CRPG Thread
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 6:54 pm
Classical RPG thread. I will update this thread to include more titles depending on interest, feel free to contribute.
[Underrail]
Underrail is a post apocalyptic role playing video game set underground, developed by the Serbian based Stygian Studios.
Underrail has been around since 2012, but has only came out of Early Access at 2015. With the release of the "Expedition" expansion in 2019, the game has more or less reached it's final state.
It is an isometric turn based game (similiar to the early Fallouts) with a pleasantly in depth and enjoyable combat system. You are given many options to fight however you want; with many tools ranging from bear traps to EMP grenades, and weapons ranging from modern firearms, melee weapons to even 3 schools of magic (known as PSI in-game)
The game actively encourages you to min-max (excelling at certain skills while keeping others low) while creating and levelling your character, as spreading your points to be good at everything only helps keep all of them shallow.
Example: You cannot be good at magic, traps, melee, social skills and crafting (more on this later) at the same time.
While this may sound negative to some audiences, it actually makes every run a vastly different experience than the other, as the tactics you used on different characters will be obsolete, yet you will have many more ways of fighting and interacting with the world in ways you never thought of before.
This is no joke, as even 3 characters specialized in smashing their opponents down with a hammer can be vastly different with the feats (passive abilities picked while leveling up), equipment and gameplay style.
Finally, the crafting system. It is expansive yet easy to grasp, and will immensely reward those who bother delving into it. Trust me, the gear you craft will be much better than what shops can offer you. Not necessarily limited to armor and weapons however, as you can craft many things, a few examples being chemical bombs and useful medicine.
With all being said, the gameplay is quite brutal and can be very unforgiving, especially to people unexperienced in the genre and to poorly designed characters; plus the tactical aspect ensures that you most likely won't win a fight against 10 armed bandits or the usual crazed arson by yolo'ing.
The writing ranges from average to amazing, with the latter beginning to shine after the first few hours and the expansion. I will not explain the main story, but keep in mind that being observant and studious of the world lore will make the story that much more interesting.
That being said, the game can be extremely cryptic sometimes (it didn't have a map for many years) and missing major story elements on your initial run is not shocking, especially if you haven't actively bothered to find them.
The role playing aspect is admittedly not as prominent as the combat is, but you are nonetheless given many options to shape your character's personality (who starts off as a blank slate)through the many dialog and action options you are given while doing quests or simply exploring the caves.
And you will see consequences of your actions.
To finalise my ramblings, this is a flexible game with great lore and gameplay that may be tough to access for newcomers to the genre (not necessarily impossible, but I would at least recommend Fallout 1-2 first) but it definitely shines the brightest when played with experience.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/250520/UnderRail/
[Underrail]
Underrail is a post apocalyptic role playing video game set underground, developed by the Serbian based Stygian Studios.
Underrail has been around since 2012, but has only came out of Early Access at 2015. With the release of the "Expedition" expansion in 2019, the game has more or less reached it's final state.
It is an isometric turn based game (similiar to the early Fallouts) with a pleasantly in depth and enjoyable combat system. You are given many options to fight however you want; with many tools ranging from bear traps to EMP grenades, and weapons ranging from modern firearms, melee weapons to even 3 schools of magic (known as PSI in-game)
The game actively encourages you to min-max (excelling at certain skills while keeping others low) while creating and levelling your character, as spreading your points to be good at everything only helps keep all of them shallow.
Example: You cannot be good at magic, traps, melee, social skills and crafting (more on this later) at the same time.
While this may sound negative to some audiences, it actually makes every run a vastly different experience than the other, as the tactics you used on different characters will be obsolete, yet you will have many more ways of fighting and interacting with the world in ways you never thought of before.
This is no joke, as even 3 characters specialized in smashing their opponents down with a hammer can be vastly different with the feats (passive abilities picked while leveling up), equipment and gameplay style.
Finally, the crafting system. It is expansive yet easy to grasp, and will immensely reward those who bother delving into it. Trust me, the gear you craft will be much better than what shops can offer you. Not necessarily limited to armor and weapons however, as you can craft many things, a few examples being chemical bombs and useful medicine.
With all being said, the gameplay is quite brutal and can be very unforgiving, especially to people unexperienced in the genre and to poorly designed characters; plus the tactical aspect ensures that you most likely won't win a fight against 10 armed bandits or the usual crazed arson by yolo'ing.
The writing ranges from average to amazing, with the latter beginning to shine after the first few hours and the expansion. I will not explain the main story, but keep in mind that being observant and studious of the world lore will make the story that much more interesting.
That being said, the game can be extremely cryptic sometimes (it didn't have a map for many years) and missing major story elements on your initial run is not shocking, especially if you haven't actively bothered to find them.
The role playing aspect is admittedly not as prominent as the combat is, but you are nonetheless given many options to shape your character's personality (who starts off as a blank slate)through the many dialog and action options you are given while doing quests or simply exploring the caves.
And you will see consequences of your actions.
To finalise my ramblings, this is a flexible game with great lore and gameplay that may be tough to access for newcomers to the genre (not necessarily impossible, but I would at least recommend Fallout 1-2 first) but it definitely shines the brightest when played with experience.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/250520/UnderRail/