PC | DS | Wii | PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 3 | PSP | Xbox 360 | Retired: GBA | GameCube | Xbox

News | Reviews | Previews | Features | Classics | Goodies | Anime | Forums

So, we finally made a Twitter thingy.  You can follow it here.

Silverfall

Score: 7.0 / 10

One of the difficulties I’ve encountered in writing game reviews is considering  new games objectively without dwelling too much on my sentimental favorites and the looming shadows that they cast.  Diablo II was one of the first PC fantasy games that really got under my skin, partly because of its ingeniously simple yet surprisingly variable gameplay, partly because it was truly exciting but mindless enough to actually feel like relaxation (ie. compare this to recent RPG’s like Oblivion, which is wonderful but sometimes feels uncomfortably closer to work than play at times).  So while I wasn’t expecting Monte Cristo’s new RPG Silverfall to be the heir to the Diablo throne when I first saw those tantalizing preview screenies, I was perhaps hoping for a fun Diablo niece or nephew at least.  And, unfortunately, what I get from Silverfall, despite moments of genuine enjoyment and ingenious creativity, is balanced by enough disappointments that it’s hard to give a wholehearted endorsement.

Much of what is fun in Silverfall is borrowed (stolen) directly from Blizzard’s RPG classics, especially the hack-and-slash, point-and-click combat system.  There are minimal tactics involved here (I did notice how maneuvering to avoid multiple, simultaneous attacks helped a little), but most often it’s simply a case of repeatedly clicking whatever you want to die until it does.  Ranged weapons and magic are well-integrated and effective, probably moreso than in the Diablos (and they’re often more effective than melee attacks against Silverfall’s brawnier opponents).  The hotkey system, while nothing as elaborate as other fantasy 

 

-PC Game Reviews - Role-Playing Game Reviews

RPGs, works fairly well and allows rapid shifts on the fly.  Silverfall’s pretty graphics and improved physics are a nice addition – it’s fun to watch the occasional flying cartwheel as opponents are dispatched.  Silverfall also surpasses the Diablos in its self-sorting, idiot proof quest system (with many side quests available) as well as its efficient equipment management system.

Advertisement

Here’s the problem.  Where the Diablos felt like seamless, absorbing and immersive tableaus, Silverfall reminds me repeatedly that I’m at the mercy of whatever twists and turns the developers have inserted next.  Despite the size, scope and detail of the interlocking maps of the Silverfall world, the quests all feel like a lot of slogging from A to B rather than Diablo’s bold adventuring.  And as with most recent fantasy games, Silverfall’s plot is both elaborate and forgettable, involving contending forces of nature and technology, the saving of a fallen city and the encroaching hordes (aren’t they always encroaching?) of evil.  What’s more, the game’s difficulty, as the main quest progresses, feels a little inconsistent, with some easy stretches balanced by some nearly impossible ones.  At certain points, when my character just wasn’t buffed or well-equipped enough to handle the beasties in a particular quest area, I ended up having to run the gauntlet between various red dots on the radar and pray that no uber-baddies would spawn right in front of me.  While this sort of thing might have been tense and suspenseful in a stealth game, in a hack and slash RPG it felt arbitrary and annoying, like jogging through a minefield.

Silverfall’s RPG system is interesting and flexible, with skill specialization trees replacing character classes, but this removed a little of the fun for me, and I found myself longing for readymade character classes with specialized skill trees.  (I consider this a personal taste issue more than a game flaw.)  Though you can change your mind in Silverfall and retroactively tinker with your character’s skillset via convenient NPC skill vendors, this is less fun than it sounds, and only helps when you’ve discovered the hard way that a particular skill combination hasn’t worked nearly as well (ie. archery and foot speed – go figure) as it should have.  Silverfall’s NPC companions, though devoid of personality, are a fun addition and can be instructed to aid the main character in various ways, though the lack of quick commands on the fly results in occasional trouble.  Some of the weaker ones work much better in support roles than as combatants.

Finally – and believe me I’m getting plenty sick of making this same criticism, game after game – Silverfall could have been more stable and polished at the time of its release.  (Hey, developers and publishers!  Stop rushing games out!  Stop it!  Just . . . stop!)  I did have some trouble with lag, even at lower graphics settings.  The occasional glitches and hiccups weren’t enough to be aggravating but did detract from the fun.

Unreasonable nostalgia aside, Diablos I and II become more impressive to me with time as I watch Silverfall and other recent titles (ie. Titanquest) try and fail to capture the same delicate balance of simplicity and immersive fun that Blizzard cooked up more than a decade ago.  I give Silverfall a 7 out of 10 for what it is, even though I’m extra disappointed by what it isn’t.  And I say in conclusion (with great sorrow and apologies to the late Lloyd Bentsen):  “Silverfall, I played Diablo II.  I knew Diablo II.  Diablo II was a friend of mine.  And Silverfall [sigh], you’re no Diablo II.”

- John Tait

(April 3, 2007)

Digg this Article!  | del.icio.us

Advertise | Site Map | Staff | RSS Feed

Affiliates:

- BDGamers -   - CnC Den -   - CivFanatics-   - Creative Uncut -   - Darkstation -   - DarkZero -   Devil May Cry   - Dreamstation.cc -   

- Fable 2 -    - GameZone -   - Mario-Kart.net -   - PS2 Fantasy -  - PS3 -   -TalkXbox -   - Zelda Dungeon -

All articles ©2000 - 2008 The Armchair Empire.

All game and anime imagery is the property of their respective owners.

Privacy Statement - Disclaimer