One of the best written stories in gaming, such an intriguing and alien world with such depth and surrealness. So unique. Don't go in expecting this to be like other CRPGs or even other Infinity Engine games like Baldur's Gate. Play this like it is a fully interactive book. Play for one of the best written stories in gaming, talk to everyone, and just roleplay and discover the story of the Nameless One and the world of Planescape. Enjoy.
My first real experience with anything Dungeons and Dragons related! I found a lot of the ideas super fascinating and I was also able to see how these concepts have influenced other fantasies which was cool. There are some silly concepts to me, like the whole alignment thing is a bit cartoony in how strictly outlined it is. Still, there is a charm in it, and the game does also manage to create some really interesting story beats and locales with it. I do think this being my first introduction to the Planscape campaign—and DnD as a whole —definitely benefitted my experience. Learning about the world with fresh eyes was the thing that kept me the most hooked in playing the game. Was I well versed in the setting already, I do not know if I would have found the experience as satisfying. The main story is intriguing and the characters are solid, but I felt like a majority of the writing I was reading mainly centred around world building. To balance out all the lore, I wish there were way more dialogue interactions with your companions. The stuff that is there is great—well written and full of personality—there just isn’t as much as I thought there would be for a game like this. I would constantly check in on my party members to see if they had any new input after story beats and a lot of the time they didn’t, even in cases where I feel like the character would most definitely have something to say. Obviously, this game has a wealth of content and writing and not everything will be covered. It’s just the classic catch-22 that when a game is really fleshed out in some regards, the parts that aren’t stand out to the player a lot more.
Moving past writing and narrative and focusing more on gameplay, I do unfortunately have to agree with the consensus that the gameplay is pretty meh. There are certain mechanics that are designed in a way where it feels like the priority was to make it feel more ‘realistic.’ For example, certain vendors won’t buy certain items, character’s can’t rest in an inn unless they’re all right next to TNO when speaking to the inn keeper, etc. I understand these flourishes are to make the world feel more grounded and authentic, but man is it just irritating and pulls me out of the experience more than anything. You could argue that these are rather minor nitpicks of UI and control, and for any other game where the gameplay was more substantive, I think that would be fair. But Planescape: Torment’s gameplay is pretty much all dialogue and menus all the way down, so these minor complaints do become pretty large sticking points for me. I also found the logging of information to be a bit confusing. The game does keep a record of events, which is great, but how it goes about choosing what is logged and what isn’t is weird to me. There are some pretty major revelations that aren’t logged at all while minor events and redundant info fill up the journal, making it harder to navigate. The quests section doesn’t always list all tasks, nor does it always include the relevant information. As a result, some quests can be really esoteric. One could argue that such little handholding is refreshing, but it makes little sense to me that the character you play, or the companions you travel with, or even the npc who gave you the mission in the first place, would not have any kind of advice or info to give.
Simply put: this game is clunky, and there is no point where it feels more clunky than during combat. It’s super messy to try and enact any kind of strategy beyond the complexity of luring a target and jumping them. Not that that matters because it kind of feels like wailing on enemies is the most optimal way to play anyways. There are some really cool spells, but finding the handful of ones that are actually useful is a drag. There aren’t many encounters in the game and rest stops are spread out just far enough where you don’t really get much opportunity to experiment with magic unless you’re straight up grinding. Even when I got a good magic setup going, it was difficult for me to find reason to use them. Most enemy encounters are fairly easy; the ones that aren’t are usually battles where the game just throws ridiculous amounts of enemies at you. Those fights end up burning through a lot of your most useful spells before you’re back to just wailing on enemies again. I do concede that perhaps my gripes with the combat could simply be because of my unfamiliarity with DnD, but the game does not do a very good job at explaining the ruleset of 2nd edition at all. Thankfully, combat is fairly light in this game though it does ramp up in the later half, and the game does kinda take a nosedive in quality because of it. Granted, you can probably still choose to avoid most of it by running away, but then you’re not left with much in the second half. The later parts of this game feel a lot smaller and more shallow than the earlier sections. Less to explore, simpler quest lines, regurgitation of information you already know, etc. The first half of the game is definitely the stronger part in my reckoning.
