Interlude; Dark Souls 2

As promised, the Backlog Killer blog has been on blackout for a while because of Dark Souls 2, which I picked up for PS3 on release day. Being a married guy who has to share the television, I haven’t been able to play as much as I want and have not even finished the game yet. That’s OK, though. I just wanted to stop in and say a few words about Dark Souls 2, what I like about it, and a few recommendations for you.

Dark Souls 2?

Dark Souls 2 is a direct sequel to 2011’s Dark Souls which is an indirect sequel to 2009’s Demon’sSouls. The Souls series of games are action RPGs in which you play one character who must kill enemies to collect souls which are in turn used to make yourself stronger by leveling up your statistics and improving your equipment. The one wrinkle is that the game does not allow active saving which gives it a roguelike feeling. Instead, upon death, the player is transported back to the last checkpoint with all enemies being resurrected and all gathered souls being lost. The player does have one chance to make it back to where he or she died to collect the lost souls, but another death results in a total loss.

This brutal punishment requires careful play, mastery of controls, and a deep knowledge of geography and enemy placement to succeed. Not only is traversing the world difficult, but most areas are capped with an insanely hard boss fight which allows progress to the next area.

[Yahtzee didn't care for Demon's Souls to much at the time...]

My Souls History

I love the Souls games. After buying and completing Demon’s Souls the first time, I was hooked. The series harkens back to a time when games did not hold player’s hands and were very difficult requiring an advancement of skills to progress rather than simply making the player feel empowered by giving them a boost. The game is out to wreck you and it will, until you get revenge. The game has a malevolent feeling where the player is an actual enemy to its existence. Unlike games that want the player to feel powerful, the Souls games want the player to die. Many give up, but those who are willing to keep working will succeed and feel more successful than most other games on the market these days.

It almost reminds me of Nethack, which is not so much a malevolent game, but an aloof one. The game doesn’t care whether the player lives or dies. It just IS and will not make any concessions or acts of spiteful aggression against the player. Demon’s/Dark Souls (2) will take some measures against the player, but none that an even moderately skilled person would call unfair.

[Me completing Nethack for the first time.]

I also enjoy Souls’s attitude toward cooperative play which moves away from the always connected voice chat bluster of most modern games and takes a more contemplative stance. The game is, in itself, a single player game in that there is no ‘Multiplayer’ option on the title screen. However, players may enter into the multiplayer experience by either laying down or using “summoning signs” that invite other players into your world to help with any difficult situations or bosses that may be encountered. Do not relax, though, as spiteful players may also invade your world in certain cases after which you must defend your hoard of souls lest they be lost after death and you sent back to the last checkpoint. Also, voice interaction between players is strictly not allowed, as in not supported (until Dark Souls 2 which requires you to have an item to turn it on). I love this because it not only keeps twelve year olds from calling me questionable names, but also backs up the game lore in which spirits can pass between dimensions within the game world. All interaction is performed through gestures such as pointing, waving, and cheering.

I also love the tone and stories of the games which are both bleak and unique, but I do not want to spoil anything for other players. I whole heartedly recommend the game to just about anyone who enjoys some action in their RPGs and is looking for a challenge. I have completed Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls several times and am about 25 hours into Dark Souls 2. I’m not sure how much time is left, but I estimate I’m about halfway to two-thirds of the way through and am already planning on my next character build, but I will not be playing as non-stop as I am now.

[Dark Souls 2 launch trailer.]

Thank you for your patience.

I thank you for your patients before I start S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, but it’s just a very exciting time for me. I rarely get excited about any modern games and it is nice to feel that way once in a while. Have you played Dark Souls 2 yet? Any tips for builds or good stories? Let me know, I love talking about it.

For any Dark Souls fans out there, I would also like to recommend the Bonfireside Chat podcast hosted by friends of the blog Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross. The two host a biweekly podcast in which they discuss each of the Souls games, area by area, in great detail. They have just begun their Dark Souls 2 season which you can listen along to, of you can go back and listen to the entire catalogue of the original Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, as well as some other media that influenced the game.

Thank you again and see you soon.

--Backlog Killer

52 - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. -- Call of Pripyat

I’m happy to announce that the next game I will be playing and talking about is the previously abandoned S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Call of Pripyat. After destroying Serevok and his friends in Baldur’s Gate, I ran some tests and found out that my modifications of CoP had pushed it way beyond my machine’s capabilities. The vanilla game, however, ran really smoothly and looks like it is good to go. It’s very lucky that Call of Pripyat is the most stable out of the box game in the entire S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. One little hiccup in the plan is that Dark Souls 2 also came out a few days ago so bear with me, please.

Pripyat Calling

In 1986 a catastrophicnuclear disaster befell the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant located in the Ukraine. During a routine test, water flow to the fuel rods of the power plant decreased and they began to overheat. This led to uncontrolled power increase and an eventual rupture in the casing of the reactor. An explosion followed spreading radiation throughout the area that is still devoid of human life following the emergency evacuation of the nearby town, Pripyat.

[The actual scene of the disaster.]

This is the real life tragedy that occurred in the area where S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – Call of Pripyat occurs. The game, however, takes place in an alternate reality where attempts were made to repopulate the area. Research institutions were organized around the abandoned power plant, its core contained in a concrete sarcophagus to stop further radiation leaks. These experiments and the released radiation resulted in monstrous creatures, dangerous anomalies, and irradiated slag heaps. It also resulted in highly sought after objects, known as artifacts, which were formed by the chaos following the disaster. Collectors with endless money sought these artifacts for their unique properties and appearances. Enter the Stalkers.

Stalkers are the boots on the ground in the disaster area, now known as "The Zone". Fenced off from the modern Ukranian nation, the zone is a dangerous source of wealth for those who are willing to risk it. Stalkers with nothing to lose search the zone for these artifacts while battling bandits, mutated creatures, warring factions, and other dangers.

This is the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.  Pretty cool, huh?

[Chernobyl Power Plant in the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]

A Little History

First, a history of the game. In the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R., subtitled Shadows of Chernobyl, the player takes the role of an unnamed Stalker who is searching for another Stalker named Strelok. Strelok traveled to the center of the zone to seek the sarcophagus, known in local legend as the Wish Granter, which will grant one wish to those who find it. After searching through military facilities, abandoned labs, and turning off an experimental weapon known as the “brain scorcher” for its ability to fry the brains of anyone in the area turning them into zombies, the unnamed protagonist eventually discovers that he himself is Strelok and finds the Wish Granter which will grant his wish in a monkey’s paw type fashion if evoked. If the proper actions are taken, the player may also discover that a malevolent human powered type of AI, known as the C-Consciousness, is capturing and reprogramming any Stalkers who reach the wish granter. After fighting through zealous guards and destroying the C-Consciousness, the player finds himself outside the plant believing the zone to be destroyed…

[The introductory movie of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to give you an idea of the tone.]

Now for Call of Pripyat. Call of Pripyat begins soon after the events of the original game. After Strelok deactivated the brain scorcher, hundreds of Stalkers rushed to the center of the zone to collect artifacts and seek the Wish Granter to fulfill their own wildest dreams. The deactivation also attracts the Ukranian military which wants to recon the area and eventually destroy the facility. As the result of some electromagnetic pulse, or something even more sinister, several helicopters are knocked out of commission and crash land throughout the zone. You take the role of a marine named Major Alexander Degtyarev who is dispatched to the zone, undercover as a Stalker, to discover the fate of these helicopters. And then we are off to the races.

