Pyre, however, remained hidden in the shadows practically until the launch and the information leaked in recent months had not managed to dispel that aura of mystery that hovered around the title.We expected a different role-playing game,
this is true, but we would never have expected to find a title that behind its almost mystical aura could hide a soul sporting title, a game where the ability to mouse and keyboard and reflections count more than the moral choices made during the adventure.
Pyre is therefore a very personal title and therefore extremely difficult to judge, so let’s open the Pandora’s box together.
WELCOME, DEAR READER
The Commonwealth is a nation born from the ashes of a fallen empire, which the stories depict as a heavenly place where all creatures live in peace with each other, in a multiethnic society that welcomes open arms with any form of life. To err in the Commonwealth, however, can also mean to be exiled forever in the Downside, a land full of pitfalls and fierce enemies.
This is how we awaken without memory in this land, lost in search of a way to riagguant our freedom. The situation precipitates when Hedwin, Jodariel and a talking dog named Rukey (with a beautiful mustache!) Approach with their caravan and show us the only way to escape this nightmare. Rescuing is not accidental or even an act of pure charity:
The three see in the protagonist some special gifts, the possibility, for example, of reading ancient texts and accessing the rituals of passage, the only known way to purify one’s soul and return to the Commonwealth. United by common interests, the four are thus moving towards the stars, crossing a unique world, skilfully sketched and able to amaze for colors and settings, designed in two dimensions but not for this poor or having memorable panoramas. We move so for a rather simplified map
choosing from time to time which crossroads or roads to follow, following the wishes of one of our travel companions. United by common interests, the four are thus moving towards the stars, crossing a unique world, skilfully sketched and able to amaze for colors and settings, designed in two dimensions but not for this poor or having memorable panoramas.
We move so for a rather simplified map choosing from time to time which crossroads or roads to follow, following the wishes of one of our travel companions. United by common interests, the four are thus moving towards the stars, crossing a unique world, skilfully sketched and able to amaze for colors and settings, designed in two dimensions but not for this poor or having memorable panoramas.
We move so for a rather simplified map choosing from time to time which crossroads or roads to follow, following the wishes of one of our travel companions.The narrative part of Pyre is structured like a book game, where every single choice of the player could lead to an increase in the trust of their peers, a certain reward or simply exchange goods.
The idea is good, although not particularly original, but perhaps this element is too little detailed throughout the campaign, giving the impression that the decisions of the “Reader” are never particularly significant. Certainly they can give some advantage in some circumstances but the feeling is that of not having full control of the events, ineffectual pawns in a story that has already clearly made its way.
BASKET!
As you begin to know the characters, while you become attached to the stories of each of the protagonists, the game reveals its true essence and is overwhelmed by a motion of surprise. In fact, Pyre does not have fights with the white weapon or battles of magic,
but offers players something very different, we would say almost unique for role-playing games. The focus of Pyre’s action is hidden in the rites of passage, three against three challenges in a sort of fantasy basketball with a thousand peculiarities. At the edges of the field, in place of the baskets, there are two pyres and the ultimate goal of the player is to grab a sphere and throw it inside them until they are consumed.
The basic mechanics is extremely simple but to enrich the gameplay several factors intervene, based mainly on the different abilities of the characters.Our task during these rites will
therefore be to drive the Nightwing to victory, in a succession of games that make the adventure a sort of galactic league between hostile factions.Explaining the game mechanics is rather complex, given the immense amount of variables. Each character emits an aura of different sizes and can be thrown to enemies in an attempt to banish them temporarily from the match. In addition to this basic skill that all players have, intervene then teleport, jumps, the ability to fly
and to make moppings in mid-air but also special evocation skills. All this variety does not come of course from just three of our companions but, continuing with the adventure, the Nightwing team will welcome new members by expanding its ranks and giving a great variety of options for the deployment to the reader. Without going further into the specifics of the gameplay,
know that the games are always fun, merit also of various and changing arenas that require adaptation and intelligence to get around the obstacles that are proposed from time to time. If all this works well, it is artificial intelligence that causes some doubts, often too passive and rarely difficult for the player. For example, we finished the campaign in about eight hours without ever losing a single fight, a sign that in terms of balancing something did not work properly.
The extremely low difficulty curve can however be modified in the second part of the adventure when the reader will be given the faculty to activate a whole series of extra constellations to increase the difficulty in play. Some increase the hit points of the pyres, others give more speed to the opponents and so on, a solution already seen and adopted by Halo, just to name one. Do not be afraid to experiment and push beyond your limits, defeat is foreseen and game over is not contemplated.
