Torment: Tides of Numenera

Planescape: Torment is legendary for many reasons, one of which – a philosophical layering. Like the works of Nietzsche or Schopenhauer, Planescape can be studied again and again, each time coming to some interesting thoughts.

Yes, learn, not just to play. Torment always tended not to fight and collect artifacts and the stories and reflections. So starting the game after five to ten years, rediscovering the unique Planescape.

The whole point in perception changes with age. Ideas perceived by the age of 17 one way, 27 are seen quite differently.

Torment: Tides of Numenera , as befits the heirs, claims to be a similar place in the hearts of gaming. But only ambition inXile Entertainment and Brian Fargo were higher than their capacity.

Planescape: Torment was a complex and multifaceted creation. Reflections on him often melted the brain, as the ideas of the game laid a lot and become aware of them at once is impossible.

However, the Black Isle has done everything to make these ideas came the most understandable language. Beautiful and smart, but still understandable.

Moreover, the majority of thinking embodied in the Planescape, combined with its concept and the world, than to create a sense of wholeness. There was no inappropriate zaum for zaum. This is – a complex puzzle, which at first glance seems elementary, but actually challenges the gamer’s analytical skills.

Tides of Numenera trying to go the same way, but inXile, alas, too clever by half. The game is very reminiscent of the book “Anathem” Nila Stivensona , as it does not stand on ceremony with the gamer. He enters a world that initially does not explain what is happening to him.

Bedolag alone legion intricate catchwords whose value reaches it only after several hours. Character editor is rife with obscure mechanics and skills are not explained. After the release of the one of the first locations, gaming and the brain does give the brakes.

There fantasy landscape surreal intertwined with pure Sci-Fi, a card packed with things, the purpose of which will remain a mystery until the end of the game. Especially great neighborhood guns ala Warhammer 40k, waltzing in the air tubes for the rear gate (can in allegory?)

And the floating monolith shooting at fans dismiss his hands. Seeing such a company, exclaims “devilry!” And run away from the game. In Planescape enough surrealism, oddities and mysteries, but they were presented in such a way that before they reached essentially the player is intuitive and very fast.

Black Isle made Planescape so that it explained the complicated things in simple language, and visualized so that the association seen the object with its real analogue appeared instantly.

The Tides of Numenera even more weird and incomprehensible than Planescape, but unlike her game from inXile does not seek to explain, or at least encourage them to unraveling. It hitrovydumanno everything (from the role-playing system to the landscape), but the studio was not able to work out the game so that the gamer even understand what he saw and heard.

The first hours it causes a host of problems and often baffled, forcing to feel like a Neanderthal Museum in space technology.

Feeling like an idiot, which did not arise in the Planescape, seriously overestimates the barrier to entry in the Tides of Numenera . She easily scare away the novice, because even in the face of the author oldfagov wondered about substances of gravity, in which the developers were.

Be prepared for the fact that the feeling of incomprehension of what is happening will not leave you until the end of the game. Of course, breaking the early hours, you start to get used to the confusing world of Torment.

Ten hours later, you will even be surprised that at once has not understood that such numenery as lauded work flows or why everything without exception in its wake.

However, even understand the basic mechanics of the game will be able to solve all mysteries. They simply do not have the answer as frankly inXile namudrili. Indecent number of objects are there for the sake of beauty or, even worse, to give even more mystical surroundings. For example, in locations Caravanserai has a dome, which is hidden amazing device.

Faced with such a different game, I will piously believe in its importance to the lore, the story, or at least a third-party quest. Developers also can not put it, just because they can?

Heh, yes, you are naive, my friend: could and did. The Tides of Numenera bunch of things there for a reason. They are not important for understanding the world and are not involved in the quests – they are just there to create the illusion of importance and to fill the world of artificial.

Such widespread cheating disappointing. Meet a puzzle or a strange mechanism, to break a couple of hours over the head clues, solve puzzles and you realize that the time spent in vain. Torment just told another story. Certainly unusual, but at the same time useless because of its isolation from the rest of the game.

It’s a shame, terrible shame. Because of such geymdizaynerskogo and narrative “garbage” is a feeling that the world Tides of Numenera – tracing from the Planescape, although this is misleading.

inXile has created an amazing universe. Having overcome the initial difficulties with the perception of the game, you start to feel like a pioneer.

Become a such researcher-addict who needs more and more new puzzles, whether unknown or device company. Created inXile world initially deterred obscurity, and then falls in love with terrifying force.

Тем обиднее, что при всей необычности он так мал. Игра проходится за 30 часов, а количество доступных земель издевательски мало. Не шибко понятно, над чем так долго работала студия, если по масштабам Torment равна не Pillars of Eternity, а её дополнению The White March. Впрочем, куцые размеры прощаются, когда проникаешься самобытностью вселенной Tides of Numenera. Да, это не Сигил, а более сложное для восприятия место, но хардкорным геймерам понравится.