My History with the Game

Even though I have not played the second game in the series, I still feel like I have a pretty rich history with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. I bought the original game on the day of its release and completed the game twice; once with the ‘incomplete’ ending and another time when I discovered I had missed a vital piece of evidence. What really struck me about the game was its bravery to not treat the player with kid gloves, the bleak and spooky atmosphere, and the untheatrical combat. From the very beginning of the game, the player is able to explore the entire map, aside from the brain scorcher which requires the completion of one small quest series to attain a protective apparatus which prevents zombification. Bleak and oppressive atmospheres always capture my imagination, as well. Strolling around the zone while avoiding roving packs of dogs, encountering two NPC groups fighting, and running into the same Stalker NPC several days later and several miles down the road is always interesting. But what I enjoy most about the game is its combat. A long way from the glorified and choreographed gunfights of Call of Duty and other similar games, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. couches these types of encounters in natural and brutally random areas. Aside from a few scripted sequences, there is no set up. You may be strolling down an abandoned highway only to hear several pops that sound like boards breaking finding yourself at the game over screen. It really drives home the brutality of the world and how quickly your fortune can change. I hope to capture this type of situation on video, if I can.

What’s next?

Assuming I can tear myself away from Dark Souls 2, another brutal, oppressive, and difficulty game, I hope to begin the journey of Major Alexander Degtyarev and introduce a little about the game and why it spoke to me at the time I played the original. Stay tuned, and happy gaming.

(I also welcome any Dark Souls discussion, it's a really good game.)

--Backlog Killer

Quick Update

Sorry, it's been a while again. Looks like I've failed up update and write about Baldur's Gate, but what hasn't been written about it? I'm having a great time, I'm really doing much better than I did when I was younger, and I'm also almost finished. I'm currently running some tests for the next game that I am very excited about because it's one I really wanted to do for a while, one I wanted to play, and one that I thought I may not be able to. Stay tuned because things may get radioactive...

Interlude: Baldur's Gate

I’m really enjoying my time with Baldur’s Gate right now. I’ve cleared out the western side of the Sword Coast and am getting ready to attack the bandits’ camp led by Tazok. I have Tutu installed so I could progress directly on to Baldur’s Gate 2… but I have other plans. I look forward to revealing what they are as soon as I get closer to finishing this game, I think once I actually get to the city of Baldur’s Gate would be a good time.

What I really love while playing is the ingenious combination of turn based and real time combat that lets the action be paused at any time so that I can give orders quickly and efficiently. I am, by no means, a dexterous player anymore since I quit playing FPS games competitively online, so having this option is great. I’m also quite bad at maximizing the spell potential in the game so it’s very challenging at the normal skill level. People who can beat Baldur’s Gate on the highest difficulty and still find it so easy that they need to install further difficulty mods amaze me. I’ll just stick with the default.

Anyway, sorry for the delay, but I’m having a good time with Baldur’s Gate and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup when I have less time to play. I may do a write up on that in the future. Thanks for sticking with me.

--Backlog Killer

Abandoning Britannia... for now.

As you may have gathered from my previous pessimistic posts, I will not be continuing with Ultima V at this time. I don’t like to quit games in the middle but my reasons are very clear:

1          1)      I’ve spent more than 8 hours playing and have gotten nowhere.

2          2)      I’m not having fun playing.

3          3)      I started Baldur’s Gate and I am having a blast.

Even though I don’t need to justify for anyone, I’ll just clarify that I was very excited about Ultima 5 and just steadily lost interest as I played and got frustrated. Playing Baldur’s Gate came in naturally since I didn’t want to play Ultima and heard that friend of the blog, Gary of Watch Out for Fireballs, was playing the enhanced edition and thought “Gee, I haven’t played that for six or seven years” so I put it on and just fell right back in.

This isn’t to say that I am giving up on Ultima forever, far from it. It takes up so little space on the hard drive that I’ll just leave it on there and probably dip in every once in a while to see if it takes. But, for now, it will remain shelved and ready for the future. Sorry for any disappointment, but I’m getting ready to go investigate the Cloakwood Forest for Tazok and his minions.

I’m not sure what the next game will be, but it will come to me and I’m thinking it probably will not be an RPG since I have been overdosing a little bit. Stay tuned since I’m sure I will also have a few things to say about my experience playing Baldur’s Gate (1/2 together using Tutu!). Stay tuned.

--Backlog Killer

Big Trouble in Little Britannia

I’m not going to beat around the bush here: Ultima 5 is not going well for me. I’m having a real heck of a time getting started and feel like I have accomplished almost nothing in the four to five hours I have played the game. Now I understand that the game is difficult and its objectives are a little obfuscated, but I am having serious difficulty determining HOW to overcome the simplest of problems such as leveling up my characters. I have been grinding monsters such as trolls on bridges and have not noticed even a slight increase in experience for my characters. Some of them have difficulty dealing with even one encounter with almost any enemy. How can I progress if I can’t even survive? Anyway, here’s what I’ve done.


Clutching at Straws

After being resurrected at Castle Britania, I was pleased to find a safe place I could walk around and get some solid information. I talked to several denizens of the castle, including the infamous jester Chuckles, but was not able to learn much other than they really miss Lord British. Exploring the area surrounding Castle Britain was a little more fruitful. East, North, and West Britain all contained useful shops and information, including a shipbuilders with a clue about the HMS Cape, the legendary ship from which I was able to invoke massive power in Ultima 4. Unfortunately, I could not even afford a skiff and was off to do some more grinding.

I returned to Yew to pick up some more information when I noticed a moongate which I jumped into popping me out near Moonglow; the town in which I began my adventure as a mage in Ultima 4. Gleaning little information from this town, I was sent packing to Lycaeum, keepers of the flame of truth, where I was able to find some important information. I learned the true name of one of the shadowlords, the lord of hate. This information will definitely come in handy, but I was unable to make any use of it at this time.

[The true name of the Shadowlord. Notice Shamino is dead.]

Another moongate journey took me to Trinsic, the city of Honour, where I was able to learn one word of power for opening a dungeon which I am not ready for yet. After leaving the city I visited its shrine where I meditated and received a quest to go read the Codex at the isle of the Avatar, formerly where the Abyss was located. With no boat and no hope of leveling up, I stopped for the session which lasted several hours.


Please Help Me

I really want to like this game, and I can really see why people do, but I am in dire need of tips. Combat is the major sticking point for me because it is much more difficult. It seems like no matter how much I fight and how many times Lord British visits me while camping, I never see any advancement. My characters are weak, they are not good at anything, and I have some empty clues I can do nothing about. Please help me out because I am seriously considering hanging this one up until later.

Slight spoilers are OK as I am pretty familiar with what will happen in the game having read lots of info about the Ultima series in my free time, but please respect any others who may stumble upon the blog in terms of any serious spoilers… even though I doubt there are many. I hope I can push past this, but I won’t force myself.

>What Mantra do you wish to meditate using?

>Please help me.

>Please help me.

>Please help me.

Thou art granted a vision!

--Backlog Killer

Ultima 5 pt. 1

Just as the avatar is returning to Britania after years of resting and inactivity, I am also returning to the blog with a bit of rust in my hinges. In addition, Ultima 5 is a very daunting game to come back to. It is going to take a long time; a very long time. The scope is much larger than the previous installment and my past experience is literally nonexistent. Please stick with me as I go through Ultima 5 as I will probably be breaking it up and not power gaming in marathon sessions. Playing slowly, thinking about my next step, and how it fits into the whole story will be the most difficult aspect. Anyway, without further delay, let’s head back to the world birthed from Richard Garriott’s insane dome: Britania.