I know that most of my review has been criticism, but most my critiques revolve around elements the game doesn't prioritize. The focus really is the story/characters and creating an atmosphere that immerses the player, all of which this game does superbly. I now have a lot more motivation in trying other cRPGs, a genre which I had always found intimidating beforehand. But Planescape: Torment, along with Disco Elysium and Citizen Sleeper, has definitely piqued my interest.
P.S. the reason why I got interested in this game in the first place was because of this drawing of Annah by Dungeon Meshi mangaka Ryoko Kui: https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonMeshi/s/SQHT62QsLd
So once again I must thank Ryoko Kui for an amazing experience o7
Also read and or watch Dungeon Meshi
Moving past writing and narrative and focusing more on gameplay, I do unfortunately have to agree with the consensus that the gameplay is pretty meh. There are certain mechanics that are designed in a way where it feels like the priority was to make it feel more ‘realistic.’ For example, certain vendors won’t buy certain items, character’s can’t rest in an inn unless they’re all right next to TNO when speaking to the inn keeper, etc. I understand these flourishes are to make the world feel more grounded and authentic, but man is it just irritating and pulls me out of the experience more than anything. You could argue that these are rather minor nitpicks of UI and control, and for any other game where the gameplay was more substantive, I think that would be fair. But Planescape: Torment’s gameplay is pretty much all dialogue and menus all the way down, so these minor complaints do become pretty large sticking points for me. I also found the logging of information to be a bit confusing. The game does keep a record of events, which is great, but how it goes about choosing what is logged and what isn’t is weird to me. There are some pretty major revelations that aren’t logged at all while minor events and redundant info fill up the journal, making it harder to navigate. The quests section doesn’t always list all tasks, nor does it always include the relevant information. As a result, some quests can be really esoteric. One could argue that such little handholding is refreshing, but it makes little sense to me that the character you play, or the companions you travel with, or even the npc who gave you the mission in the first place, would not have any kind of advice or info to give.
Simply put: this game is clunky, and there is no point where it feels more clunky than during combat. It’s super messy to try and enact any kind of strategy beyond the complexity of luring a target and jumping them. Not that that matters because it kind of feels like wailing on enemies is the most optimal way to play anyways. There are some really cool spells, but finding the handful of ones that are actually useful is a drag. There aren’t many encounters in the game and rest stops are spread out just far enough where you don’t really get much opportunity to experiment with magic unless you’re straight up grinding. Even when I got a good magic setup going, it was difficult for me to find reason to use them. Most enemy encounters are fairly easy; the ones that aren’t are usually battles where the game just throws ridiculous amounts of enemies at you. Those fights end up burning through a lot of your most useful spells before you’re back to just wailing on enemies again. I do concede that perhaps my gripes with the combat could simply be because of my unfamiliarity with DnD, but the game does not do a very good job at explaining the ruleset of 2nd edition at all. Thankfully, combat is fairly light in this game though it does ramp up in the later half, and the game does kinda take a nosedive in quality because of it. Granted, you can probably still choose to avoid most of it by running away, but then you’re not left with much in the second half. The later parts of this game feel a lot smaller and more shallow than the earlier sections. Less to explore, simpler quest lines, regurgitation of information you already know, etc. The first half of the game is definitely the stronger part in my reckoning.
I know that most of my review has been criticism, but most my critiques revolve around elements the game doesn't prioritize. The focus really is the story/characters and creating an atmosphere that immerses the player, all of which this game does superbly. I now have a lot more motivation in trying other cRPGs, a genre which I had always found intimidating beforehand. But Planescape: Torment, along with Disco Elysium and Citizen Sleeper, has definitely piqued my interest.
P.S. the reason why I got interested in this game in the first place was because of this drawing of Annah by Dungeon Meshi mangaka Ryoko Kui: https://www.reddit.com/r/DungeonMeshi/s/SQHT62QsLd
So once again I must thank Ryoko Kui for an amazing experience o7
Also read and or watch Dungeon Meshi
Everything I said about the main game applies here as well. A big plus of this version is better compatibility with modern systems. If you care about writing in video games at all, you have to play this game.
I got this for my iPhone to play on vacation, but I really hated playing it on it, the controls are really bad and I think I’d rather play it with a mouse and a bigger screen.
I was not expecting that a game from 1999 would have some of the very best writing I have experienced in a video game.
I felt like the game took its time with getting me hooked, but once it did, it never let go. I'm just glad I stuck to it and finally got around to beating this gem of a game.
