Zkuq said:
Mummelmann said:
Betrayal at Krondor, which is also my favorite game of all time.
It was a story-driven, 50-hour RPG, open-world and massive, with turn-based combat with a grid system. It had item degradation with repair mechanics and skills, adaptive skill system that leveled them with actual use, with the added feature of being able to highlight "specialty" skills for extra gain. It had a health/stamina mechanic where you needed extra herbal remedies to recover from more serious injury, and your combat efficiency degraded along with lost health. Your spells culd be heightened, in favor of losing more stamina, and once stamina is gone, it costs health (same for melee fighting and crossbow hits). It had a teleport/fast travel system via temples. You could even assume a defensive stance in combat, and there were flanking mechanics as well as percentage-based impact on accuracy with missile attacks (spells and bolts alike) when an ally was adjacent to the target. There were poisons, food-spoilage, blessing for gear, buffs by way of magical items for weapons and armor, fatigue mechanics and mandatory rest/survival elements, summoning tools, alternative ways of solving certain fights (you can chase away trolls with a tuning fork!). There was haggling, troubadour mechanics in taverns, varied sidequests (like learning a secret chess-move) And much, much more. My favorite mechanic of them all was the Moredhel Word Puzzle chests - you open them by solving a riddle which needs either a translation spell or a Moredhel party member (Gorath) in order to be read. It favored those who had already read Raymond E. Feist's books set in the same universe and world, but most could be solved simply by taking in the plot and lore (such a "are you paying attention?" mechanic probably wouldn't work today though).
Oh, and this was all in 1993. It's not a very well-known title by any means, but its impact on the RPG genre as a whole, and even the industry, is undeniable. I still replay it about once every year. |
This kind of makes me want to play the game. Somewhat surprisingly I don't own it yet though (but it doesn't seem too expensive!), and I have too much to do at the moment anyway, so this'll have to wait. Still, sounds like an interesting game. |
It got a sequel that had nothing to do with the Midkemia setting, it was a decent enough game but all the hype disappeared when they lost the license.
BaK is a classic gem, but a tough sell for younger, modern gamers, its looks are dated, and the mechanics are a bit clunky by modern standards. It's an amazing game though, it has a really good story and some amazing characters, the music is also awesome. A friend of mine sometimes plays "This Kingdom Mine" on guitar, it always sends me right back to my childhood when I watched my foster-brother play the game. I could sit for hours while he explored Midkemia and killed goblins, dark-elves, pirates, wyverns and all manner of creatures and enemies.
BaK is considered to be one of the most influential RPGs of all time, along with the likes of Ultima Underworld, Final Fantasy, and Baldur's Gate. But, due to the license being lost and no other studio showing interest in the IP after "Return to Krondor" got a lukewarm reception, the entire IP disappeared from the gaming space and is mostly known among 40+ gamers who happened to own a PC in the early 90s and the nascent PC gaming scene at the start of the Golden Age.
