Eschalon: Book I

The Good
I think the true sign of a really good game, no matter what genre, is when it keeps you thinking about it long after your play session is over. That is the one quality that I can attest to when playing Eschalon Book I, a game I have now completed three times in three different manners, and could easily give it another go without any hesitation.

Developed by Basilisk Games in 2007, this indie gem harkens back to the glory days of the early to mid 90’s computer role-playing game scene, where titles like Ultima Underworld, Betrayal at Krondor, and Dungeon Master were taking the genre into bold new directions.

You will play as a single character, ripe with a myriad of stats and skills that you alone decide upon, and how to advance. Presented in a isometric viewpoint, Eschalon will do very little in the way of hand holding, which will surely delight veterans of the genre, while introducing a newer generation of gamers to a RPG style that they probably won’t be too accustomed to.

The story of Eschalon revolves around your character, who awakens in a burned out house in a war torn and decimated city. You have no recollection of how you got here, or why, but it won’t take long before a mysterious letter sets the stage for a classic amnesia story that will take you across the vast terrain of the land of Theramore in search of your identity, and destiny, in a war torn land.

There is a slew of classic RPG features that genre fans will surely love: loads of number crunching, random dice rolls, extensive attention to detail, a open game world, moral choices, monsters that don’t auto-level, randomized loot, multiple endings, varied character builds, mature writing, and a balanced economy to name a few.

All of these features are wrapped up in a nice graphical package, with sleek animations and detailed sprites. For an indie game, Eschalon looks great, and has a great interface designed specifically with the PC in mind. The music is absolutely amazing and fits perfect for the games atmosphere. Although there is no voice acting, there are some well done sound effects and audio touches that really shine.

Combat in the game is handled in a turn based format, so as long as you don’t make a move, the computer won’t either. This gives the player ample opportunity to plan their attacks in a relaxed manner. You will see loads of detail during combat, with messages relaying your percent chance of hitting an opponent, damage messages, and resistance rolls.

The Bad
There were a few small minor complaints I had with the game, mainly the characters walking speed. You will have to backtrack a lot in Eschalon, and there is no other form of travel except walking and quick travelling via landmarks. The problem is there are very few of these landmarks, and even when using them, you still will have to go on foot a lot. The walking speed isn’t horrible, but it could be a lot faster.

My other small gripe is with how empty the game world can feel at times. You will find yourself walking through vast grasslands of pure emptiness once all the monsters have been cleansed from an area. Almost everything is hand placed in the game, and the only way to grind out experience once you have completed all the games quests and monster encounters, is to make camp and hope for a random encounter, as that is the only place they happen.

Although the game had a nice ending, my only other small complaint is the fact that I wish I could keep playing once the game was over, going back and completing old quests and gaining more levels, but this is just a minor issue I had.

Overall, Eschalon is a rock solid indie RPG and should not be missed by veterans or newcomers of the genre. If you love computer role playing games, give Eschalon a try, it will give you a solid 15-20 hours of retro RPG goodness with a sleek, up to date look.

What else can RPG fans ask for?

The Bottom Line
Overall Score : B+