As a dnd noob I didn't care much for the combat, but I managed to get by regardless.
But the story, the characters, the world building, the introspection... Just fantastic. My congratulations to the dev team.
I felt like the game took its time with getting me hooked, but once it did, it never let go. I'm just glad I stuck to it and finally got around to beating this gem of a game.
As a dnd noob I didn't care much for the combat, but I managed to get by regardless.
But the story, the characters, the world building, the introspection... Just fantastic. My congratulations to the dev team.
I love the visuals, characters, and story of this game. It just has a great feeling to it that I can’t really describe. The only detractor is the gameplay isn’t my favorite and it’s a bit difficult in some places. I wouldn’t get on your case if you wanted to use a guide
Streamed this to my friend for whom this is his favorite game of all time. After i finished he said, and i quote “so Garb, hows it feel knowing that you can look down on the stupid masses and have full authority over them in discussions of story in video games now that youve played the citizen kane of the medium?” To which, i replied “yeah i thought it was pretty decent”
"Time is not your enemy. Forever is."
Sure it may feel janky when it comes to several mechanics (especially the combat and the quest design), but borderline unparalleled when it comes to the depths of its worldbuilding and writing. Nuanced, intelligent, darkly comic, a complex yet emotional exploration of life and immortality, regret, determinism and what can form a man's nature if you allow him to exist/reborn into centuries. Any time an RPG allows you to skip the final boss with a right speech check, its peak shit.
Sure it may feel janky when it comes to several mechanics (especially the combat and the quest design), but borderline unparalleled when it comes to the depths of its worldbuilding and writing. Nuanced, intelligent, darkly comic, a complex yet emotional exploration of life and immortality, regret, determinism and what can form a man's nature if you allow him to exist/reborn into centuries. Any time an RPG allows you to skip the final boss with a right speech check, its peak shit.
Story and world building is phenomenal.
One of the best stories ever told in gaming.
Shame it is bogged down by horrible combat and poor quest design.
One of the best stories ever told in gaming.
Shame it is bogged down by horrible combat and poor quest design.
One of my all-time favorite games. Planescape's writing is often touted as a highlight of RPGs and video games in general, and I generally agree with that. It's reputation for having mediocre/boring at best combat is also, unfortunately, appropriate.
Planescape's world is inherently intriguing, with it's rusty gothic architecture, strange creatures, and multi-dimensional portals. It becomes the "almost sci-fi" D&D setting, and thanks to its relationship to the Forgotten Realms the setting stands out as more bizarre next to the more standard high-fantasy worlds. It is still, of course, high-fantasy, but it is more Elric of Melniboné than, say, Lord of the Rings.
The writing's focus on introspection of the Nameless One, naturally leads to introspection of the player if it manages to grab you. While it is more on the level of a "Philosophy 101" class, that is still more impressive and interesting than the majority of video games. Of course some parts of the game's writing are as shallow as any other RPG, but the highs still stick out enough to warrant the game's reputation. The writing's great strength is that it effectively uses ambiguity to allow the player to imprint themselves and their own feelings into the narrative.
Sadly, the combat is just sort of "there". Encounters are rarely interesting, with so many enemies just doing melee and ranged attacks against the player. There is no shame in just cranking the game to the easiest difficulty or walking past enemies when possible.
I love the game and it's writing. For me personally, the strong introspective and melancholy writing is enough to warrant 5/5. However, my objectivity says that the slog of combat is an undeniable detractor.
Planescape's world is inherently intriguing, with it's rusty gothic architecture, strange creatures, and multi-dimensional portals. It becomes the "almost sci-fi" D&D setting, and thanks to its relationship to the Forgotten Realms the setting stands out as more bizarre next to the more standard high-fantasy worlds. It is still, of course, high-fantasy, but it is more Elric of Melniboné than, say, Lord of the Rings.
The writing's focus on introspection of the Nameless One, naturally leads to introspection of the player if it manages to grab you. While it is more on the level of a "Philosophy 101" class, that is still more impressive and interesting than the majority of video games. Of course some parts of the game's writing are as shallow as any other RPG, but the highs still stick out enough to warrant the game's reputation. The writing's great strength is that it effectively uses ambiguity to allow the player to imprint themselves and their own feelings into the narrative.
Sadly, the combat is just sort of "there". Encounters are rarely interesting, with so many enemies just doing melee and ranged attacks against the player. There is no shame in just cranking the game to the easiest difficulty or walking past enemies when possible.
