Eschalon: Book II Review

RPGWatch has reviewed the indie RPG sequel Eschalon: Book II. They heap a lot of praise on the “unabashed ‘˜old skule’ rpg”, complimenting the combat and polish amongst other things.

Any half decent rpg should have a reasonable story and while Eschalon won’t be winning any awards for literature, the story is at least standard fare. Yes, you’re the only person who can save the world and you have to battle alone through hoards of monsters to do so while struggling to find the people who can offer advice and help. What else is new! At least it all hangs together, sort of, with an ending which prepares you for Book III. Some people will offer you quests, others just advice, while at least one will attack you almost immediately. It’s your general rpg structure with nothing really new or innovative, but I did warn you it’s ‘˜old skule’.

Quests are an important, even essential part of any rpg. In Book II, while following the main storyline and its associated quests, there are a multitude of optional side quests which not only make the game more fun, but which help to provide the necessary experience required to reach the higher levels. Without those levels, many of the main quest objectives will be far too difficult to accomplish. While many of the quests are straightforward, some are complex and others offer alternative solutions. In one fairly early quest, you are charged with confronting and killing a werewolf. However, when you find this alleged person, you discover that the quest giver might himself be the werewolf. Whom will you believe? At one point, while following a lead from one NPC, I met another who gave me a further quest. Following that one led me to still another one. Eventually, this series of quests gained me about three levels. I needed them. Some quests may not be able to be completed till later in the game and this is especially true with a couple of the Easter Eggs you’ll find. They are worth pursuing however. A final note on quests. With a few, there are very subtle hints available and several involve the solving of puzzles. All in all, a most enjoyable and diverse collection.