A must-try for Diablo fanatics.
This game is an RPG game set in Greek mythology. Players control a hero, who rises up to restore peace within the chaotic sphere of co-existence between gods and men.
I bought this game a couple years ago during my army days. I was (but still am) a huge Diablo fanboy. I probably played that game for 2 years, replaying it over and over again on battlenet. So when game reviews mentioned this game was a diablo-esque RPG, I immediately bought it. I completed it, and the original box is collecting dust somewhere at home. Recently, Steam offered this game and it's expansion, titled Immortal Throne, for only 5 USD. So I bought it and replayed it again.
In short, I like this game. It plays like Diablo, it looks like Diablo, just that everything is in a different age. But how does it compare by itself?
Gameplay wise, it plays like a normal RPG game. Players control only 1 character, which will stereotypically rise up from anonymity to become to hero/heroine of the story. There are the two usual bars to watch: the health bar, and the mana bar. Players are allowed to customise the way their character look, and also as the game progresses, they can also choose to specialise in different masteries (whether you want to be a fire mage, ice sorcerer, paladin, rogue, etc). Weapons and armour are of course upgradable through monster drops or through a merchant. They also have a dual slot, where players can choose two weapon sets that the player wields, and is able to swap between these weapons by pressing (W). This functionality, if I recall correctly, first emerged in Diablo II's expansion.
I would have to say that the storyline is quite cheesy, basically a trio of super baddies called the Telkine is trying to take over the Greek world and you have to stop them. Your travels take you to a myraid of places, which include famous places like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Great Wall of China, Minotaur's Labyrinth, etc. I guess that's really neat. You get to meet famous people like General Leonidas of 300 fame as well. What I didn't really like though, was how it didn't really depict the actual myths. For instance, the character didn't carry a ball of thread into Minotaur's Labyrinth, nor did he fight Medusa through looking a shield. These bosses just appear as a super monster that has outrageous hit points. This, to me, is quite sad because I was looking forward to reliving the tales of old, becoming like one of the Greek heroes. Removing all these little tidbits just make the game a bit boring.
Art wise, it looks good, even in today's (2010) standards. It doesn't really look outdated. Monsters have their own unique art, and weapons have their own unique look. The maps are really huge, and are very nicely detailed. What I like about this game is that there are very few loading screens. Players are able to traverse the different areas freely. The only times where loading screens are shown is when he teleports to different places within the same realm, or between realms. I also like the neat touch of the weapons emanating this glow whenever the player uses an epic or legendary weapon.
What I have to mention though, is how the weapon drops are a bit IMBA (imbalanced for the game). Early on, I picked up this weapon which allowed me to 2 hit kill most monsters in that realm. I used that weapon for probably half a game, when I picked up another weapon which was not only better, but also allowed me to 2 hit the monsters. While I appreciate the usefulness of the weapon (it meant a shorter game walkthrough for me), I cannot help but think that as a game designer, I would have prevented the player from getting a hold of a weapon such as this. Very evil, I know. Also, another thing that irks me about this game is how the bosses are, as mentioned before, super baddies with outrageous hit points. Whenever I fight a boss, I would just hold down my attack button, and just spam-drink health potions. No tactic is necessary, just a good magazine. Although there were a few bosses with special attacks which could 1 hit-kill the character, most of them can be downed with relatively ease. I just made sure I have enough potions.
Sound design is good, I like how the epic soundtracks mixed in well with the gameplay. The sound changes to something dramatic whenever he enters a special area, which helps because the maps are so big, you wouldn't know where was the right place to go to. For instance, in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, players have to find the right tomb where a Telkine is hiding in. Problem was, there's probably 6 different tombs in that area. But the player can easily find his way to the right tomb when he realises that the music/sound is actually a cue to his bearings.
Level design is relatively good, however it can get boring after you enter an 'unknown tomb' with the same layout and assets for the umpteenth time, so much so that from Act 3 onwards I decided not to enter any more 'unknown tombs'. Although I know I could be losing out on a lot of experience points and potentially good item drops, I couldn't stand the fact of seeing the same thing over and over again. However, for the most part of the game, level design is good.
All in all, this is a good game that I would recommend people who likes Diablo to play. But of course, personally, it doesn't really come close to what Diablo has to offer.
Long live Blizzard Entertainment!
Rating: 8/10
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