Back in the Saddle

Years after returning to earth as the paragon of the virtues, The Avatar, our in-the-matrix alter ego is eager to get back to Britania to visit his friends. The long silence is finally broken when he is awakened by the floating symbol of the codex which indicates it is time to suit up and get ready for adventure. After donning the garb of the Avatar, he enters the moongate only to see his friend and former companion, Shamino, be struck down by the cursed magic bolt of a Shadowlord; the corrupting forces of Britania. After scaring off the Shadowlords with the power of the magical ankh, we take Shamino to Iolo’s hut where we are filled in on the whole situation.

[Much improved over the last entry.]

Things are not well: Lord British has been lost in an effort to secure the underworld after sealing the dungeons, his formerly upstanding vassal named Lord Blackthorn has taken over the land, and all of its virtues have been subverted into tyrannical laws. It is up to us to find out what has happened and restore Lord British to power. How we do this is unclear and, having no previous experience with Ultima 5, I have no idea where to begin.

Welcome Back

Welcome back one and all! I am happy to begin blogging again, but I am not as happy as the Avatar to get back to Britania. Let me back up. I am very eager to play and am looking forward to it, but the idea of a whole new Ultima game is extremely daunting. The world of Ultima 4 was huge and had many secrets that required training, research, travel, and, most importantly, time to uncover. Starting up the game for the first time was a little bit of a gut check for me.

[Hal has been unceremoniously nerfed by Ultima 5.]

The interface is quite familiar and the graphics have improved vastly from the earlier version. Many more tiles are available to represent terrain and objects, there is no longer the need to use weird signs for shops as they can be represented accurately as pictographic signs, and the world is much more interactive. Everything seems ripe for exploration when…

[Richard...]

Richard Garriott strikes again. This is the runic alphabet that was touched on in Ultima Underworld, but now makes its first real appearance in a strictly canonical Ultima game. Not only does this require frequent translation by me, but is also used for spells which are called upon by using a series of syllables instead of simple names such as “cure” or “fireball”. I understand the world building itch that this kind of thing scratches, but if my character is intimately familiar with the world of Britania he would be able to read this easily. Since the Avatar is my lens into the fantasy world, can’t you just print it in English to let me read it more easily? (This adherence to verisimilitude continues through several more games in the series.)

Fortunately, other than that small complaint, everything is just as it should be and I have begun my journey by visiting the close by Empath Abbey and town of Yew which has been changed quite a bit. The city formerly represented Justice, but now it has been taken to the extreme and anyone who does not confess any crime they have committed, no matter how small, they will be put to death. The town square also holds a set of pillories confining a man who had not donated 40% of his income to ‘charity’ and his young son who had failed to report his crime. I have the option to free them, but I will probably take that opportunity when I am a little stronger.

[Sweet subversion.]

After buying some supplies and reagents for some curing and healing spells, I returned to Empath Abbey where I collected a new follower and some information. I was reunited with Julia from Ultima 4 who has become a bard for some extra fire power. It appears I can only have a maximum of five followers in Ultima 5 instead of eight, so I may trade some characters out later. I also learned that I could find more about the Shadowlord of Hate (foil to Empath Abbey’s love) from a Daemon located in the desert to the east. At least I have one lead I can follow up on.

I traveled back to Yew and found a mage to join my quest (Jaana), but when I tried to look around some more I accidentally bumped into a guard who immediately demanded a tribute for Blackthorne. Not having enough money, I refused and was forced into a fight. Fights are generally the same as they were in Ultima 4 with a battle grid and cardinal movement directions. One big difference is characters are now allowed to attack diagonally making combat much more flexible. Unfortunately, it did not help in this case and I was wiped out almost instantly.

[British brings us back. (I didn't mention Toshi, but I restarted and left him behind)]

As in other Ultimas, after the party was killed Lord British resurrected us in Castle Britain where I stopped journeying for the night. I plan to visit some of the towns and look around, but getting stronger will take top priority before I get too deep into the plot.

Why I like the idea of Ultima 5

Ultima 4 was written in direct response to criticism of the previous Ultima games in which theft, murder, and being what is considered ‘evil’ was actually rewarded instead of punished. Parents said this was a bad influence and warranted a change in tone. Garriott agreed. Ultima 4 was the ultimate tale of being a do-gooder who can serve as an example for the rest of the world. It was literally impossible to finish the game without being a squeaky clean hero. After becoming the Avatar, players were sent back to Earth and served as a religious figure in the world of Britania.

Unfortunately, pure good can still be twisted by men into something bad, which is why I like the concept behind Ultima 5 so much. Even though I am not really caught up in the mechanics yet, the idea of having the original eight virtues (humility, honesty, justice, honor, compassion, sacrifice, valor, and spirituality) be subverted into enforced laws is very compelling. As in Yew, any failure to follow the virtues results in torture and execution. Of course it is a similar ends, but the way in which the virtue is enforced is reprehensible.

For me, personally, one of the most frightening things I have come to consider is that “Evil” is not going to come in the form of a moustache twirling sociopath who is looking for the next crime he can commit. Evil will always come camouflaged as good; as necessary means to keep what could be called order, morality, or justice. Evil will not reveal itself until it is too late and everyone has subscribed to its twisted whims. Thinking about Ultima in this way is very worrying when compared to our society and world both presently and in the past. Will we see evil as it is happening? Or will we actually think it is good?

With regards to Ultima, this corruption is blatantly spelled out as many citizens regard Lord Blackthorne to be a good man, worthy of being a successor to Lord British, but he has just been corrupted by the Shadowlords who haunt the land. We can translate this to the possibility of any world leader or any person with great power who is attempting to do what is good but by the wrong means. Unfortunately, the shadowlords will not be at fault and any corruption will lie in the heart of men themselves.

Anyway, I think that is what Richard Garriott was trying to explain, if only the mechanics were a little smoother. I’ll get the hang of it. I was cruising through Ultima 4 before I knew it. Check back next time where I will investigate the areas surrounding Britain and maybe do some moongate hopping.

--Backlog Killer

Guess Who's Back?

After returning from his great adventures, the hero suffers begrudging repose lying in his cold and un-insulated home. Returning from the foreign land where he was praised as a hero to the mundane world where he is simply a wage worker trying to get by. How can he continue to work day to day when he has experienced the thrill of combat, the riches of plunder, and the rewards of completing the ultimate quest?! The call has come. It is time to re-enter the fray. The Backlog Killer is back.

Well hello again. I’ve been pretty bad but also quite happy recently. I lost interest in playing games for the blog during Bastion. I still haven’t finished it, in fact. But I wanted to continue playing and writing since I do not have any other creative outputs other than this one. Will I be finishing Bastion? No. I did not care for it that much and was a little disappointed with how I felt about it. Maybe I had built it up a little too much but I thought it was a little grindy and boring.

What will I be returning with? Well, let me tell you if you couldn’t guess from the introductory paragraph: Ultima 5 is next. I can’t wait to get into this one since I still think about finishing Ultima 4 regularly and the fact that I thought I would NEVER be able to. I have the same plans for the fifth part and have high hopes as I think it is regularly underrated around the innovation of 4, the new look of 6, and the brilliant 7^th installment. I hope I can get some good gameplay out of it, some good writing, and I also just generally hope I can transfer the save games between home and work so I can play during lunch.

