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Platform: PC Genre: RPG Publisher: Interplay Developer: Black Isle ETA: August 2003
Related Links: Review: Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn (PC) Review: Planescape Torment (PC)
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Lionheart:
Legacy of the Crusader
There’s
just something so amazingly fun about alternate histories.
The treasure trove of “What ifs” that such an approach to
fiction has is virtually limitless.
What if the Nazis won WWII (check out Phillip K. Dick’s “The
Man in the High Castle” for an excellent approach to this), the
alternate reality in Star Trek where the Federation was evil, what if
the Roman Empire never collapsed and continued to reign over Europe, the
possibilities are endless. Now
Black Isle is making a new RPG that delves into the realm of alternate
histories with Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusade. Taking
place in 1588 AD, the world has been dramatically changed because of an
event during the Third Crusade. Called
The Disjunction, rifts have been opened that lead to other worlds
allowing magical spirits to poor into the world changing it and its
inhabitants.
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Features: -
Story taking place on a historical divergent Earth during what should be
the renaissance after a mystical cataclysm has occurred. -
SPECIAL rules system (from Fallout 1 & 2) adapted to a real-time
fantasy setting – including 30 skills, 40 perks, and 15 traits. -
Classless system allows the user to customize their character however
they want as they advance to as high as 60th level.
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-
Eight major areas of the world contain over 80 levels that range from
pure story and dialogue areas to pure combat challenges. -
Fast paced combat in a world where dialogue interaction and story play
equally large roles. -
Characters in the world that can join your party and fight for and with
you. -
Cooperative multi-player allows as many as four friends to play through
the single player game. -
A random item generator allows the player to find literally thousands of
different weapons and items. -
2D rendered backgrounds with 3D characters -
Four different player races. -
Over fifty enemies to challenge your combat and spell- casting
abilities. -
Over thirty spells that evolve and grow with as your characters'
abilities increase. -
Simple and intuitive gameplay with a clean interface. Going
with a classless system is quite the change of pace in role-playing,
where classes are often the bread and butter of character evolution,
dictating stat maximums, and acting as a guiding force in how characters
turn out. Hopefully having
such a free-formed approach this will stay cohesive.
Lionheart
also seems to be walking the line between combat and narrative, having
areas in the game that are heavy in one area and yet more areas heavier
in the other. Usually
entire games pick a team and stick with it.
Lionhearts approach is definitely a departure from the norm. The
game is looking like quite the ambitious project; hopefully it doesn’t
wind up getting stretched in too many directions.
Whatever the case we’ll find out when the game hits store
shelves this August. Mr.
Nash April 12, 2003 |
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