I love the game and it's writing. For me personally, the strong introspective and melancholy writing is enough to warrant 5/5. However, my objectivity says that the slog of combat is an undeniable detractor.
Really sad to have shelved this one but circumstance has forced me to. Was about halfway through this game and enjoying it a lot when I got the worst flu I’ve ever had and would have ended up in the hospital for dehydration were it not for my partner’s physician dad giving me prescription anti emetics he had lying around the house. Tried playing more of this game when I was laid up in bed which was a huge mistake. Literally can’t even think about this game without feeling nauseous now. Huge shame because I was enjoying it quite a bit.
A good remaster which makes the game available to almost every possible platform and doesn't stand in the way of the original game, actually fixing bugs and not adding unnecessary characters, cutscenes or whatnot.
Unfortunately, there are still some bugged scripts and some annoying issues with the music almost never starting at the right time. I would have also liked a rework of the french translation which was clearly done in a hurry and on a low budget when the original game came out.
Unfortunately, there are still some bugged scripts and some annoying issues with the music almost never starting at the right time. I would have also liked a rework of the french translation which was clearly done in a hurry and on a low budget when the original game came out.
Bitirmeme az kaldı yaklaşık 2-3 aydır oynuyorum bu süreç içerisinde kesinlikle favori oyunlarımdan biri olucağı belli hatta oldu bile .Gördüğüm en iyi yazılmış oyun.Hikaye anlatamı çok iyi,karakterler çok iyi,dünyası çok iyi yani oyun bu konularda gördüğüm en iyi oyunlardan biri oldu.Bunun dışında biraz oynanış sıkıntı ama o da eski yani ne beklersin ki
Well, the story was good. I liked the overall plot, and the prose was enjoyable to read. I also found the setting of Planescape to be one of the most interesting and compelling video game settings I've seen, and the characters felt like characters, as opposed to tools for the player to progress the story through. This did, however, have its downsides -- there were a few times where progressing required following a random dialogue tree with a random named character. It wasn't particularly troublesome due to my tendency to fully embody the very inquisitive archetype of The Nameless One, asking everyone every available question, but it did feel a bit off.
The main issue with the game is the combat -- there are notable stretches of gameplay which pretty much devolve into dungeon crawls. The tactics I utilised seemed quite simple and boring, but also most effective -- drawing aggro with Morte and then wailing on the enemies one-by-one as they did not fight back. You would quickly figure this tactic out if you played the game. What this ultimately means is that a lot of the game is spent on rather tedious gameplay which does nothing to aid the story or worldbuilding -- the good parts of the game.
There is not much more to say here: the story was quite moving, the gameplay was bad, but tolerable. It's pretty short for an RPG, at around 23 hours, so I'd recommend it to any prospective player.
Most tactically interesting Planescape: Torment encounter (mild spoilers for a late-game boss fight): https://youtu.be/nAKLjyG7OHw
The main issue with the game is the combat -- there are notable stretches of gameplay which pretty much devolve into dungeon crawls. The tactics I utilised seemed quite simple and boring, but also most effective -- drawing aggro with Morte and then wailing on the enemies one-by-one as they did not fight back. You would quickly figure this tactic out if you played the game. What this ultimately means is that a lot of the game is spent on rather tedious gameplay which does nothing to aid the story or worldbuilding -- the good parts of the game.
There is not much more to say here: the story was quite moving, the gameplay was bad, but tolerable. It's pretty short for an RPG, at around 23 hours, so I'd recommend it to any prospective player.
Most tactically interesting Planescape: Torment encounter (mild spoilers for a late-game boss fight): https://youtu.be/nAKLjyG7OHw
Muy interesante y una buen traslado de lo que es el uso de las mecánicas de D&D en un videojuego. A pesar de ser antiguo para los estándares digitales se siente fresco gracias a una narrativa intrigante y variedad a la hora de elegir el equipamiento. El combate está bien, con sus cosas buenas y malas. Pero lo que más destaca de este juego es que las misiones secundarias están muy bien dispuestas, y que se necesita que el jugador esté atento para seguir avanzando en algunas. Es muy interesante como algunas nimiedades recobran sentido más adelante. Considero que es una buena entrada a los CRPG, y un videojuego que por lo menos, es interesante.