nickie on 28/5/2017 at 06:58
Thanks everyone. The OP is now updated and apologies for my dilatoriness.
Purgator on 28/5/2017 at 10:37
Try using shorter words, nickie. It may speed up the process.:)
nickie on 29/5/2017 at 18:40
Now why didn't I think of that.
The Dark One on 9/6/2017 at 01:26
Getting close to a milestone!
In Remembrance of Him (by RPGista) is one of those experimental missions that tries to do something different within the confines of the ordinary mission. Some succeed, some fail, and this kinda….flops.
The plot is simple: Not-Garrett is having some sweet quiet time with his lover when she kills the mood by bringing up her previous fiance. Not-Garrett ends up deciding to break into the man’s crypt and get the engagement ring back. This is all much more touching than I’m making it sound.
The mission starts with you in an alley, an invisible wall behind you. If you’re like me, you'll want to explore, jump around, see what lurks. Before long, a guard comes around. He does not care about the invisible wall, he just runs in to kill you. This is the first taste you get of the odd design choices.
In fairness, this is an atypical mission that tries to offer you more choice. There’s no loot goal, and the only restriction you have is not killing innocents. If you want to stealth your way through, you can. If you want to slaughter the resident gang, you can. If you want to play the stoic thief, only focused on the ring and not caring about the loot scattered around, you can. You do have choices, but choice that’s constantly made for you is banging your shin.
You cannot see a dang thing in this level. There about two, three segments in near pitch darkness, making what should be, for example, a good bit of parkour into an exercise in tedium. An endgame bit becomes nothing more than you fumbling in the dark if you put out all the candles. This could all be fixed with a lantern, but for some reason you don’t have one, which is why I’m going off on this so much, the fix is so simple.
It bugs me, because this is a good mission. It feels like you’re crawling around the backways of the city, the storytelling is good, and there’s even a nice shot of horror at the end, but the little things trip it up. Recommended, but with knowledge of the flaws.
Also, what was with that book in the priest’s office? IT was explained to me as a fragment from an actual book, but it felt like a bit of an author tract, since I can't see a priest having it in his office.
The Dark One on 12/6/2017 at 04:23
Alright then.
Sneak and Destroy (by SeriousToni) was made as part of a contest for first-timers (which you guys should totally do again *end soapbox moment*), and is a pretty accomplished effort.
The story is told in cutscene: Not-Garratt is tipped off by a mysterious woman that an assassin is after him and is staying in a nearby inn. Not-Garratt sets off to take care of the problem and make some fast cash on the way...once he figures out which inn the assassin is staying in.
Difficulty-wise, it’s not bad. The highest difficulty restricts your knock-outs and fails you if you’re seen, but getting around the guards is mostly simple. There’s one outside the second inn that can be a pain to get around (especially when leaving) and the second inn is a bit cramped, but nothing that can’t be overcome. The loot goal is a tad high, but carefully searching will help, there wasn’t anything hidden in like some bizarre location. You also have a plentiful supply of water arrows, which helps. That being said, the guards here are the types of guards to notice when loot is missing, which is sort of a rarity in the missions I’ve played. There’s not much to say graphics-wise, other than that the creator does a good job in keeping the inns looking distinct.
The main draw of this mission is the assassination. I admit, I like missions like these, and I’m not totally sure why. The set-up isn’t exactly Hitman level complex, but there is a bit of strategy involved in tracking down your target. It’s simple, but satisfying. That being said I would have liked a slightly more satisfying ending.
All in all, this is a solid mission, especially when you consider that it was the author’s first. Recommended.
Like I said in my last review, were at a milestone: This is, for now, the last of the single-author missions, creators who have only done one mission. Now, we can move on to the creators who have done multiple missions. Next up: stumpy.
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Also, a question for the masses: What do you think of my reviews so far? Anything I should improve, change, etc? Too much info, not enough? Anything you like/don't like, really. :P
fortuni on 12/6/2017 at 06:34
Your reviews are very well written, concise, informative and enjoyable to read but maybe you should find another name for our protagonist....Non-Garrett doesn't seem right. :cheeky:
The Dark One on 13/6/2017 at 21:40
fortuni: Heh, best I can come up with usually. :P I guess "Bob the Thief" isn't sufficient?
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Let's get this started, shall we?
Lord Dufford's (by stumpy) was meant as a test mission, and it shows. The plot is slightly different than your average Dark Mod fair: Not-Garrett is a dashing rogue who is hired to discover the fate of Lord Dufford. There's an official story of course (which our protagonist must also find for no good reason), but the real story is much more interesting...
The mission plops you off in a cityscape, and it's here that you'll look up and see the red line in the sky. That's meant to be there. This is the first of many interesting, if strange, design choices. Another odd design choice is that you'll encounter doors that you can't pick, you have the pick the actual lock instead, which caused me a fair bit of frustration on a first playthrough.
As mentioned, this was meant as a test mission, so there's a fair bit of....empty space. Quite a lot, actually. It almost reaches the point of unintentional horror, because there are a few guards still wandering about the place, and they have a tendency to spring on you when you get comfortable (I wonder how this mission would play without any background music?). It creates a fair bit of atmosphere, but like I said, it feels unintentional.
Difficulty-wise, it's up there. The loot is often grouped together in chunks, and they tend to off the beaten path. The rather confusing layout of the manor itself doesn't help with finding them, even on a second playthrough I still found myself getting lost. The main objective ends up being a clue hunt through the manor, which is a new idea and one stumpy does with skill, unless you don't know what a “stoop” is, anyway. One objective requires you to track down the official story of what happened to Lord Dufford, and requires you to find a very well-hidden notebook that you're given no reason to believe exists. It ends up falling on the tedious side of the scale at times.
And yet, I found myself enjoying it. It's certainly different, and there's an undercurrent of dark humor underlying the whole thing, like the creator has his tongue in cheek. The backstory is honestly semi-interesting as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if the creator has tried his hand at coming up with a fantasy setting for a novel or tabletop RPG. The tedious bits annoy, but unlike Deceptive Shadows, it's less of a constant battle. Recommended, but have patience.
The Dark One on 16/6/2017 at 03:15
Still on stumpy, and will be for two more reviews after this one.
Illusionist's Tower has been described by some as a “gimmick” mission, and while I can see their point I found it pretty fun on the whole. The plot is simple: Not-Garrett is angling to break into an old tower designed by a wizard. There have been the usual round of disappearances of others who have went in, but it’ll be fine. Right?
The mission almost reminds me of the Submachine series of room escape games, with multiple shifting locations that don’t seem to have much to do with each other. There’s very little in the way of stealth in this mission, barring avoiding some spiders. The difficulty varies, on the whole it’s pretty smooth sailing, barring one or two bits. One such bit is an annoying puzzle that I still don’t fully understand, even after doing it twice. I more or less did it through trial and error. The loot also has an issue, in that it’s possible to move on to the second part of the mission and not have enough loot to finish. You can go back through the level, but most won’t be willing to do that. It’s also fair to note that one area, an upside-down hallway, drags a tad too long.
And yet, I enjoyed the thing. I like missions that at least try something different, even if they falter doing it and I find myself not enjoying the end product. In fairness, the mission is a bit random until about halfway through, and I can see how that would irritate people. But I enjoyed the experience, dark humor and mild horror and all. Recommended, but with a dose of your milage may vary.
nickie on 18/6/2017 at 11:22
Last few added so up to date again. Thank you, The Dark One.
Yandros on 18/6/2017 at 18:31
Nickie's all caught up? It must be armageddon or something!
