RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

“More of the same” is only a bad thing if same was bad the first time around. Consider Eschalon: Book II, the next entry in Basilisk’s classic-styled roleplaying series. Functionally identical to Book I, it boasts a few new hooks but overall just expands and refines the content: same engine, same gameplay, same ground rules. That basically means every other paragraph of this review will start with words like “As in Book I” and such. Fortunately, more of Eschalon – a challenging, intelligent, and versatile RPG by any measure – is most definitely a good thing.

Book I‘s plot kept things simple, with a customizable amnesiac piecing together what happened to him and looking for a magic gemstone at the center of an ongoing war. While you uncovered your identity, your memory was never actually restored, a point driven home when a letter from an alleged former associate finds its way to your door. Requesting a meeting, your colleague states plainly that your job isn’t quite done: the Taurax – massive, humanoid bull-creatures – now have the aforementioned gemstone, the Crux of Ages, and have unsavory plans for its previously unheard-of companion stones. Perhaps predictably, your associate is killed before he can impart much of use, leaving you once again on your own to figure things out the hard way. Eschalon still isn’t a story-driven experience, though you’ll do a lot more talking this time around and characters have more to say.

Since Book II uses the same engine, it follows that character development is basically unchanged. Your original skills have atrophied, a combination of being out of practice and lingering amnesia, and thus you’re effectively starting a character from scratch.  Sadly, this was a missed opportunity for some kind of character importation. A few new skills have been added, and some, such as repairing and survival, are related to new mechanics. Gear breaks down with use and you’ll need food and water periodically, though, in a clever twist on difficulty levels, Book II wisely makes these optional. A particularly devious toggle presets all dice rolls, so it’s not possible to save and load until the random number generator for chest loot or lockpicking breaks your way. However, greater rewards and possible XP bonuses await players willing to tackle these modes.

I’m sorry, it’s nothing personal. Your face just screams “punch me, I probably deserve it.”

The interface offers subtle but helpful refinements, convenience tweaks to an otherwise straightforward setup. Alchemy recipes you find are now stored in a list, which lets you quickly arrange potions and such. A keyring helps reduce inventory clutter, stackable items are now automatically sorted, and you can now swap entire equipment sets instead of just weapons. Status information is available at a glance, with timers to gauge how long buffs and penalties run. Controls are unchanged, and while movement still takes some getting used to – your character’s pace remains leisurely at best, and maps are bigger this time – overall the system remains intuitive. Fast travel works as it did in Book I, relying on tagged checkpoints to get around, though your hunger and thirst meters put a limit on how far you can go without stopping for a meal.

With the above in mind, there are substantial gameplay additions and changes here. Apart from various new spells and equipment, weapon skills now grant special attacks when properly leveled. Your HUD lets you know when they’re available, and they can easily turn a difficult fight in your favor. Explosive barrels can be picked up and moved, letting you set deadly traps and chain reactions; certain walls can even be demolished by doing so. You can change stances to favor damage, accuracy, or defense, and the latter is a lifesaver if you need to hustle through a crowded room. Weather is a factor, as rain snuffs out torches, overcast skies turn night into pitch darkness, and snowstorms drain your health every few steps. The world is also much bigger overall, and conveys a real sense of distance as you cross huge stretches of terrain to get to safety.

Despite Book II‘s improvements, the underlying experience hasn’t changed much. Whether you rely on weapons, magic, finesse, or various combinations thereof, the satisfaction often comes from venturing somewhere with limited resources and coming back victorious. Although it’s a little too easy to cripple your character with poor choices, the system encourages flexible play styles and it’s almost never impossible to triumph over seemingly unfair odds. Even when the game flat-out tells you that you might be screwed – a chilling moment that isn’t the game over it seems at first – you can find a way if you stop and think about it. Using superior tactics to take out multiple foes, tagging a switch from a distance with a bow, scavenging equipment and muscling through some forgotten dungeon – all this and more is a major part of what makes Eschalon work.

The game’s appearance looks identical on the surface, but the locations you visit are more diverse and boast more detail than those in Book I. As mentioned, areas are physically larger, but Book II also takes you across more diverse stretches of land, through familiar woods and mashlands into bitter ice fields and volcanic barrens. Places often tell stories through context, such as a deserted forest outpost that’s been ransacked by massive beetles, and descriptive text is as vivid and well written as ever. It also runs at a higher resolution (1024×768) in both windowed and fullscreen, though it can still look somewhat stretched on a large monitor. The audio is a strong collection of old and new music, from Everdale’s quiet, mysteriously somber background to the upbeat, iconic overworld theme from the first game. Characters aren’t voiced, but the series is really more about the adventure than any one character, and Book II is none the less for it.

