6/13/2023 0 Comments Inbetween land reviewRoadwarden should be viewed as 80% writing, 20% gameplay. I could enthusiastically go into greater detail about how everything works together because I just love this game so much, but out of respect for your time, reader, I’d summarize all of this by saying the game’s systems and writing flow seamlessly well together. Want to bathe? That’ll be another thirty minutes. Want to eat a meal? That’ll be thirty minutes. This means traveling around-on horseback-takes time between destinations, so while zipping from one end of the peninsula to the other might get a specific quest completed faster, it’s not necessarily the most responsible use of one’s time. Remember, you have 40 days to accomplish your goals and learn as much as you can about the peninsula before you must return to Hovlavan. Cleanliness influences how much people trust you and can open up new dialogue options while time pulls the whole thing together. Managing a full or at least partially full stomach determines the quality of one’s sleep (which is also influenced by the quality of the bed), as well as the roadwarden’s ability to complete physical feats. Of course, if our hero loses all of his health, the game ends and you have to load a save, but this rarely comes into play health serves as more of a finger-wagging mechanic that forces you not to take too many stupid risks or maintain hunger. While choosing where to go and how to talk to people is deeply satisfying, feels personal to the player’s choice, and can earn bold responses from the people of this world, Roadwarden is also a resource management game. This is where the game design comes into play. Other finer details play a meaningful role in one’s ability to relate to others, such as the roadwarden’s religion, health state, cleanliness, inventory, and conversation style. Do I press someone further and strain my relationship with them, do I lie and sneak the rod in somewhere they won’t find it, or do I simply look for other opportunities to plant the rod? Maybe I give up on the quest altogether. So, figuring out how to accomplish this goal with each village or piece of wilderness became a unique challenge. For instance, I had to plant eight magical rods throughout the peninsula to assist a hermit mage, but not everyone’s cool with magic, hermits, or this particular person. While the act that the quests require may not be anything novel, it’s the details of the quests that matter. Quests range from playing messenger and delivery man to monster cleanup and explorer. Nevertheless, everyone feels important to this world, contributing to the lore and mythos making Roadwarden engrossing, including the humble shopkeepers and artisans. Had I chosen the other classes, I think my experience would have been about 80% the same: some people and scenarios would almost definitely play out differently with another class.Īlmost every character in this game feels distinct from the others, with some key players clearly receiving greater detail than others. I played as a fighter who starts with certain equipment and skills that assuredly helped me along the way. This is not your typical fantasy game, though it relies on some small tropes that the creator shapes with artistic license. You also determine what class you want to play, choosing from a fighter, spellcaster, or alchemist. ![]() What do you aspire toward? Riches? Starting a guild? To move beyond a tragic past? Just to do good? This goal may influence how you, the player, act, though I am not sure it affects how the other characters interact with you. Your character-the Roadwarden-decides a goal at the start of the game. ![]() My impression is that they act like well-respected third parties but are frequently regarded as outsiders. They carry messages, thwart bandits, conduct odd jobs, and get to know the land and its people. What is a roadwarden? A roadwarden is someone who acts as an ambassador for Hovlavan (“The City”) to those living humble lives in the wilderness. ![]() The game design, music, and visuals substantively contribute to this engrossing adventure, but let’s not kid ourselves: the writing is king. Roadwarden breathes life into this forgotten art by creating a vast world in a tiny peninsula. But what about the printed word? While several games still lean on text, few do this the same way as the genre thought dead: text-based RPGs. Games today do this in various ways, such as cutscenes, voice acting, and even full-motion capture for that cinematic feel. What sets video games apart from books is player agency-seamlessly weaving storytelling and game design. Now, though, we have this amazing new medium for storytelling called video games. Intuitively, that’s what writers have done for centuries. A talented writer might intuitively aspire to create a novel or even a series of novels.
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