Regarded as a role playing game but with a lot more guesswork than stats management; yet this world is a beauty.
Graphics: 8 (vibrant and detailed world filled with pigeons / butt ugly non player characters)
Sounds: 8 (the musical scores are pleasant to hear)
Value: 8 (side quests could do more work however still enough content for your hard earned dollars)
Tilt: 7 (a good package overall however no manual and tool tips can make life a little more difficult than it should be)
The world of Venetica is a strange place indeed. Yes it's based in 16th century Venice and yes its run by a council and yes it has plenty of gondolas and pigeons however there is one thing that strikes a little odd. It's Death – let me explain further. Death is not your 'typical' being clad in black, wilding a sickle and taking names. It's actually a physical being that follows the orders from a group known as Corpus. Every generation this group will nominate the next successor of Death and the latest one was a mistake. They nominated a necromancer whose bend will for causing death throughout the world. And considering this necromancer has immortalised himself through death, only one person can stop him. This person happens to be the character you control and her name is Scarlett. And did I mentioned she also happen to be the daughter of Death?
So if you got all that down pat well good on you! I'm still struggling to understand this concept however Venetica can be described as a simplistic role-playing game. Germany got their hands first back in 2009 then eventually arrived in the US shores two years later. In hindsight the PC version actually done quite well considering the controls are fluent and no crashing in frames rates as shown in other ported games. This is because of the versatile ORGE graphics engine. To those who are not familiar with this, it powered great games like the Ankh series, Jack Keene and Nimbus. I'm sensing a raised eyebrow? Ok it also powered Torchlight…happy now?
Being a RPG is all about managing stats. And to gain more stats requires gaining XP and to get XP is to complete quests, killing mobs and exploration. I thought gaining XP through exploration is a nice touch as it encourages the player to immerse itself into the game instead of just killing. So every level you gain earns you points to increase physical / mental attributes and skills. However Scarlett needs to locate teachers to learn more skills and naturally teachers are not willing to give out their services without a small favour. A clever disposition as it makes the player earn their reward instead of just reading a book (so-to-speak).
Throughout her adventures Scarlett will meet people that can dictate the course of the adventure as there are some morale decisions to make. Not too in depth like Mass Effect for example however because of this sports two endings; the good and the bad. Actually there isn't a 'bad' ending yet more of a selfish ending. Also there are optional side quests to complete for more XP and hidden treasures to locate. I'm not sure of the expect length of game play time however when I completed the adventure it took me fifty one hours. Note that I'm a fan of the 'always walk' option (as it creates immersion) and try to explore every nook and cranny.
The game play is quite easy to master. Left click to attack or engage in a conversation and right to execute a combat move. Yet as noted above, combat moves can only be taught by teachers or by completing certain quests. And because there are plenty of skills to learn the tool bar can support up to eight shortcuts. In addition each weapon can have its own shortcuts therefore tailoring your attacking style to your liking so your hammer for example can have its own set of skills to say your sword. Also the higher your skill level in a weapon executes multiple combo moves. So if you manage to complete the sequence without an error a devastating blow with a cool slow-mo cut scene is your reward. Yet sadly though, this slow-mo cut scene randomly appears and sometimes by button smashing can be a much better option (especially on the faster weapons like the moonblade).
A nice feature though is when Scarlett enters the shadow world. This world is the land of the dead and as the game progresses Scarlett will be able to talk and even raise the dead to assist her. Also entering the shadow world is in effect making Scarlett invisible to enemies so it's like entering stealth mode. Note that this certainly doesn't last long yet can be improved by allocating points. However once Scarlett attacks or the time expires she enters back to the real world for all to see. Great stuff in the heat of battle as you can effectively sneak up on opponents and execute your best shot. Combine this with the surprise attack skill will cause serious damage to your enemies. Also there are some locations that only can be entered via this skill. These entrances known as the Nexus Portal can give you sweet treasures or paths to locations that cannot be normally access. A hint of when a Nexus Portal is near is by the low humming sound it emits.
Considering that the game also revolves around the moonblade, it's the only weapon that collects souls (?) from dead enemies. Collect enough of these enables you to cheat death (no pun intended) and the higher the level, the more 'deaths' your character can sustain. So in the beginning you can 'die' three times before the game ends and I'm not sure of the maximum. However near the end game content I was at level thirty two with eight deaths and believe me that is more than enough to pass through any encounters.
With all these nice features sadly though the loot gathering is almost unheard of. In the beginning you will need cash to alter the armour however as the game progresses there isn't any real need to buy anything else. Granted that some of the best weapons can only be bought however at that stage you certainly will have enough cash to sink a ship. Yet a nice feature though is that certain merchants will buy higher for certain items; for example ore is highly sort out in your home village. So if you are for some odd reason low on cash try and locate these merchants for easy money.
Travelling through Venice and its outskirts is a pretty sight to behold. Beautifully rendered with vibrant colours, it seems that the developers really went out of their way trying to bring Venice to life. Everything about Venice from the gondolas to the chapels to the backstreets and even the birds are a marvel indeed. Very detailed and alive this is one of the highlights of this game. For me this is the reason I use the 'always walk' option as it really drawn me into the game; yet the citizens of Venice is nothing more than butt ugly – seriously fugly with squashed faces and abnormal rolling eyes. Also the day and night cycle will have an effect to the game play as merchants go home during the night and the critters come out and play (and vice versa).
Musically the game is pleasant to listen to as it too creates the perfect tempo for any given situation. Ranging from the opening scene to combat to exploration I really enjoyed these compositions. The voice acting though is mediocre at best however it still gets the message across. I was hoping though a little more emotion especially in some of the more dramatic scenes can add more spice. Other sounds like the birds chirping, the waves crashing to the shore and so forth are all spot on.
Venetica is termed as a role playing game but with a lot more guesswork than stats management. A good blend of combat / exploration modes to break the ice it can be a little puzzling to start off with as there are no manuals or tool tips to speak of. So when allocating your stats there will be plenty of uncertainties especially if you are aiming to synergise your character. Does strength gives me more damage and also determines my hit ratio? How much mana I gain through my mental stat? And what about my DPS (damage per second)? And the list goes on and on. So depending upon what your outlook is for Venetica as a RPG, it does deliver an immersive world with a decent momentum to keep you going till the end.