Stay tuned for the first write up which will be appearing sometime in the next few weeks. I haven’t abandoned my previous goals and format, but I do want to be easier on myself and be more flexible in general. I still have the savegame from Hal in Ultima 4 and look forward to putting him back in action, just as I am the blog, very soon.

--Backlog Killer

Rebirth

The spam bots are circling like vultures. Dusty games lie unplayed. My payment for web addresses is going to waste.

2014. Prepare for the return.

51 - Long Time Coming

Well, here we are again with a new post from the Backlog Killer himself. My recent hiatus has been very good. I have been keeping busy, doing some cool stuff, and playing some really cool games with no anxiety. The no anxiety thing is pretty big because, if you will remember, the main reason I began the blog in the first place was to organize my process and provide a direction. Even though this has led me to play some great games including Gone Home, Crusader Kings 2, and Wizardry 6, it has started to wane and that familiar feeling of restlessness and indecision is starting to sneak back in.

That being said, it should be no surprise that I am back again to continue with Bastion. I was previously a little underwhelmed with the singular focus of Bastion and its linear style, but I have started to yearn for it after pouring myself into huge worlds with hours of game play that may or may not be worth it. To put my finger on it, I am blaming Might & Magic: Book 1. Although it was fun to play for ten to twenty hours during lunch breaks, I did not get enough sense of progression and it began to frustrate me. It actually began to obsess me and make me feel like I was losing control over my play again by focusing so singularly on something that didn’t matter, so I stopped. Note that the internal debate over stopping a dumb game also took way too long. (Note: I have started again since writing this, but I'm enjoying myself again. Maybe not enough sleep that night. -BK)

So, I’m happy to come back and write up my current thoughts about Bastion; at least as far as I have made it.

Bastion

As with Braid, Bastion is not the type of game I normally play. I am quite vocal about being a huge fan of role playing games, old school first person shooters, and large scale strategy games such as Civilization, Europa Universalis, and Space Empires. Despite this, I am drawn in by the art style and sense of novelty surrounding the game universe. It has a very cool watercolor-esque design that is similar to Braid and quite appealing to the eye. Not to mention that the soundtrack is pleasant and has a sort of Breaking Bad western feel.

But what really interests me is the mechanics of the game and how it feels. Coming back to bastion after playing such open ended and complex games is actually a very good contrast. There is purity to its simplicity that has cleaned up my scrambled brains. I don’t need to worry about ten constantly changing variables or mapping twenty areas down the road. I just need to worry about the here and now. What perks benefit me at this moment? There are no risks to simply trying out different things and having fun, unlike RPGs where you can unwittingly screw yourself twenty or thirty hours into the game based on stats or skills you didn't know were poor or unbalanced in the past. (I’m looking at you Escalon!)

I would also like to apologize for my lack of specificity in this case because I have somehow lost all of my notes for Bastion up to ‘The Hanging Gardens’ area. I still remember a good amount and will talk a little about how I feel about the mechanics, enemy design, and story as I go on. Unfortunately, I will have to pick up that slack rope when playing the next area because, sorry guys, I’m not going to restart and take all those notes again. That would make it more stressful!

Mechanics

One of my favorite parts of Bastion at this point of my life is the simplicity that reminds me of my days of playing Diablo 2. I don’t need to worry about anything more than what is an immediate threat and what I need to do about it. That’s not to say there is no strategy, but it is certainly easier than planning invasions into French territory from the Holy Roman Empire in Europa Universalis or stressing about national foci in Victoria 2. It’s fun just to click on things to watch them die sometimes and I always forget that I need to do that every once in a while.

One of my favorite parts of bastion is the weapon selections available. So far I have the hammer, a rapid fire machine gun style weapon, and a quicker blade that does less damage but hits faster. As a skinny guy who enjoys playing faster characters I have eschewed the hammer in favor of the others. Continued upgrades have kept me in the game, but I am tempted to return to the hammer and see how it compares after a few upgrades. I also enjoy the ability to equip passive spirits (as in liquor) to fit my play style. Right now I am using werewhiskey and fetching fizz, but may switch it up in the future to see if others work any better.

[What I've currently got stocked in my wet bar.]

The really cool thing I enjoy about Bastion is the mysterious visual style that plays into the story which I am, admittedly, still very unfamiliar with. I described in the first entry about the game that it begins when the main character, simply called ‘The Kid’, wakes up in a world that has been destroyed. Knowing only that he must return to a place called the Bastion in a state of emergency, he sets off and fights the corrupt monsters that have awakened following the calamity.

Upon arriving at the Bastion, the Kid finds the mysterious stranger who narrates the game. The Bastion must be rebuilt using cores found in far flung areas of the destroyed city to get the facility working again. When it’s done what will happen is anyone’s guess. I assume that the city will be reconstituted into one integrated area as one of the most striking features of the game is that the ground floats up from the ether around the Kid; rebuilding itself possibly because of some sort of special powers that are yet to be revealed. Hopefully this will all become clear by the end of the game.

My only concern while going through the first several levels is that they do not seem to be too different from each other. One may be called ‘The Wharf District’, indicating it’s a rough area, while another is called ‘Sundown Path’, but I have not seen too much difference between them to show they are very different. The crumbling rocks covered in enemies that rise to meet the Kid all look the same to me. I hope this will change or have some kind of explanation in the future.

Next time

No matter what my final opinion is, Bastion is a cool game to just pick up and play in short periods of time available. I look forward to seeing what surprises are in the future because I have to think there are a few, and how the story will wrap up. Also, I will not be writing about the proving ground areas because I’m trying to cut down on chasing content to relieve some of my stress while playing games. I know, I have a problem.

See you next time when I will have my notes ready! I hope I can find that notebook….

--Backlog Killer

Wizardry 6 is Finished

Well, folks, after about six weeks of off and on playing I have finished Wizardry 6 for the second time in my life. Needless to say, I enjoyed it much more this time since I wasn’t going into blind rages when getting a character death or bad enemy draw; especially near the end of the game. After my party successfully fought off the mermaids of the River Styx, the demons of the Isle of the Damned, the Drow in the swamps, and the goblins in the forest, they finally made it to the Temple of Ramm where the titular Cosmic Forge rested. I say rested because it will be taken by some alien guy in Wizardry 7. I don’t quite remember since it’s been a while. We will find out when it comes up. Anyway, the party hopped on a spaceship with a black dragon and flew into my dropbox folder where the save file will remain until it’s ready for import in Crusaders of the Dark Savant.

I have played Bastion for almost two hours now and am ready to begin writing my thoughts on it which should be following shortly. In the mean time, thanks again for sticking with me and I hope you are all doing well. I also encourage ANY discussion of Wizardry since I loved the game play so much. In addition, games I am playing besides Bastion include Age of Wonders during lunch time at work and Football Manager when relaxing at home and browsing the Internet at the same time.

See you for the Bastion update.


--Backlog Killer

Intermission - Under Wizardry’s Spell

Well I have been having a great time the last two weeks playing Wizardry. What started as a way to waste a few minutes here and there while on vacation turned into a full quest after I got hooked in its claws again. As I discussed in the last post, the game is just really easy for me to get into right now because the turn based nature of the game fits well into my tiny windows of free time. I can play during lunch at work, fight a few battles while my wife is cooking dinner, or just map a few squares when I have a moment during the day. Hopefully things will settle down in the next week so that I can play some bastion, but it won’t be until I finish Wizardry 6: Bane of the Cosmic Forge.

