Turn-based RPG. Those of you who have hissed, flung your musty capes over your faces and flown off into the night, we bid you farewell. The rest of you, welcome to Epos, an incredibly ambitious title from MINTgames, Eli Brown, and featuring the artistic stylings of Jared Johnson. You play as Tradda d'Bolve, whose much-desired retirement is interrupted one day when he receives a letter from his King commanding him to track down a rogue Admiral. Before long, he finds himself saddled with two companions and tracking his quarry across the world. Between Tradda and the rest he so badly wants is a lot of distance, and a lot of monsters. Like, a lot-lot. Seriously.
Essentially, the game is a mostly good ol' fashioned turn-based RPG, though it revolves almost entirely around combat. You travel around the world, encountering enemies (or not) at each point, and everyone has very fancy fantasy names. You kill monsters, level up, and gain gold. The game autosaves for you after every encounter, so picking up right where you left off is simple. You play using the keyboard, with [WASD] or [arrow] keys to move, [spacebar] or [enter] to select, and [M] to open the menu between battles. The helpful in-game tutorial explains the finer points, as well as offering other tips.
The battle system is slightly more robust than typical turn-based RPG fare. You're still trading blows with enemies whenever you encounter them in the classic style, keeping an eye on your hit points and your magic points. Whenever you level up, you gain skill and talent points that you can distribute however you like to tweak the party to suit your playing style. Magic spells also increase in potency if you use them often (represented by stars next to the spell name), so be sure to keep using the most useful spells if you want to get the most out of them. Further, certain spells also afflict enemies with status ailments that make them more susceptible to other elements; if an enemy becomes drenched with water, for example, try following up with an electric spell for big damage.
Analysis: Epos has been in development for "a long time", and that's pretty clear from first contact. Character and enemy sprites are appealingly cartoonish and cleanly designed, making them expressive and well-animated even despite their limited movement. Dialogue is well written and occasionally very funny, and feels natural coming out of the characters mouths. They manage to develop a good amount of personality whenever they talk, and it was definitely a pleasure to find a more "subdued" fantasy world where the emphasis was not on fetching elven lads with impossible names and flowy blonde locks.
The bad news is that for people who love RPGs but hate classic turn-based battling, the battling makes up roughly 80-90% of the gameplay, and the rest is spent with your party being represented as a glowing orange icon travelling from one orange dot to another on an overworld map. Battles tend to drag, and since you can't flee from them, covering short distances to plot points takes much longer than it should. Most of all, if you're a fan of RPGs, you're going to miss the lack of environments to explore, which is a blow to the game's attempts at immersion. Would designing locations to walk around in, characters to speak with, and programming it all have been a huge undertaking? Certainly. But the game would have felt much more balanced as a result.
The experience as a whole winds up feeling a little bare-bones. All three of your heroes share exactly the same talent tree, so the only difference between them is visual representation and the stats they start out with. The only items to be found are curative or signets, which provide a boost to certain abilities; cold comfort for those of us who found tracking down bigger and better equipment for our parties to be a part of our enjoyment in the genre.
Epos aims high, but ends up falling short of greatness. If the rest of the game had been a bit more robust (a little less battle, and a lot more plot), it would have been absolutely stellar. There's a ton of charm here for those patient enough to find it, and it really is a phenomenal achievement from some very talented people. For fans of more combat-oriented RPG titles, Epos offers a lot (like, a lot-lot!), and the talent on display is easily worth at least a look, as well as your support.
Walkthrough Guide
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Awards:
Rose Plucker: Beat the island boss.
Chum Tosser: Beat the desert boss.
Cold Killer: Beat the ice cave boss.
Royal Birler: Beat the swamp boss.
Mine Sweeper: Beat the mine boss.
Top Tipper: Beat Admiral Tip Top.
Horn Breaker: Beat Admiral Horn.
Champion: Beat Admiral Horn in Challenge Mode.
Mage Master: Master all spells. (Level the 4 basic spells to 3 stars. Need not be on the same character.)
Coin Collector: Collect all 21 signets. (See below list)
Signets:
Note: Hidden bosses appear as very rare random encounters in their areas. Just walk around. I'm not sure if the Thieve's signet helps with these.
Veteran Signet
Rhydol starts with it.
Ninja Signet
Buy at Tradda's Farm for 50,000AU. You'll probably have to come back later for this one.
Blaze Signet
Buy at Blankley (Bulgart Fields) for 1,500AU.
Sea Signet
Buy at Blankley (Bulgart Fields) for 1,500AU.
Storm Signet
Buy at Blankley (Bulgart Fields) for 1,500AU.
Scholar's Signet
Buy at Aldron (Fiddici Woods) for 7,500AU.
Treasurer Signet
Randomly found on any of the thieves. Found in Fiddici woods, Parder Coast, and Maryn Peninsula.
Thieve's Signet
Beat The Black Brigand. (Hidden boss in Fiddici Woods)
Adrenaline Signet
Beat the island boss.
Faith Signet
Buy at Narbo (Carintine) for 8,000AU.
Randomly found on any of the mages (little guys standing on a staff). Found in Carintine and Maryn Peninsula.
Stone Signet
Beat the Raging Boulder, a large and dangerous rock. (Hidden boss in Carintine)
Beastmaster's Signet
Beat the desert boss.
Coward's Signet
Beat the ice cave boss.
Polymath Signet
Beat Elo the Polymath, a purplish-black-clothed mage. (Hidden boss in Widdenburn)
Engineer's Signet
Beat the swamp boss.
Contingency Signet
Randomly found on some enemy. I think it's either the ogre or the wind spirit found in Parder Coast.
Thorned Signet
Beat the mine boss.
Equality Signet
Buy at Pentama (Maryn Peninsula) for 25,000AU.
Randomly found on some enemies. (Can't remember for sure, but I think it might be the bears found in Arleton Plains and the Barubic Range)
Guardian Signet
Beat Dodger and Wilde, a pair of legendary (and brightly colored) soldiers. (Hidden boss in Maryn Peninsula)
Conqueror's Signet
Beat Admiral Tip Top.
Horn's Signet
Beat Admiral Horn.
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@Connor:
Hint:
What conditions cause worms to come up to the surface in real life?
When he's underground, hit him with water to make him pop up. Nothing else does appreciable damage to him while he's underground. Once he's up, hit him with whatever you want until he drops back down. As you keep going, I think he stays up for shorter and shorter intervals. Either that or it's random.
He's got a decent damage output and speed for that area, so you may need to level up first.
Posted by: qoalabear
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June 29, 2010 5:45 PM