up and give it a go, feel free to ask questions in here as I'm sure that even some of the codex's veterans might have a bit of trouble in getting their bearings at first.

I bought the boxed game from 'Decklin' on ebay years ago for like 20-something dollars. I too had been following his games since the first Mordor, through the demo of "Mordor II" but man this game is just bad. I am sorry but the developer wishes he could have gotten close to Wizardry 8's graphics. The graphics in this game are just abysmal (and that is something coming from me as I still play 2D top-down RPGs with 8x8, 16x16, 32x32 etc. tiled graphics and I don't normally notice or care about bad graphics). But far worse than that is the game play. A bizarre attempt to do real time where all battles are auto-resolved with zero input from the player. In a way this should be welcome to me since I think the worst thing anyone can do to an RPG is to saddle it with real time combat and I would welcome the compromise of not having to rely on MY reflexes and precision to dictate how well my CHARACTER is doing. But it either does not work well in this game or the learning curve and effort required to learn the system is not worth the result.

Too much just makes no sense. The 'Guilds', the races (Yeti...known for being the greatest swimmers imaginable?!), the combat...none of it is sensible.

 

[SkeleTony]

The developer had ambitious plans for the game that were mostly unmet due to his coding limitations. He actually tried putting together an MMO that had a number of interesting ideas, but it ultimately failed as well.

I was not at all a fan of his original vision for 'Horizons' but what his 'friend' did to him to wrest the game away and shut him out of the whole project is a truly heart-breaking story. He tried to give some guy a break and a foot into the CRPG industry and the game ended up going full diabolic, talking enormous shit about him behind his back and to the investors, eventually convincing them that he should be jettisoned and replaced by his former 'friend'. The game that was eventually released was not his game and, as you said failed miserably (so there is at least that much justice in the world).

 

[Drowed]

Wow... Mordor. I didn't even remember that this thing existed. I wasted countless hours on this thing. I remember that I always choose the same name as the guildmaster of my main job just to go to the guild and read "You're the guildmaster". Dunno why I liked to do that, kinda funny.

Demise looks kinda ugly, TBH. The interface is cleaner in Mordor, and the ugly 3D models aren't helping. He should've stick to 2D. Well, 35USD (124BRL, here) is just unimaginably expensive. By comparison, a newly released game from any "famous company" (for PC, on STEAM) tends to cost about 100BRL. And that's already a pretty high price here, by any standards.

So, no way. I imagine that even in a sale, the price would still be too much. With the full price value I can buy Shadowrun: Hong Kong here... 4 times. And that's a pity. I would buy the game, if for nothing else, at least for a way to thank him for all the fun I had with Mordor when I was younger. But with this price...

 

[garfield666]

I would buy the game, if for nothing else, at least for a way to thank him for all the fun I had with Mordor when I was younger. But with this price...

You would have to thank David Allen, actual creator of both mordor and demise. As i understand, current administrator decklin is not him.

 

[Scroo]

I own this game on gamersgate but used the key a few years back already - it constantly crashed on my old pc tho. I wanted to try it on my new computer but I forgot the registration key (their DRM is really, really idiotic, you get a second key after you use the first one or smth) and emailed the guy that is in charge of the game several times but never got a reply. It might be a fun game but I cannot recommend spending money on it with this kind of DRM and while this guy is in charge.

 

[Outmind]

You guys do bring up some valid points.

The graphics are indeed bad, you'll get no argument from me on that. I LOVED Mordor 1's art style, which transitioned and was expanded upon by the Mordor 2 demo before being remade into a 3d engine for demise. I actually wanted to put one of the creatures, a munsae, as my avatar on here:

Staying with a 2d art style might have been a good idea, but even this stunted 3d experience exudes a certain charm, to me at least.

As far as combat goes, it is indeed a strange mix of real time and tactical combat. If you run a melee only party or are clearing out lower level trash mobs, it is just a passive combat log reading experience. However, if you have spell casters and are facing tougher enemies, you do need to pause on occasion, order some of your party members (if you are running a party that is, you can just as well play solo) to either defend and soak up the damage, heal themselves / everyone, cast certain spells on certain groups of monsters to either destroy them or charm them over to your side etc. The lower you go, the more you need to plan ahead. Preemptive casting of protection and invisibility spells as well as raising resistances to certain damage types is a must of you hope not to go down in an instant.

Some of the effects are devastating. Like JAG said, there are monsters that can petrify you for instant death. There are also some that can behead you much to the same effect. There are also monsters (like the munsae above) that can permanently drain your attributes etc.

