I look forward to seeing further companions on the level of Daakon and Fall-from-Grace of Planescape: Torment fame.Įarly access can’t be treated as a final game, and this is not a final review. The Last Castoff’s companions, both of the starting ones, are intriguing, unique beings, such as an educated scientist overlayed with ghostly images of her alternate reality selves. The writing’s as expected-top-notch, introspective, and digestible. Different solutions influence your Tides, ethical systems that respond to your actions and have a tangible presence in the game. The dialogue system is promising-options reference your character backstory and knowledge, giving you new options and allow you to solve problems different ways. Combat felt somewhat sluggish, even by turn-based standards, and I would like to see that refined and sped up to get to the best part, the written story. On paper, the Numenera system works quite well, and my experiences with it in video game form were promising, if slow. They even have the cyphers, ancient bits of technology that amount to one-shot magical items. Combat (or ‘Crises’, as situations always have other solutions), restored by brief rests. Your three core stats-Might, Speed, and Intelligence-serve as both a resource to assist in actions and as health. Your characters classes-the warrior Glaive, the thief Jack, and the mage Nano, as well as the descriptive prefixes (chosen through the game’s prologue). What’s striking, though, is how much fidelity they’ve exhibited for the Numenera roleplaying system. The 2D backgrounds have a painted, washed look that’s appealing, and actually mixes well with the 3D models. There’s a line between understanding and confusion that the esoteric phenomena show. It skirts that line with the Other-technology is recognizable as such, and then does something bizarre like smugly ignore your attempts to puzzle out its command line (making very clear it’s messing with you), with bio-mechanical monsters whose purpose is inscrutable (like the Vorlon analogy that comments inscrutably on your presence). Old, shattered platforms linked by bridges of light, and ancient, alien monsters trapped in cages dot the landscape of the beach and town you start nearby. Advanced technology litters the landscape around the crystal dome you (too) quickly descend to, ranging from ancient computer systems to laughing cones orbiting each other. It certainly sets the tone for this adventure, and is a promising start. Immediately, you have options as to how you access your surrounds, despite the sheer helplessness of your situation-arrest your fall, speed your descent to face the inevitable, or try to remember what led you to this point. Voiced narration reads out the text below, as a blur shoots by on the screen-starting things off high-stress. Tides of Numenera begins with your protagonist awaking in free-fall high above the Earth, plummeting downward towards a crystal structure. What is there, however, is a solid RPG that focuses more on narrative and problem-solving than on combat and grinding. Early Access games get a pass for this, as we’re playing an unfinished game. The game is, of course, unfinished, and laden with bugs and errors that disrupt gameplay. It also sets an incredibly high bar- Planescape: Torment still stands up today, thanks to its superb writing, and I can’t help but expect a game that seeks to recreate that will live up to that hype. I’m also a fan of Numenera, so this game baits my excitement as well. Given that the turn-based combat mechanics of the game are awkward at best, this isn't a disadvantage to the game as a whole.Personally, I adore Planescape: Torment and consider it a testament to the importance of writing in videogames. Players have the option to engage in combat, but this is usually the option with the least benefit. There are always many dialogue options for each interaction, so the player has a high level of customization here to respond in a way that best fits their character. Players are encouraged to talk their way through situations, favoring those who ask questions or act selflessly. Gameplay focuses on choice and talking as opposed to combat. This feels like a DM setting the stage for players, giving as much detail as possible in character descriptions and behaviors of the NPCs. The descriptions are long and vivid so that the player gets a sense of the person they are interacting with before opening dialogue options. Because there is no character art available throughout the game and little voice acting, the player is instead given paragraphs of text describing everything with which they interact.
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