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Gods: Lands of Infinity Review by Kristophe
And with that, Stefan Pavelka and the Slovak Republic–based team of Cypron Studios open the reader to the wondrous and enchanted world of Gods: Lands of Infinity in an experience that could well result in the game becoming a sleeper hit in the PC RPG genre for 2006. For a first-time effort, Cypron Studios appears to have just that—the game has a very unique and interesting storyline, one of the finest musical gaming soundtracks, and very fresh graphics and in-game innovations throughout that (no doubt) will surprise and delight both the casual and hard-core gamer alike. That's not to say this game doesn't have its faults—it does! So without further ado, let us delve into what makes (and what breaks) this game. You play throughout the game as the main character, a young heroine named Vivien. Vivien is the avatar of the God of Fire, Arswaargh. From time to time you will add various and sundry party members to your team. While you will have full control of all party members (at least while they are in your team), essentially you will play as Vivien from start to game's end. The game starts out with an introduction to the events that led to Arswaargh sending Vivien to the unknown world of Antasion from her own homeworld of Bellarion, which has been in a constant state of war for centuries. Her mission is to seek out a "counter weapon" to the awesome power wielded by the God of Darkness, Mortagorn, against all of the other gods. Unfortunately, Vivien's divine essence is shattered during her trip and scattered about, where it is absorbed by the gods of Antasion. Thus, Vivien begins the game as a fragile novice mortal in an unknown world trying to accomplish a most godly task. No problem, right? Essentially, Vivien begins the game as a fighter, though along the way she can become skilled in alchemy, business (as a trader of goods) and, toward the game's end, magic. Other than being able to brew potions for mana regeneration or for healing, I didn't find much use in becoming an overly skilled alchemist—and that was because I wasn't able to progress very far at leveling up my alchemy skill due to the fact I was unable to find some of the ingredients I needed to advance, and I was able to find only one merchant anywhere who dealt in alchemy goods (and who didn't have half of what I wanted). Magic looks interesting enough—unfortunately, by the time Vivien is able to learn it and able to level up proficiently enough, it is too close to game's end (and too expensive at that point) to bother with (though Vivien does start out with a rudimentary knowledge of both fighting skills and magic). Business (or trading, if you prefer) is a strategy you will learn quickly if you hope to survive in Antasion. This is because, while combat is both frequent and a basic requirement (as in any RPG) for gaining experience, your opponents rarely drop any decent loot or any significant amount of gold. And while buying cheap and selling dearly sounds easy, in the world of Antasion, you really do have to plan your strategy well in order to make a decent profit. And the constant running around just to try to build up a profit trading goods was one of my gripes about this game. I don't mind devising a good economic strategy, but it sure would have helped if I didn't have to spend so much game time involved in financial endeavors—and that's where defeating tough opponents (and there are some tough ones throughout the game) who aren't so miserly with their dropping of loot would have really helped out. As it is, about the only way Vivien can accomplish equipping herself with decent weapons and armor, in addition to paying the day-to-day expenses of food and drink and potions to restore health and mana, etc., is to purchase such things from the other merchants in game, which requires money—and that makes it almost mandatory that you engage in shrewd trading. Travel is fairly easy—you just find a signpost in the area of the game map you are in, click on it, then select your destination on the game map. Combat is all turn-based, very reminiscent of the fighting system used in Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (for those of you who might have played that game). As with everything else, strategy takes precedence throughout this game, and it helps to save, and save often. Need I say more? One of this game's strongest points is the outstanding music that Pavel Krychtalek brings into the game—it is beautiful, masterfully composed and conducted, and most definitely sets the mood for whatever you are currently doing in game. Game graphics are another surprise in that they are most definitely of a high quality that is rare for a brand-new game developer. Another of this game's strong points is the incredible storyline—it is not only believable, but stays faithful throughout the game (though the game's ending just literally screams "sequel"). Plot twists and surprises abound throughout, so, until you've played the game through once, you are in a constant state of "what next"? Tough but very miserly opponents, coupled with having to spend
so much time in "FedEx" mode just to make a profit from
trade, are my only real complaints with this game. I did mention
that Cypron Studios is a Slovakian developer, and it can be obvious
in some of the game's scripting. This is less apparent in the game's
dialogue, but it is noticeable (not that it detracts from this game
at all—or at least not for me). I may have missed a minor gripe
or two beyond this—it is rather hard for me to constantly look
for problems when I'm having fun. And I did have fun playing Gods:
Lands of Infinity—no question about that at all. |
The Verdict
The Lowdown Developer: Cypron
Studios Available for: Four Fat Chicks Links Screenshots
System Requirements 750 MHz processor (2 GHz recommended) Where to Find It
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