The price is unrealistically high. Even though I'm a fan I wouldn't dish out $35 for it either. Luckily there was a sale a couple of years ago where it was bundled with other games for $6. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. So, like I said above, give the game a whirl and wait for a sale if it tickles your fancy.

 

[felipepepe]

Outmind I do need someone to write about Mordor / Demise for the book, would you be interested?

Does his religion prohibit him from releasing it on Steam?

Or GOG. Must be part of the same anti-money cult as KotC's Pieere...

 

[Dorateen]

Demise: Ascension definitely needs more attention. One of the deepest, most satisfying dungeon crawlers I had played in a long time. Agree with the comment above about party combat becoming more of a micro-manage tactical possibility with pausing, which mitigates the real time implementation. Had innumerable intense battles, with the desire to keep pushing further and further into the lower levels. The persistent save system that kept track of character progress is probably the smartest solution I've seen for the save/restricted saves concerns.

 

[Xathrodox86]

Mordor looks more fun than Demise, if I have to be honest. But since it's free...

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

I hate Demise, but I wouldn't mind to get it someday, since I kinda feel the urge to give the $$$ for wasted weeks of my life.
Mordor, on the other hand, was fun. I wish he could finish Mordor 2 instead of making this mess of a game.

My main complaint is UI and graphics. Original Mordor was way more convenient to me and all of my attention was focused on enjoying the crap out of numbers and grinding instead of looking at these 3d monsters and shit.
Heck, I remember I even tried to convert the ingame maps to Hexen to make some sort of Hexen/Mordor TC.

 

[tindrli]

You guys do bring up some valid points.

The graphics are indeed bad, you'll get no argument from me on that. I LOVED Mordor 1's art style, which transitioned and was expanded upon by the Mordor 2 demo before being remade into a 3d engine for demise. I actually wanted to put one of the creatures, a munsae, as my avatar on here:

Staying with a 2d art style might have been a good idea, but even this stunted 3d experience exudes a certain charm, to me at least.

As far as combat goes, it is indeed a strange mix of real time and tactical combat. If you run a melee only party or are clearing out lower level trash mobs, it is just a passive combat log reading experience. However, if you have spell casters and are facing tougher enemies, you do need to pause on occasion, order some of your party members (if you are running a party that is, you can just as well play solo) to either defend and soak up the damage, heal themselves / everyone, cast certain spells on certain groups of monsters to either destroy them or charm them over to your side etc. The lower you go, the more you need to plan ahead. Preemptive casting of protection and invisibility spells as well as raising resistances to certain damage types is a must of you hope not to go down in an instant.

Some of the effects are devastating. Like JAG said, there are monsters that can petrify you for instant death. There are also some that can behead you much to the same effect. There are also monsters (like the munsae above) that can permanently drain your attributes etc.

The price is unrealistically high. Even though I'm a fan I wouldn't dish out $35 for it either. Luckily there was a sale a couple of years ago where it was bundled with other games for $6. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. So, like I said above, give the game a whirl and wait for a sale if it tickles your fancy.

so many mempories revoked.. god damn i was truly afraid of this motherfucker.. drained a shit out of my party for years and years.. Great games.. both mordor and Demise

 

[Angthoron]

I own this game on gamersgate but used the key a few years back already - it constantly crashed on my old pc tho. I wanted to try it on my new computer but I forgot the registration key (their DRM is really, really idiotic, you get a second key after you use the first one or smth) and emailed the guy that is in charge of the game several times but never got a reply. It might be a fun game but I cannot recommend spending money on it with this kind of DRM and while this guy is in charge.

I got my stuff from him straightaway, on a weekend and in the middle of the night. Maybe he just doesn't like you, Scrooge.

 

[tindrli]

I own this game on gamersgate but used the key a few years back already - it constantly crashed on my old pc tho. I wanted to try it on my new computer but I forgot the registration key (their DRM is really, really idiotic, you get a second key after you use the first one or smth) and emailed the guy that is in charge of the game several times but never got a reply. It might be a fun game but I cannot recommend spending money on it with this kind of DRM and while this guy is in charge.

all you need bro
http://www.dtr-dojo.com/download

 

[Outmind]

felipepepe - yes, I believe I'd like that. You can PM me with some guidelines and we'll see how it goes from there.

tindrli - they were the bane of the lower levels. Inexperienced parties quivered with fear whenever they saw one... or was thet because it drained their str and con?