Wizardry 6

The Wizardry series is about as “old school CRPG” as you can get. It is a contemporary of the original Ultima as well as other well known titles and has a huge legacy that has taken some strange turns. Originally designed as a series of campaigns using the same first person wire frame dungeon for 5 games, Wizardry finally decided to keep up with the graphics arms race and retool its engine in 1990. Unfortunately, it still looks pretty poor compared to other titles coming out at the same time. All of the tiles are represented by the same ugly grey stone hallway texture. (Even areas described as forests, swamps, or pyramids.) Fortunately, the descriptions are very good at spurring the imagination to fill in the gaps and give the player some sense of place.

[This is supposed to be a worm in a swamp. It looks like a castle, though.]

In addition to the simplicity of the graphics, the inherent “old school-ness” of the game is staggering. The game world consists of an ancient castle that not only has swamps and mountains around it, but was also apparently built over the River Styx. The mountain area has a dwarven mine, a pyramid with a pharaoh in the basement and an amazon queen at the top, and, evidently, a volcano right beside the pyramid with its own god that the amazons worship. A mishmash to say the least. What is endearing about the setting is that it represents a time when games were designed by small teams with nothing to limit them but their imaginations and coding skills. Even though I enjoy a good, solid story every once in a while, the mechanics are what really run the show. Building characters is a delight with the option to change classes as long as stats allow building different skills in all the characters. Right now I have a fighter turned samurai who can cast spells, a bard with excellent scouting and alchemy skills, and a mage who has dabbled in ninjitsu enough to blend with the shadows at will. It’s really incredible and offers a HUGE variety of game play styles making almost any strategy viable.

I am currently about 85% through the game and will be done soon. I am looking forward to playing Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant in the future, but the fact that I thought I could mainline the whole series when I was depressed is insane. It is just way too much to take in and too much time to invest. No wonder I was so frustrated. I’ll give it a few months before I try the next one, but I am looking forward to importing my current party and continuing their journey. It’s also pretty cool because I remember PURCHASING Wizardry 7 (on two 3.5” floppies) in fifth grade and getting completely lost. It will be nice to finally finish it.

Wizardry’s Current Legacy

One of the most interesting things about the Wizardry series is how it has developed globally. Originally an American series, the games have become an RPG staple in Japan. I’m not sure if it’s the “spreadsheet” nature of the mechanics or whether they just like the games, but the Wizardry series has seen more iteration and games in Japan than in the country of its origin! Many of these went unreleased in the US including a SNES port of Wizardry 6 that looks quite good.

I, myself, purchased the PS3 Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls and sunk about ten hours into it. I originally got frustrated with its difficulty curve, but now that I understand class switching and character building I may fare better. It also has a very ‘anime’ design with skimpy clothing and cutesy sounds I don’t particularly like, but the mechanics are identical to Wizardry 1 so you know it’s got to be good. I’ll have to wait on that for a little while, too.

[Ugh.]

Bastion

Bastion is still on my plate and I enjoyed what I have played of it. I look forward to digging into it a little more once I have time. Thanks for sticking with me.

--Backlog Killer

I've Been Bad

You may have noticed a distinct lack of updates regarding Bastion. I’m here to set the record straight: I have not abandoned the blog but I am VERY distracted by Wizardry 6. I’ve gotten one of those sudden itches to play a very difficult game with very tough mechanics and it just really fits the bill. Although I’ve finished it before, I lost my save game and want to complete this one so that I can bring my newer, fresher, and objectively better party into Wizardry 7 when it comes up for the blog. Thanks to Dropbox I can just put my save games in the cloud indefinitely. My Ultima 4 character is STILL in there waiting to be dug out and dusted off when Ultima 5 comes around.

What’s really holding me back from playing Bastion is that I feel like I need to square off forty minutes to an hour to really sit down, play, absorb, and take notes. The truth is I can’t afford this amount of time investment right now. With my anniversary just having passed, parties for friends coming up, and day to day life I’ve only been able to snatch twenty to thirty minutes per day divided over several sessions. This is no good for Bastion. But it is an excellent environment for Wizardry, especially since I can exchange my save game from home to the office and vice versa. I find myself playing a little at lunch or while waiting for my wife to get to the train station. It feels nice to just fight a few battles or map a few squares knowing I can quit any time and end up exactly where I stopped. And not to toot my own horn but I have effectively broken the game with class switching. All my characters can hide and most can cast mid-range spells with no difficulty. It’s pretty funny when the entire party disappears into the shadows and the monsters just sit there waiting.

I have not lost sight of my goal, but have been sidetracked by life as we all are from time to time. I promise to be better in the next week or so, but, for now, I’m about half way through Wizardry and am about to hit the River Styx so wish me luck.

--Backlog Killer

50 - Bastion

Jetlag is not nearly as difficult to shake as having to leave your home to travel halfway across the world again. Vacation was a very good experience but it also reopened memories I had cauterized over the past few years. Unfortunately, my life situation is not one such that I can immediately pick up and move again and I have an entire life with friends and, more importantly, a job waiting for me here in Hong Kong. Having income and prospects for the future goes a long way.

All in all my vacation was a good one. I was able to visit family members, friends, and even relax a little bit at the beach. I discovered a whole new world of craft (i.e. expensive) beers that actually taste pretty good and don’t give me a migraine after drinking just a small amount. I also had to go through some very strenuous times when we received news that our dog was not doing well and was in the hospital. Luckily, everything turned out well and she’s living comfortably again even though she is still quite old.
What was most affecting about the vacation is that returning home lifted a huge weight I had forgotten about off my shoulders. Even now I still feel breezy and able to face just about anything… or maybe that’s just fatigue from jetlag. In any case, I have hope that I can reduce my stress levels and live a comfortable life with fewer worries as I move along. In combination with that I am also very happy that the next game I will be tackling for the blog is the independently produced action game Bastion.



Bastion

Bastion is a game I became very curious about in the past few years when I heard such rave reviews about it. Coming at an early time in the recent indie explosion, the game was renowned for its unique storytelling, good soundtrack, and narrator. I know next to nothing about the game  and am looking forward to going in fresh with no expectations.

Bastion was released by Supergiant games in 2011 and received almost universal praise from many reviewers and podcasters I read and respect. It is billed as a single player action role-playing game wherein the main character, named “The Kid”, wakes up in a world that has been destroyed by an apocalyptic event known as The Calamity. As the kid explores the world, it reassembles itself around him and is inhabited by enemies who offer many unique challenges that require different strategies and weapons to counter. It is up to The Kid to travel to the Bastion to find the secret that will enable the world to resume as normal, whatever that may turn out to be.



Expectations

I know literally nothing about the game except that the art style is very interesting and the narrator is lauded for his performance. I anticipate a wealth of storytelling techniques and metaphorical imagery to explore and pontificate about, but I also am looking forward to a solid game experience. I am not usually into games such as Diablo or Torchlight, although I do get the urge to play them from time to time. I hope that Bastion will offer me a tight experience with opportunities to customize The Kid to be the kind of character I enjoy playing as.

If you have any tips or things to watch out for before I begin please let me know. This may include useless skills or weapons to avoid, things that may enhance my experience, or any other tidbits you wish me to know (excluding spoilers). I am very interested to know what any of you think about Bastion, this type of game, or any general discussion you may have. I look beginning.


It’s good to be back.

--Backlog Killer

Vacation Plans

Hey folks, sorry I've been gone so long without a peep, but I've had some stuff come up that's been unavoidable and have also been trying to decide what to do for my upcoming vacation. I have decided to put the blog on hiatus for about two months until I come back from visiting family and friends in the USA. I enjoy finishing a large chunk of something before taking a break and would hate to have a game hanging over my head half completed while I am enjoying myself. I hope you understand.

