Summary
One of the most perfect games ever created
The Good
Where to start?.. "Planescape: Torment" is an experience for every for anyone who cares for video games. What makes it so great is the fact that an original, interesting idea goes together with an absolutely brilliant execution. "Planescape: Torment" strikes a perfect balance between the artistic, creative side of a game (style, story, writing, etc.), and the actual gameplay. How many games you know have good gameplay but are still dull because they aren't telling you anything new or exciting; how many games, on the contrary, have a great concept but are poor as games, tedious, unplayable?
This game is magnificent as a concept and as a game in general, both technically and spiritually. No matter which aspect of it you analyze, you'll come to the same result: perfection.
The role-playing system of the game is remarkably rich and flexible, coming close to the amazing open-ended gameplay of
Fallout. You shape your character the way you like. The choices go much deeper then simply selecting a dialogue option; they are integrated into the gameplay and the story line in such a way that every encounter will make you think about your behavior. It's not just a matter of being nice or rude, killing people or helping them; there is ambiguity in almost every action you take, in the way you are slowly discovering your true identity. As you play the game, you are constantly facing the questions: what kind of a person have you been? What kind of a person are you now? And more concretely, how should you
play the game so that your actions will finally reveal to you the protagonist's true nature?.. This is pure magic.
On a technical level, all those choices appear in a form of quests and refined character customization. There are many, many optional quests in the game; many of them can be solved in various ways. Almost every character has something to share with you; almost everywhere you can find interesting tasks. The game world is perhaps not very huge, but it surely takes time to explore, and instead of empty places and empty people that appear in so many games, you'll find more and more fascinating layers of the game's world.
The character customization is extremely deep and refined; it affects the gameplay and the story much more than in usual AD&D games (even more than in
Baldur's Gate series). We are all used that extra points invested in strength will make you hit the enemies harder, that constitution gives you more hit points, that a mage should have high intelligence, etc. But here, the stats are important not only for defining classes or aiding you in combat; they have a direct influence on dialogue lines, quest solutions, and ultimately the entire story line. Upgrading your character when leveling up will not only make him stronger or quicker; it will change your character as a whole, the way he interacts with people, the way he thinks and feels.There are several different endings in the game, and they don't only depend on some choices you make at the last moment, but on the way you've been shaping your character.
Battles in the game are handled via the Infinity engine, which in my opinion is the best RPG combat engine ever created. People enjoyed playing
Icewind Dale, a game with almost no story, extreme linearity, and simplistic role-playing; it was saved by its combat engine, the same one that is used here. You don't like hack-and-slash, yet you find turn-based combat too slow and tedious? I have one answer: Infinity engine. Fast-paced, fluent battles with seemingly real-time movement and action, yet with a strategic depth that allows everything you could do in turn-based battles. Once again: perfect.
Now to the creative side of the game. Frankly, it is hard to decide what's better in "Planescape: Torment": it's gameplay or its content. The game has an absolutely unique style. It is impossible to imitate. The world of "Planescape: Torment" is its world only, period. You won't encounter something like this in any other game. Somehow, it fits into a medieval fantasy setting - but only because it has no guns, space ships, robots, or radioactivity. But what exactly is medieval in it? You won't find any kings, castles, brave knights, or beautiful princesses. Instead, you'll encounter a zombie-infested morgue, slums in a depressingly dark city, streets full of suspicious thieves, girls with wings or tails, people eternally tormented in fire, strange ancient creatures, magical realm hidden in a cube...
In the world of "Planescape: Torment", everything is unique, nothing is like what you've seen before: weapons, inventory items, characters, locations, monsters - everything bears the stamp of the game's incredible personality, everything was created especially for it. The theme of death is frequent, so that at times it resembles a horror game, but without any cheap effects, just through the power of its personality.
You'll encounter fascinating characters on your way, and assemble a party that can compete with the best examples of Japanese RPGs in style and characterization. The intelligent, albeit talkative floating skull Morte; Anne, a sexy thief with a tail and attitude; Fall-from-Grace, an angel-like innocent beauty who runs a brothel... Those people are not just bizarre, not just stylish. They all have layers upon layers of personality, dialogue lines for you to explore, secrets to discover. And probably the most bizarre and fascinating character is the protagonist, The Nameless One, a scarred dead body that gets to live over and over again, no matter how many times he dies; a being without a memory, but with something that torments his mind...
The game has so many conversations, so many dialogue lines, yet all of them are of highest quality, all of them are well-written; it's a joy to climb deeper and deeper into the intricate web of dialogues, exploring more and more of them, seeing how they differ depending on what you have made your character into, uncovering more and more information, more secrets, more wisdom...
Unlike in so many RPGs, the main storyline doesn't involve saving the world and defeating the big bad guy. No, what you have to do in this game is to
find out who you are. And although there will be plenty of hostile creatures on your way, you won't be just killing them on your way to the final boss; you won't be collecting some magical items that are needed to defeat the great evil; but you'll discover, step by step, your true identity, your true purpose in this world. This is what the game is about.
"Planescape: Torment" has great atmosphere. The unique setting is what makes it come to life, but let's not forget graphics and music. The game is probably the finest example of 2D isometric graphics, a style that was a template for RPGs in the late nineties. Characters and backgrounds are highly detailed. And the music, just like the game itself, is far removed from any stereotypes. It is strange and mystical, but in such a way that it accompanies the game faithfully without drawing too much attention to itself.
The Bad
What didn't I like about the game? Well, some day you'll play it until the end - and that's the only bad thing about it...
No, as much as I try, there is nothing more to write here. I couldn't find any flaws in this game. Slow-downs during combat? I didn't even notice that...
The Bottom Line
+ Deep, intelligent gameplay
+ Unique style
+ Fantastic characters and dialogue
+ Excellent production values
+ Great atmosphere
+ Captivating story
- It ends...
What can I say? This is one of those rare cases when everything in a game seems to be just perfect. Not only perfect in a technical way, but also full of immense creativity, depth, and artistic power. It is one of the very few RPGs that manage to be open-ended, flexible, and yet extremely story-driven at the same time. Whether in gameplay, style, or content, "Planescape: Torment" has no equals.