Also, do you remember this guy:

That my friends was a nastrum. If you saw that guy when going solo and he wasn't friendly towards you (some monsters were friendly and passive if your charisma and level were high enough, some even offer to join you), you were screwed. He had that nasty stoning ability - he would turn you into stone causing instant death. You could be revived at the morgue, but would always lose a point of constitution afterwards.

Speaking of horrible ways to die, some guilds have access to teleportation spells that let you traverse the dungeon quicker. You execute them by writing the coordinates of the tile you want to land on. If you screw this up, there is a chance you can target a tile in the dungeon that is solid rock. Imagine you have a geared out, experienced party exploring the lower levels and accidentally teleport your members into solid rock. There is NO WAY to recover them other than sending another pc down there to get them out... That's how brutal the game can be.

 

[tindrli]

felipepepe - yes, I believe I'd like that. You can PM me with some guidelines and we'll see how it goes from there.

tindrli - they were the bane of the lower levels. Inexperienced parties quivered with fear whenever they saw one... or was thet because it drained their str and con?

Also, do you remember this guy:

That my friends was a nastrum. If you saw that guy when going solo and he wasn't friendly towards you (some monsters were friendly and passive if your charisma and level were high enough, some even offer to join you), you were screwed. He had that nasty stoning ability - he would turn you into stone causing instant death. You could be revived at the morgue, but would always lose a point of constitution afterwards.

Speaking of horrible ways to die, some guilds have access to teleportation spells that let you traverse the dungeon quicker. You execute them by writing the coordinates of the tile you want to land on. If you screw this up, there is a chance you can target a tile in the dungeon that is solid rock. Imagine you have a geared out, experienced party exploring the lower levels and accidentally teleport your members into solid rock. There is NO WAY to recover them other than sending another pc down there to get them out... That's how brutal the game can be.

AAAAAAHHH STONE DEATH!!!!

and yes..more than once a managed to recover my char from beeing rocked.. Damn GREAT GAME!!!!

 

[Dorateen]

I remember receiving the warrior guild quest to kill a nastrum. Although by that time, our party was exploring level 7, so it was a manageable proposition. Still, had to be quick to get to them first, or be stoned dead.

 

[Alchemist]

I enjoy Demise quite a bit - this reminds me I need to download the latest version as my previous copy expired. Yeah the game is quirky, ugly and brutal as all hell, but I find it charming and entertaining nonetheless.

I agree they really need to get this on Steam and the price is baffling. I bought it in that Gamersgate bundle a while back too.

Outmind I do need someone to write about Mordor / Demise for the book, would you be interested?

I remember I'd promised you a Demise review a while back but yeah - I take on too many commitments and still needed to put in more play-time to Demise before I felt qualified to review it. I'm quite happy to pass along the task to Outmind and he probably has a more thorough knowledge of the game (and Mordor) than I do.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Does it stop working after four weeks or what? Looks like I'm just downloading a regular beta release (AscencionSilverB719-Setup.exe), not a trial...

Does his religion prohibit him from releasing it on Steam?

Or GOG. Must be part of the same anti-money cult as KotC's Pieere...

I find your disrespect for Orthodox Vogelinists very troubling.

 

[Zaltys]

It is addictive, but I liked Mordor more.
Sure, it was also unfair, but not as unfair as Ascension.

My first party broke up after I ended up teleported to some place I hadn't seen before, and tried to port out of there. But I couldn't get it working, I just kept getting warnings that the guild masters have prohibited travel there. Eventually the whole party wiped, and I found out that I had broken some unwritten guild rule and that all of the guilds refused to train that character further. Which made him completely useless. Evidently trying to get out of the dungeon alive is now a crime.

Then my latest party got stuck in rock after Detect Rock told me that the square isn't rock... Not sure what happened. Perhaps I accidentally cast Detect Distant Rock. Dozens of hours of leveling gone again. Still haven't found the spell to retrieve characters from rock, or most other spells for that matter. Mordor at least didn't force you to hunt rare monsters for "essential" spells. (Actually, I have no idea

 

[Outmind]

You can use an item called Bells of kwalish to unrock your party, provided you picked it up somewhere already and are willing to train another character to go down to where this happened.

 

[theSavant]

This game clearly needs better visuals - and most of all a consistent style. It looks downright awful.
Even a minimalistic black & white style like Wizardry 1 looks much better aesthetically.
A real shame, because the gameflow looks great...

 

[tindrli]

This game clearly needs better visuals - and most of all a consistent style. It looks downright awful.
Even a minimalistic black & white style like Wizardry 1 looks much better aesthetically.
A real shame, because the gameflow looks great...

its not that bad god damnit.. and after few hours thrown into the game you will see that visuals are not important at all