Don’t worry, I saw a buddy of mine do this once. Who’s got a cardboard box handy?

While neither characters nor plot get enough screen time to truly be memorable, dialogue is sharply written and, once again, there is clearly a skilled pen behind Eschalon‘s world and quest design. A few familiar faces wound up on Mistfell following the Thaermore invasion, and the new folks do show sparks of personality from time to time. Bits of foreshadowing are eerie enough, as seemingly docile townsfolk go utterly berserk when you start digging up answers. As far as scripting goes, quests often have multiple outcomes and solutions, with an early example being deciding how, or whether, to retrieve a commissioned sword from the house of a local noble. Certain areas are only accessible with proper documentation, which itself can be retrieved or bypassed in several ways. It’s not always so less-than-linear, but there are a surprising amount of options in comparison to Book I.

Book II does escape some of the frustrations of its predecessor, though not specializing in at least one defensive skill remains a recipe for disaster. That said, newer problems are likely to cause more significant hang-ups. Longer trips require more preparation thanks to food, water, and gear condition, and it can be hard to gauge how much you need before you actually get there. Alchemy ingredients seem harder to find, and often cost more than the potions they make. Periodic boss fights can stop you cold even if you know they’re coming, and without the repair skill you’ll find that maintaining high-end equipment can be cost prohibitive. It bears repeating that some of these features are optional, but they can add more of a challenge than players are ready for.

And yet Book II‘s challenge can be as refreshing as it is frustrating. Rolling up a balanced character and dealing with various threats in the field are all part of the game, and the food and breakage systems put further emphasis on survival. It’s a lot to take in at once, but it’s not impenetrable. More than that, the game is smart enough to occasionally throw veterans for a loop, largely by working against what decades of gaming have beat into them. It seems intuitive that the long, dangerous route across a frozen lake offers more experience and rewards than the warm, safe caravan ride. It’s also misleading, as carelessly scouring the map can foul up a quest later on, and I don’t mind admitting that the game caught me on autopilot here. No matter how good you get, you’re still just one person alone if trouble finds you, and you’ll use your head as much as your tools to stay alive.

Dungeons carry real danger and the only person you can count on out there is you. Tried-and-true battle mechanics paired with a versatile engine allow for highly unorthodox solutions and had-to-be-there victories. Case in point, I encountered a veteran assassin midway through the game who clearly outmatched me in melee combat. Rather than retreat to grind a few levels, I dug out a few demon oils – firebombs, basically – and literally burned out the entire room trying to kill him, destroying several nearby containers in the process. A cheap tactic to be sure, but it was a desperate struggle nonetheless and it illustrates one of the series’ consistent bright spots: there is always a way forward. Even when an errant teleporter drops you into a room full of hostile, spike-spitting plantlife, you’re never so far behind you can’t turn things around with a little creativity.

Extreme Running of the Bulls, coming soon to ESPN.

The other feather in Eschalon‘s cap is the adventure itself, with its tight focus on moment-to-moment survival amidst the familiar, but well developed fantasy backdrop. Whereas other games might eventually ratchet things to eleven and have you clip the latest One-Winged Angel, Book II calmly reminds you that sometimes the smaller victories are the important ones. Making the trek from one city to another, let alone breaking into a heavily guarded underground vault, means being ready in ways that most games don’t even touch. Though your quest carries you all over the place, the world of Eschalon is bigger still. People are understandably more worried about Thaermore’s troubles spilling into Mistfell than your attempts to find out what’s really going on, and you get the impression that life could quite well carry on without you. Characters might not be central to the experience, but the world has character enough to give weight to its focused journey.

The extra ground to cover naturally extends the playtime, and being thorough can push it up to a healthy 25-30 hours, with a few more for the recent free DLC The Secret of Fathamurk. The game does have two endings, both accessible from the final dungeon, but replayability comes mostly from rolling up different characters and tackling the game’s obstacles from other angles. It’s worth mentioning that the canonical ending isn’t as conclusive as Book I‘s, with late-game revelations largely setting the stage for the future third installment. Thus, while Book II is reasonably self-contained, it doesn’t stand as well on its own.

What it does, however, is take a big step in establishing Eschalon as its own series. As much as it pays homage to classic RPGs, Eschalon succeeds at crafting an experience all its own. The focus on survival adds new dimensions to roleplaying, and Book II helps refine the formula, pushing it into new territory. The challenge might not be for everyone, but it’s a smart, well constructed adventure that’ll have you dusting off your thinking cap and looking for ways to beat the odds. If Book I whet your whistle, then by all means take a long pull from Book II.

This game was played to completion with a digital download copy purchased through Steam.