Intriguing Story, Quality voice acting, Immersive setting, Believable characters, Beautifull Backdrops, Alternate Paths.
This game like all others has good and bad points so I will be impartial in my remarks. Before I continue I will start of by saying that this is an "Adventure Game" with some action elements to spice things up - people expecting what is typically considered an "Action Adventure" (which tend to apply more emphasis on action) will be disappointed.
The Good:
Where to start, Lets just take each element listed in my Title heading to this review.
Firstly the story - This is one game that I can safely say had an original storyline, with various twists and turns and a whole host of possibilities. You never really feel safe, characters you endear and befriend could end up dead or missing when you least expect it. You may be betrayed, imprisoned, tortured. Due to the diverse and unpredictable nature of the game I found myself wanting to know more of this world and explore outside the walls of the city you reside the further the game progressed. To make matters worse you become infected with a virus early in the game which adds a sense of urgency - dawdle too much and you may turn into one of the very creatures that can destroy Spira and it's residents.
Secondly the Voice acting - I have to say that the multitude of characters and their respective voice actors are all top notch. Not once did I feel a character came across as inappropriate, dull or just plain silly. Some of these actors I can clearly recognise from other more modern games and are used by recognised Developers such as Bioware (who are famous for choosing good voice actors).
Thirdly the Setting - You spend the entire game in Spira (the city that serves as an enclave to the darkness). To some this may seem limited, and at the time I thought so as well. However as you explore the various locales it has to offer, you start to appreciate the different ways in which Kalisto (the developer) mixed the different scenes, added secret locations (many of which can easily be missed) and ensured that upon returning to previously visited areas circumstances, people and scenes change. Not many games do that as eloquently as has been achieved here. What all this means is that there is plenty of replay value.
Fourthly the characters - I have to say that in this game the Non-player characters Arkan (your protagonist) interacts with really feel real. The voice actors as previously mentioned are completely flawless, the body movements (for a 1997 game) were perfectly mapped onto real human motions and the varying actions both you and the story take can really affect what happens to many of them and how they then respond to you. If you let yourself get immersed in the story you will actually care what happens to them. Most games of this ilk rarely have that effect on me.
Fifthly the Backdrops - By todays standards the resolution of the Backgrounds would be considered under par, probably just under 640 x 480. Bear in mind the game was released in 1997, so this is understandable for the time. The quality of the designs however, I felt were very original and carefully drawn. They really fell in line with the story and characters to help bring to life the world that the story unfolds in.
Finally the diversity of the game - This game has alternate paths you can take which are determined by your actions, conversation choices, tone of voice, appearance and decisions you take throughout the adventure. As a result you can really end up missing out on half the possibilities in the game quite easily on your first attempt. The game also contains many secrets which are not limited to items alone. You can easily miss out on non essential areas which really add to the story and can offer much replay value. The combat is also another variant which was added to throw in another unpredictable element to the game. This helps add to the tension, but is not essential to get through the whole game, there are many incidents that can be resolved through brain rather than brawn.
Now the Negative aspects - Don't worry this is MUCH shorter (I do tend to ramble!!)
The Graphics - This game was released pre- direct3D. As a result the character models (although realistic in movement) do look v ugly, especially compared to anything else out there today. They look at times as though they are simply made from a mesh of linked polygons with some detail drawn on top. The characters are actually 3D which was a good step forward for it's time.
The Story - This game had the potential to be massive in size, due to lack of funding and an early release date (the usual excuses) they had to expose it to the market much shorter than it could have been. The story ends a little prematurely to say the least leaving you hoping for more. That is not to say it is a bad ending, simply a bit rushed considering the epic build up to the finale.
The combat - As I previously mentioned, the combat is an addition to the adventure element, so I was not expecting much in that regard. In fact the first time I played it I was pleasantly surprised. With hindsight now I would say that it's simplistic mechanism could have been further developed to attract a wider audience.
The marketing - this game was not very well marketed. It could have easily been a hit back then with the proper advertising and distribution. That would have almost certainly allowed Kalisto to make a sequel to enhance its defects and build on everything else they did right.
Thats it, anyone who is still reading this essay I wish to thank profusely for hanging in there. I know most people out there either haven't heard of this title or even be able to get it now. I just felt it deserved some praise since it was really Undervalued.