Very nice rpg
Very nice rpg with an interesting setting, fun systems and challenging, yet never unfair combat. Compared to the developers' previous game Age of decadence this is a longer and more conventional game (no more "choose your own adventure" feeling"). It's also more forgiving since you can play with a party that can cover most skills, so you're not as restricted in your play style as in AoD. Unlike in AoD there are also now genuine "dungeons" that give you a great feeling of exploration. Combat is also great, lots of very hard encounters, but it's almost never frustrating, since there's usually a non-combat alternative and you can choose how much of the combat you want to engage with (and for those who thought AoD was too hard: not only is the game a bit easier in general on the standard setting, there's also an easy difficulty setting now). The graphics, while not the most important part of an rpg, are also quite beautiful and quite the advance on AoD's rather drab look. On the negative side, I think it's less replayable than its predecessor. I just finished my playthrough (which was very enjoyable) and don't feel like I have many mysteries left to uncover, unlike with AoD which was much shorter, but offered many drastically different experiences. I also think Colony ship's characterization is a bit weak, there are few memorable individuals and the entire conflict between the different factions feels a bit under-developed in the end. The general atmosphere is great though. To sum up: not a perfect game or one that will revolutionize the genre, but a very charming title that I would unreservedly recommend to all fans of rpgs, especially those of a somewhat more hardcore kind. Iron Tower studios is a small indy developer, unfortunately their lack of budget shows at times, but even under those constraints those guys have created something amazing. One wonders what they could to with more resources. If you like rpgs, buy their game, so they can create a sequel!
8 gamers found this review helpful