Unfortunately, about the characters (not satellite), the same can not be said. No, they are in many ways unique. Even banal trader will be able to surprise, let alone the quest heroes and say nothing. But their common problem that almost every head pushes speech, by which the brain is broken. Metaphysics for metaphysics – is fully characterizes the dialogue issue. There are very interesting interlocutors, but left when a passerby speaks as drunk as a lord of unsound mind, there is only one question: the writers, that is wrong with you ?! Planescape, with all the complexities raised, it conveys them clear. For Tides of Numenera the typical situation where a person has a bird without feathers and a thinking reed. Have fun.

Satellites, fortunately, were not so overwhelmed by arcane words. Perhaps they even failed. Companions – a cross between the Pillars of Eternityand Baldur’s Gate 2 . PoE they got from the philosophical background of personal stories and quests. The latter, incidentally, does not even appear in the blog, but it is logical to develop as the story, so to follow the changes of the same White’s death is extremely curious. Alas, the satellites do not cause attachment as their colleagues from the BG 2, due to lack of time, but actively participate in the dialogue and the life of the hero. The notorious White Death will be in each barrel bung unless there with her in the location bloom. Final of its history has turned out excellent, however, the same can be said about each satellite. Whether the game longer, and their quests at least not obvious –Tides of Numenera would compete with Baldur’s Gate 2 .

Here are minor quests Torment exactly compete with mastodons role-playing genre. Then you and the investigation into the killings in the spirit searches Vivisector of BG 2, and the search for the missing girls who run the game with time and parallel universes, and it is a marvelous story about the loss of aid itself. He is to run around the city, mingle with a bunch of characters, pass even several unrelated quests to help the poor thing to regain sanity. This approach to missions whose storylines often intersect – the key feature of the game.

These also include streams. Be able to understand them only towards the end of the game, but the awareness of the importance of the mechanics of the gameplay is amazing. Seemingly banal system of philosophy, whose influence on what is happening at once is not obvious. Communicate itself to the people and not just answer them in pleasing your statement and see how the flow got a little gold or, for example, blue. Then you sit and think, that’s what it is? And besides that inXile to create a simple but excellent mechanics. Usually in games ending it depends on the specific actions or specially selected answer choices (remember Mass Effect).

The Tides of Numenera ending depends not only on the actions of the hero, but literally his words throughout the game. By selecting one of the responses does not marked, only the author of the tenth hour realized that even the wording ToN important. Answers like sound alike, and mean the same thing, but a small difference in the words of the phrase gives shade. On these and shades based streams, and along with them and the end of the history of rejection. By the way, in ToN no “right” and “bad” phrases – the ball is ruled by personal feelings player influence that developers were not his views. Excellent course, ladies and gentlemen, I wish one of the few.

With role-playing and combat system inXile monstrous nakosyachila. I think in the Pillars of Eternity overweight rolevka and boevka? The depth of injustice is realized when it is already at the start you get acquainted with the “miraculous” character editor. For a long time sitting, selecting one of the three classes (key, Nano and Blade), try to understand their purpose, as well as to understand the skills and so on. Alas, unable to understand at best a tenth of what he saw. You think, “Well, in the course of the game will understand, because Tides of Numenera created on the precepts of Planescape, and thus be pereprohozhdeniya”.

O’clock on the fifteenth congratulate myself with the fact that the selected key – thief with a clear bias to the various non-combat skills. Alas, but the Blade (warriors with an emphasis on fighting skills) in ToN do nothing. Battles and so little, and with the conviction can be pumped to swing even the main bad guy. Contractions, by the way, are implemented so disgusting that they crave more complete vacation. Can Nano (magician) lives here better? Take a bite! Its advanced capabilities in the use of ciphers, which are disposable magic items in ToN useless. Many numenery (magical clothes) are only useful in battle, and with him … you get the idea.

Already upset? The key, as the only useful class, do not use most of its features. Pumped intelligence, coupled with the conviction streaming and memories, as well as the specific passive skills – everything you’re prepared for any scrapes. Looking at such a horror, quickly begin to praise the role and bulky combat system Pillars of Eternity . Well, we congratulate the inXile Entertainment c successfully prolyublennymi numenerami.

Brian Fargo swung his Torment: Tides of Numenera the role Planescape heir. Part of his ambitions come true. Many quests are elegant without exaggeration. The main plot sags in places, and not compete with the Planescape, but still not bad. The characters are original, although it would not hurt to speak like human beings: their speeches brain in horror hiding deep in the skull. The world is full of secrets and asking in the hands of the investigator, although it will not prevent cleaning of debris: characters and objects, completely out of the general picture.