In the meantime, I have been playing other games not listed on the backlog list including Bioshock: Infinite, Dishonored, and long term strategy games like Europa Universalis 3 and Hearts of Iron. It's been a good little diversion from the classics I've been playing today and is a good way to compare the problems of yesteryear with today. I'll probably bounce between some of these until the middle of June when I come back.

I hope you all have a great spring and join me when I come back from my epic journey to the East Coast to play Bastion.

Good luck and enjoy yourselves,

--Backlog Killer

49 - Ultima Underworld

Sorry about the long wait. I had a busy Easter holiday that I spent at the hospital. Nothing is seriously wrong or even wrong at all, but we needed to get something checked out to make sure it isn’t or won’t become a problem. Luckily, everything is fine, but my wife and I have lost yet another holiday and I am really tired from constant trips home and back. I am sure we will have more fun on our trip back to the United States next month.

Ultima Underworld

“What can I say about the game that I haven’t said already?” This is what I kept thinking to myself over the last few days and I am having a hard time figuring out if there really is anything. The engine and immersiveness were astounding at the time of its release, it introduced many concepts that have become standard in modern games, and it remains a beacon of unbridled creativity and inspiration by a small studio. Discussing these may be beating a dead horse, but they require at least an honorable mention.

What remains after the completion of the game is the feeling that the plot, objectives, and game world itself are all intertwined and one cannot be removed from the others without unraveling the whole thing. I rarely get this feeling and can list only a few titles that have conveyed it… maybe Mean Streets and Might & Magic III. But what I mean is that the plot develops so organically that the player begins piecing everything together without being told anything explicitly in any serious information dump. Maybe it comes from the smaller production team or the more renegade production process, but everything comes together naturally and symmetrically. This is what I miss the most about older games, especially those made for the PC.

The importance of Ultima Underworld cannot be disputed, but I also think it has become somewhat of an artifact. I know this will be a controversial opinion, but compared to the dozens of games following its productions that have taken its notes and improved upon them, it does not hold up as well. It is true that many modern games such as The Elder Scrolls would not even be around without its legacy, but I think that being aware of its existence and influence is much more important than playing it. I wholeheartedly recommend any player who is interested in the genre complete the game, but many gamers may find it frustrating since the developers themselves were trying to suss out what they were actually doing. Even though an early car is a marvel that should be preserved and analyzed, you wouldn’t want to drive it down the road every day. Ultima Underworld most certainly has a limited appeal today compared to universal praise in the past.

I don’t mean to sound disparaging at all. In fact, I would recommend anyone remotely interested in 3D dungeon crawlers or the history of gaming to at least try playing it. But I do recognize that the game is rough around the edges. Combat is not very fun, some of the puzzles are nebulous at best, and the movement is difficult to adjust to. What is great is that the immersiveness of the game and wonder of exploring the dungeon transcend all these downfalls to provide a deep well to be drawn from over and over again by products coming out as recently as this year.

Ultima Underworld is the most important game I have played for the blog, so far.

What’s next?

Next I will be playing Bastion, but I have not decided if I should take a break from the blog until after my trip or try to squeeze it in. With the recent events, I am thinking about just waiting and taking my time. I am still very tired and having trouble producing content with all the other stuff going on, but I hope you enjoy it.

In addition, here are my final stats for the game. Enjoy!

--Backlog Killer

48 - The End

Well, we’re finally at the end. After roughly fifteen to twenty hours of game play, I have finished Ultima Underworld. This post will cover my brief backtracking to the crypts of Level 5 and my final confrontation with the Slasher of Veils. Follow me into the bowels of the Stygian Abyss to explore (part of) Level 8.


One Last Frustration

With the tri-part key, all eight talismans of Caribus, and the confidence of seven completed levels under my belt, I descended to Level 8 of the Abyss to take out the lurking evil that is the Slasher of Veils. Garamon had informed me he may be able to help me with this overwhelming task if I could acquire his bones and return them to his grave in the crypts. Putting this at the top of my list of priorities, I set forth.

Level 8 is basically a molten chasm constructed of nothing but cliffs and rivers of lava. The dragon scale boots nullified the threat of the lava, but it did not get rid of the threat that constantly respawning fire elementals posed. These things were everywhere and could make quick work of my level 16 character if I got caught by surprise. I spent most of the time searching the southwest area filled with bone piles for any sign of the correct one, but they all looked the same. I finally came across one particular nook containing a stone golem, supplies, and several magic rune stones strewn over the ground indicating a struggle. I assumed this was the site of Garamon’s final stand, but made sure by testing with other generic bone piles that stack together into piles of multiple units. Satisfied that the bones did not stack, I returned to the crypts of Level 5 to give his remains a proper burial.

[Hopefully he'll stop bothering me every time I sleep.]

After interring the bones, the ghost of Garamon appeared to thank me for stopping his brother and putting him to rest. Before leaving, he tried to brainstorm ways to take out the Slasher of Veils. Hmm… if we only had items of pure virtue… to which I responded with “what about these talismans?” That seemed correct, but “how can we destroy them to release their power?” he asked. “Drop them in lava?” Seemed good enough for him.

[Great idea! Glad I thought of it.]

So the answer is to destroy all of the items I have been working so hard to attain to force the Slasher through a dimensional rift, banishing him from Britania forever. Easy enough, right? With this information, I took one last look at the levels I had worked so hard to explore and stepped into Level 8 for the last time.



Confrontation

Finding the prison of the Slasher of Veils was very easy with the dragonscale boots. After just a minute of walking through the lava lake and fighting a few flame elementals, I found a large central structure with a stone door and triangular indentation matching the tripart key. I’m pretty sure I skipped roughly half the floor by doing this, but I don’t really mind since I seem to have wrapped up most of the story threads I had encountered. Nervously, I put the key into the giant door to reveal…

[Nice. Nice. Let me get another angle...]

[Excellent! Nice working with you.]

The Slasher of Veils trapped in the middle of a lava pool. Fortunately, he is unable to move allowing me to walk around getting some glamour shots for the blog. It is interesting because as an adult I had no apprehension about walking around the area and exploring the chamber, but as a child, I can imagine being very scared that the demon may spring out of his reverie at any moment. It was a fleeting thought, but one that made me think about how I interface with games now. In any case, I began the procedure of banishment by tossing all eight talismans into the pool. After disposing of the last talisman, the Sword of Justice, a moongate opened swallowing the Slasher of Veils AND me with it!

[Uh oh.]

Dumped into a chaotic landscape of mysterious paths, disembodied eyes, mouths, and constant damage, I immediately started running. There were several paths to take, but I remembered the advice I wrote down given by a crystal ball on level one saying that the green path was correct. With the Slasher in pursuit, I sprinted all the way down the path which seemed to go on forever. In fact, I was almost completely dead by the time I reached the moongate exit and was worried I would need to do the whole thing again. Fortunately, I made it just in time and the gate slammed shut behind me trapping the demon forever.

Finally thanked and given a quick “Sorry” by the Baron who had essentially sentenced me to death in the Abyss, I boarded a boat back to Britania and traveled back to Earth to sleep off the adventure. I had finally finished one of the most revered games in the history of PC gaming: Ultima Underworld.

What’s Next?

