Better than Avowed.

But seriously, a good game for its time. With the current state of modern games, I'm playing old games instead and keeping my money in the bank.

I've only got a few hours with this game on Steam but I've played through this game so many times over the years before losing my copy (hence buying on Steam).

Firstly, compatibility is OK.... I had a few crashes but after consulting the PC Gaming Wiki and installing a couple of their suggested mods, it runs smoothly.

The gameplay is, as others have said, a fantasy hack 'n' slash with magic and a mighty kick. The kick is the star of the show really, it doesn't matter what arena, what enemy, what situation, the kick rules supreme. The melee combat is actually quite fun and challenging for a game of this age. Sometimes the enemies do seem to land hits when they aren't near you which is annoying, but mostly it is fine. What they did nail was the environmental interactions, I remember the first time I accidentally held my bow with an arrow ready to fire against a torch on the wall and the arrow head set on fire, it was amazing. You can set arrows on fire, then shoot them at flammable platforms causing the stuff to collapse on enemies, cut ropes holding chandeliers etc.

A great adventure.

One of the most underrated games ever made and a good example of how versatile the Source engine truly is.

just buy it

Yes, i played it. So what?

This game is ahead of its time

+ Game physics: There is a lot of contextually destructible terrain (e.g., taking down pillars to drop debris on enemies). Otherwise, there are a number of set pieces where the level changes to some degree. For example, a house built on the side of a cliff falling apart because of your added weight. This reminded me of a moment in Max Payne where an entire wall came crumbling down (except for the door frame). There was no reason for this and no other instance of destructible terrain in the game. The developers just wanted to have fun.

+ Gameplay diversity: The magic systems are fun to play around (e.g., creating slippery patches of floor with the ice spell instead of freezing enemies). However, the amount of mana available in the beginning does not allow much experimentation. Melee builds are quite satisfying and the equipment has interesting effects (e.g., shock damage and stun on hit, life steal / mana drain, etc.) There is also a ranged build, but I've no idea why you'd bother.

+ Narrative: The game is experienced from the point of view of your character, not cut scenes. Even in the introduction of the game, you walk among people evacuating within the city walls, expecting an imminent attack. Additionally, you get presented with a talkative companion that does not directly contribute to combat, but instead comments on your actions. Unlike the one in Forespoken or the one in the VtM: Bloodlines 2 gameplay trailer from the Chinese Room, this one is not annoying as hell. Even more, the developers programmed multiple voice lines, adapting to your actions in certain situations, validation your agency.

+ Graphics: Excellent by 2006 standards. I was particularly blown away by some rondel windows in the first level. You can actually see the other side of the window, distorted based on the glass shape. Many games within the past 10 years would rather use some pre-rendered scenes with parallax effect instead.

+ Level design: There is a large variety of environments. Some more pleasant than others. The latter levels are more sprawling and labyrinthine while at the same time restricting your use of the rope arrow to navigate it vertically. The game was built with multiple play styles in mind, including a stealth alternative. Therefore, there are always two-three ways of navigating the larger, open section.

+ Enemy AI and design: The AI is probably better than in Star Wars: Outlaws. In one instance, I noticed a goblin running away to another room after taking a few hits, only for it to be waiting in ambush when I finally got around to looking for him. This behavior was replicated at least two more times, so I don't think it was a coincidence. Additionally, the enemies have elemental resistances depending on their race (e.g., orcs and goblins are resistant to fire but susceptible to lightning).

- Inventory management: This game is distinctive in that you don't get XP for killing enemies, but only for completing objectives. Similarly, the items and weapons you collect are for your use only. There is no in-game economy so if you gather armor pieces for an alternative build that you won't unlock, they'll just take up space. This is a bit counter-intuitive at first; after all, why should you pass up on some cool looking piece of gear?

- Clunky controls: In order to equip weapons or spell, they need to be bound to your action bar. If you want to play with a sword and shield, then both need to have distinct slots assigned and you need to equip them individually when switching back from using spells.

- Bugs: When you complete an objective by reaching the end of a level, the objective is announced as having been completed and you get some skill points. However, if you are in a hurry and activate a trigger that loads the next level while the announcement has not yet finished, you will simply not receive the skill points. Another annoying bug is that if your inventory is full and you pick up a weapon, it will disappear from the world but at the same time, will not be stored. So essentially, any weapon you pick up with a full inventory is lost. I recommend to quick save often to prevent this kind of things from happening.

Physics is fun!

Such an amazing immersive sim kinda game.

This game also makes me wish Current games improved in quality instead of just being slop.

I'm talking about AAA and AA games not indie.

(•ˋ _ ˊ•)

This is a fun Older game I would love to see more games like this. More outside the box combat then skill trees and numbers

total demon death