Next time I will be giving my final thoughts about Ultima Underworld, but, in the mean time, I have been playing through a few other games that were not on the list. I have just about played out The Binding of Isaac, although I would like to unlock the final levels to truly “finish” the game. I’m not sure if I will go for all of those achievements on there, even though I hate to be outdone by Gary. I also began playing Dishonored which is a pretty cool game and has been enjoyable since it strongly evokes the feeling of Thief: The Dark project. (It’s also easier to play without having to stop and take notes as I do when blogging.) In any case, I am looking forward to the next game I have picked and hope to begin writing about it soon.

What is the game? Oh, sorry. The next game in my sights is going to be a critical favorite: 2011’s Bastion. I am excited about this one and hope I can complete it before plans put temporary brakes on the blog. I will be visiting my parents in the United States in May and June and do not plan on playing too many games for the blog at that time. Anyway, stick around while I collate my thoughts about Ultima Underworld into one package for you.

Hint: I really liked it.


--Backlog Killer

47 - A Real Rug Puller

Busy busy busy the last week or so, but I’m finally back and we’re almost done with Ultima Underworld. We recently left off with me having swept through the mages’ college in the Abyss, amassing all eight talismans of Cabirus, and trudging down to Level 7. What dangers awaited me? Boy howdy, it sure was a lot.

Curveball

Level 7 did not start well when I noticed my mana, represented by the blue vial, drained itself down to nothing immediately after exiting the stairwell. This was obviously part Tyball’s devious plot and made it apparent I was going to have to solve the entire area without access to any magic. Luckily, I had only been using magic to heal myself and generate food so the loss of this ability did not have much of an impact. I can imagine it being a HUGE problem for players who had focused only on magic and had not put any skill points into weapons since this disadvantage comes along with no warning. I would say this is questionable game design; much like giving players of Deus Ex: Human Revolution the option of being completely passive and then throwing them into an unavoidable boss fight.

Exploring the level turned out to be just as much of a hassle as not having access to magic. I emerged from the stairs in a grey room with several exits, but most of them were obstructed either by sheer cliffs, locked doors, or just dead ends. I spoke briefly with an escaping prisoner on his way upstairs who told me that the only way to access these areas was with a talisman of Tyball’s army. This turned out to not be exactly true as I could also be jerks to the soldiers and they would open the gates to attack me. Unfortunately, this tactic carries the disadvantage that doors may randomly close and lock themselves leaving me stranded. Learning this, I made it a priority to seek the talisman.

[It really does help to have the medallion.]

The only series of unlocked doors led me to a mine that had been abandoned by slave workers because of a gazer I easily dispatched. I found an amulet, maybe belonging to a dead guard, that I could use to access every part of level 7 opening up more possibilities. The entire area was basically a fortress with check points, encampments, and mines being tended to by slaves of Tyball. After gaining access to the mines to the northwest, I entered a prison where I was trapped by the troll guard in a small transfer room. In order to escape, I had to bribe him to release me. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I didn’t have any extra money on me. The prison contained some helpful prisoners and a few locked doors, but nothing of immediate interest. Unlocking an escape tunnel, I worked my way back to the entrance through a molten cavern filled with fire elementals which are, no doubt, the toughest creatures in the game. Even at level 15, they could still kill me with several fireballs which I used to my advantage by respawning back at the entrance to the level.

This route also led to one of several quick diversions down to three isolated parts of level 8 including: a key cheekily hidden behind a skull, an abandoned mine containing ‘orbstone’ a wizard told me could be used to restore magic to level 7, and a treasure trove guarded by an imp and several golems that I will discuss later. I immediately took the orbstone and key to open most of the remaining doors in the level.

The key brought me to a lava pit containing what looks like a jumping puzzle. A nearby map indicated the solution was actually much simpler as a teleportation square brought me to the locked door at the top off the cliff. Entering the door, I found myself at the entrance to a deadly maze that will cause instant death if the incorrect path is taken. “How can we know the right path?” you ask. Well, aside from extensive trial and error, inscriptions and hints around the level refer to a crown that can be used to reveal the way. This brings me back to the treasure trove I had found before. The stockpile contains several crowns, all except one of which have a ruby in the middle. The obvious choice for the one piece we are allowed to take according to the imp’s instructions is the crown with the white gem. This is the Crown of Maze Navigation that can be worn to reveal the golden path to victory.

[The maze without the Crown of Maze Navigation.]

[The same view with the crown on.]

Game of Death

After following the long, circuitous path, I found myself abruptly face to face with the evil mage Tyball who instantly started frying me with electric bolts and fireballs. I was able to back him into a corner of the arena to prevent him from casting spells and wailed on him with the Sword of Justice until he went down. Even though it sounds easy, I only had a sliver of HP left. Afterward, I was given a troubling speech:

 Uh-oh, looks like Tyball was responsible for kidnapping the princess, but meant to use her as a vessel for the pan-dimensional demon The Slasher of Veils! And now that I have killed him and released the princess, the hideous creature will soon escape and wreak havoc on Britania! It looks like we've really messed things up down here. I had no choice but to figure out a plan to get to level 8 and defeat the Slasher of Veils. I also took the opportunity to smash Tyball’s orb with an orbstone to restore magic abilities on level 7.

Thinking quickly, I took the keys on Tyball’s corpse and returned to the prison to access the doors that were still locked. Each of these contained a prisoner willing to help me find one piece of the three part key to access the sealed room where the Slasher was held. One simply gave me a key, another drew a map on the back of a picture of a guy named Tom, and the last simply left me with the instructions to deliver the password Folanae to Illomo at the mages’ college.

Using the provided key, I unlocked a door at the far northwest of level 7 to ascend through three floors of monsters finding the first part of the key at the top. I returned to level 5 to deliver the picture of Tom to the mourning mage Judy who shed a single tear that turned into the second part of the key. The last part of the key was very interesting. After delivering the phrase ‘Folanae’ to Illomo, he urged me to check the library for more information. At the library, I found a book titled ‘Folanae Fanlo’ which Illomo told me could be utilized at shrines. Speaking the word fanlo at the shrine yielded the final part of the key which I combined with the rest to complete my access to the Slasher of Veils. But how would I defeat him? Resting gave me one final vision from Garamon in which he told me his brother, Tyball, had killed him in a disagreement and left his bones unburied on level 8. If I could bury his bones properly, Garamon would help me think of a way to defeat the demon and save Britania once again.

[The last part of the key is mine!]

Packing my things carefully, I set off for level 8 and the final part of Ultima Underworld. I was almost done.

What’s next?

Sorry about the lack of analysis, but, aside from a few missteps, the game is mostly the same solid design throughout all eight floors. I hope to provide a short diary of what I did to complete each level, but it’s beginning to resemble a walkthrough. Hopefully I can scrape together some stuff for my final impressions.

As for now, I am trying to complete Dark Souls again and hope to finish some other games before I play the next one for the blog which I have already decided on. I won’t reveal it yet, but I am looking forward to this independently developed action game a lot. I also may try to finish Dishonored in the mean time since my wife bought it for Christmas and I’ve still only played thirty minutes of it. Anyway, join me next time for the conclusion of Ultima Underworld!

--Backlog Killer

(@backlogkiller)

46 - Getting Close Now

I thought things were winding down in Ultima Underworld, but they picked right back up again on Level 7 where I remain while writing this update. Things are continuing on schedule and I am looking forward to finally completing the game. I think I am almost finished and can see several story threads coming to an end. For now, though, we’ll stick to speaking about Level 6 and its consistent tone.

Fire in the Mountain

Level 6 of Ultima Underworld was the most consistent floor I had explored since Level 3. The entire area was made up of the remains of a mages’ college and laid out according to the now familiar trend of a central hub branching out into the cardinal directions. To the north and west were ruined libraries, dormitories, a shrine for leveling up, and an arena containing an indestructible golem. The east was a barren maze of fire caverns and monsters constructed by a rogue mage of the college who had since moved down to Level 7, and the southern area contained all remains of the mages’ college including students and teachers who pushed the plot of the story at hyper speed. What is really cool about the dungeon is that as I go lower and lower, more lava and cracks appear as if I were approaching the very center of the earth. The whole level gave the impression of constant earthquakes and lava seeping through the floor even though the engine couldn't demonstrate this mechanically.

[My map of Level 6.]

One NPC in the area was Dr. Owl who asked me to free his mute assistant from the clutches of the lizardmen. Since I had already accomplished this, the good doctor directed me to a loose tile in the abandoned meeting room to the west containing the Wine of Compassion, the fifth of the talismans. While in the area, I entered the golem’s arena to challenge him as the Knights and Trolls on level 4 had told me they used to do. Upon dismantling him easily with my high attack and sword skill, I was given yet ANOTHER of Cabirus’s talismans: TheShield of Valor.

[Haha. Not really, bub.]

Continuing this rapid series of discoveries, I returned to the dorms and helped a mage named Bronus deliver a book to his friend Morlock who was just down the hall. In return, I was given a hint about a secret door in an hourglass shaped room that led to the Book of Honesty. A little behind the curtains information here: I had already picked up the book when I searched the suspicious room and found the secret door without any hints. That makes seven out of eight talismans and only leaves out the trickiest one of all.

Woah, dude… woah.

I ran into another mage named Fyrgen who seemed to be stoned out of his gourd in what he described as a “lucid dream” after sniffing some incense. To do this myself, he said I only needed to light a cone over a torch and use it to attain my own visions. Having ignored the incense previously, I retraced my steps to pick up a few pieces so I could try it out.

I was rewarded with several visions of a cup bearing strange words on the side. I combined the three different syllable from these visions into one word: insahn. When used at a shrine, this mantra gives directions to a certain point on the level. I messed around with it for a while and eventually found the designated spot on Level 3 in a small section of the sewers I had explored before. After taking care of the resident gazer, I played the tune Eyesnack taught me on the flute to reveal the final talisman I needed to complete the game: the Cup ofWonder. And in case you are wondering, I did use a FAQ for this portion. I was completely stuck a little later and found out how to make this work. I am positive I would have discovered the correct location, but if I had not known to play the flute I think I would have gotten very frustrated. Hey, I’ve been good so far!

[Trippy stuff.]

With all eight talismans in tow or equipped, I proceeded down to Level 7 which turned out to be one of the most pace upsetting floors of the dungeon. Clued in by the mage Illomo that his friend, Seer Gurstang, had been captured by the evil mage Tyball, I prepared for the worst.

What’s next?

Level 7 should be finished soon. Tyball appears to be the one responsible for the kidnapping I have been blamed for. He also seems to be the brother of the strange ghost that appears when I sleep in the game, but I am not sure what it all means as I have yet to encounter Tyball. And what waits on Level 8? Find out when I get there!

Oh yeah, check out this Easter egg: a nod to legendary Origin Systems game designer Warren Spector I discovered while exploring some supply tunnels in the mages’ college. Apparently he was a pretty demanding boss!

Follow me on Twitter (@backlogkiller), leave comments to let me know what you think, and thanks for reading.

--Backlog Killer

45 - Gathering Steam

Level five of Ultima Underworld is definitely the most bizarre design I have experienced so far. Although the map and layout is symmetrical, the individual areas seem very disconnected and each has its own quirks. They all came together with some strange puzzles and even crazier references that were a completely surprise. This is a pretty quick one, so let’s dive right in.

Quick Advances

In the

last post

I had mentioned that I visited the tombs of Level 5 to retrieve the hilt for the sword of justice. I returned to explore the rest of the area from that starting point, but found it was actually cut off from the rest of the floor. Returning to level four, I found more stairs in the meeting hall that led to the central area of level five proper. Ripping my way through spiders and skeletons using my newly forged (and indestructible) Sword of Justice, I found myself in small room with one lever at its four corners and a pedestal in the middle. This is the site of the

Ring of Humility

that the knight had tipped me off about in return for the gem cutter. Using the correct combination, I found myself in possession of the ring and halfway to all eight of the talismans of Cabirus.

Continuing south I arrived in a large meeting room presumably used by the organization different societies attempting to create a utopia in the Abyss before it all fell apart after Cabirus’s death. Taken over by rodents and rubbish, the whole area was quite effective in conveying a feeling of ruin, decay, and tragic failure of an idealist’s plans. Sound familiar to anyone? (Bioshock)

Other than that, the other portions of the level surrounding the central hub were quite straightforward. The east was blocked and had a set of stairs heading down to level six, south led to a large cavern with a lava river and a sad mage pining for her lost boyfriend named Tom, and the west contained a shrine and an NPC named Anjor. Anjor is a wizard looking for eighty rock samples contained in the mines to the southwest to aid his magical studies. Unfortunately, the mines can only be accessed through a teleportation chamber the ghoul mine foreman knows about. I was not interested in carrying around so many rocks, but I retraced my steps to level four to return in the southeast portion of the map to talk to the ghouls.

[My map of level 5.]

Not quite the crypt keeper.

As a pleasant surprise, the ghouls were very helpful and formerly part of the larger society being formed in the Abyss. One ghoul, named Marrowsuck, converted some string and the dragon scales I had traded the trolls for into a set of dragon scale boots allowing me to walk on lava. I also spoke to a friendly ghoul named Eyesnack who taught me a song for a flute I had found in the meeting chamber that I am sure will come in handy later. After finally getting the combination to open the teleportation room for the mines, I stepped in and worried about how I would ferry all these rocks back to Anjor.

[All the other kooks with the dragon scale boots...]

What a weird surprise this turned out to be. The mines are laid out in a symmetrical grid with the required rock samples that actually have zero weight laid out as evenly spaced dots. Four ghosts flew around as I collected the dots in a giant and tonally

inconsistent Pac Man reference

. Even though this is not nearly as egregious as

Minecraft in Borderlands 2

or ‘lol bacon’ type jokes in other games, it really tore me out of the experience since the rest of the game was moderately serious.

Goofiness has always been part of the Ultima experience

, but this one was just so out of the blue it seemed strange. I imagine it was cool on release, though, and took quite a bit of quest scripting to get working. I’ll let it slide.

Returning the stones to Anjor, I was given a giant chunk of gold that I am not sure what to do with and sent on my way. I explored a few more corners that hadn’t been revealed, found a hidden door that connected to the tombs, and finally made my way down to level six.

[Anjor the mage: giver of Pac Man quests.]

Next Time

Next post I will get into my adventures on level six and my delight of how everything is coming together. I think I am actually getting really close to finishing the game (at the time of this post I am on level seven) and am looking forward to seeing its conclusion. Thanks for checking in even though this was a short level without much content besides the Pac Man reference. Level six has much more plot relevant action.

As always, follow me

@backlogkiller

on Twitter and leave any comments you have about your experiences with Ultima Underworld. It remains a joy to play and is definitely one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had while gaming for the blog. Every session reveals more influences it has had on game design solidifying its legendary status more and more for me, personally. I can’t wait to see what it offers up next!

--Backlog Killer

[I'll just be chilling in this lava with my new footwear.]