Geneforge Review
Val Sucher, 2003-10-29

I got interested in the games by Spiderweb Software after I purchased and played Avernum 2. I was impressed enough by the old-school roleplaying experience from that game to try out another release from this small independant developer. The next game I choose was Geneforge. Geneforge is an isometric 2D single-player roleplaying game with a unique and interesting story to tell

You are a Shaper. A member of a group of powerful magic users with the amazing ability to create life by the sheer force of will. While on your way to a training facility you're attacked and barely manage to make your way to a small island. This isn't just any island though. This is Sucia island and it is Barred. Something terrible happened here and the Shapers who were here left in a hurry. No one has been allowed to come back. So, now you are cut off and in a place forbidden by your people. How will an inexperienced apprentice like you survive? What awaits you here? How will you get back home?

This is the beginning of Geneforge. Interested yet?

The Interface
Geneforge is primarily a mouse driven game with your standard keyboard shortcuts. You'll find the interface similar to games like the early Ultimas. Combat is turn-based, with you, your creations and your enemies having set numbers of action points to spend in a round. In combat you can attack with melee or ranged weapons, use magic, or simply let your creations take care of problems which are beneath you. Your enemies are fairly smart. They'll run if badly injuried and call for help when they start to lose. So be smart on how you choose to approach a fight.

Your skills directly effect how you will approach combat, puzzles and NPCs. With a high score in Leadership you can talk your way out of a fight (and still earn experience), lie convincingly, or even convince someone to join your cause. You can choose to be a brute fighter, a subtle magic user, or simply create creatures that fight for you. Creating a creature is called "shaping". You shape a lifeform from what is called "essence". You'll have a certain amount of essence that you can use. You can then either make many weak creatures to aid you or one large powerful creature. Once your essence is spent you cannot make more creatures. You do have the option of reabsorbing your creations to regain your essence to make new ones. Or, as you gain in experience so will your older creations. They become more powerful, just like you.

The Classes
You'll have three main classes to choose from. Each has their own strengths.

Guardians are the protectors of the Shapers. They excel at the fighting arts, but are still decent at creating creatures to serve them. They have poor magical skills though and advance slowly in that area.

Agents also protect the Shapers, but they are more subtle. As the game describes them: if you wrong the Shapers, then the Guardians will come for you in the day while the Agents will come in the night. They do the dirty work. This class excels in magic and has decent fighting skills. However, their shaping skills have suffered as a result.

Then there's the Shaper class. While physically weak, this class' ability to create minions should not be underestimated. While the Shaper's numerous creations tear his enemies to pieces, he can simply stand back and use his average magical skills to mop up what his creations don't finish.

Choose Wisely
Your choices in the game will also effect what happens. Something as simple as sparing a perceived enemy can come back to haunt you and bless you. For different factions will view your actions from their own points of view. Even what you say to one individual NPC will travel to the ears of others. This will effect how warmly or coldly you are then greeted by some NPCs. The game has multiple endings depending on who you choose to aid or not aid. You can simply work entirely for yourself if you do not wish to be swayed by anyone's cause. Be a hero or a villain, either way, you can still win. And the rewards can be just as rich.

The Factions
There are three primary factions that you can choose to aid or work against. Or you can even play all three of them against one another. Without the guidance of the Shapers on this island, most of the creations have gone rogue. They no longer recognize the Shapers as their masters. Some of the smartest creations are the Serviles. These are the creatures that form the three main factions.

The Awakened view themselves as equals of the Shapers. They will fight for their rights, but simply wish to co-exist with their former masters. They do not wish to be controlled, but still respect the Shapers as their creators.

The Obeyers view the Shapers as gods. A Shaper's orders are to never be questioned. However, if you mention to other serviles that they should be free, then these serviles may not view you as a true Shaper. In which case, they will not do as you say. They currently follow what they believe their masters would have wanted them to do.

Then there's the Takers. Some of these violent serviles would rather spit in your face than be forced to converse with you. They were forced to live in hostile conditions and feel abandoned by their former masters. They want their freedom and they'll do whatever is necessary to obtain it. Even bloody conflict.

All of these factions have their own towns and territories. They spy on and plot against each other. It would be easy to tip the balance in any way you choose. There are also serviles who don't follow any faction and are generally unbiased towards you. You'll also find other people on this island. Foreigners who got shipwrecked here. You can choose to aid or work against them as well. One important note, if you kill an important leader of any faction, expect them to be out for your head on a pike. No amount of money or shiny things will buy you forgiveness. So be careful in choosing your enemies.

The Downs
There are some bad points that I feel are necessary to point out. Sadly, shops will not restock. They run out of money and you can't sell off excess equipment to buy that new shiny sword. Come on, surely my character isn't the only person this shopkeeper deals with?

Leadership won't get you out of every fight either. It only works with intelligent creatures. Gragh the Battle Alpha won't be impressed with your dissertation on the benefits of friendship while he's bashing your head in.

You: "Let's just be frien-arrgh!
*sickening wet thumping sound*
Gragh the Battle Alpha: "Smash good!"

While in combat it seems you can't use every action point. After making a melee attack, you can't use your remaining three action points to move out of the way. This can be a problem when you get surrounded. Also, while the regular pathfinding is great, you'll sometimes have to babystep your character around a corner or obstacle to reach an opponent to attack. Minor annoyances, but they happen often enough to bug you. The experience system can also under-reward you for a hard won fight. If your fighting creatures that are very weak to the point where one hit kills them instantly with your weakest weapon, then you get little or no experience. However, if there are a lot of them in the area, then they can quickly gang up on you and pepper you and your creations to death.

The Graphics
The graphics in the game a far below the standards of today. However, I found them enjoyable in a nostalgic sort of way. The colors are bright and vibrant. On the whole, they are comparable to the graphics of Ultima 6. Creatures are unique in how they look although their animation is limited. The world is fairly static. So don't expect fireballs to leave holes in the ground. The game recommends changing your resolution to 800x600 and I agree. Anything more and you won't see what's going on very well. The game will remember to switch the resolution for you when entering and exiting the game.

When you enter new areas, useful information will often pop up on the screen. Even while walking through an area you can get a pop-up that describes for you what the limited engine cannot. Some may find that bothersome, but if you don't mind a little reading the colorful and descriptive text can be enjoyable and immersive in the same way that a good novel is.

But, sadly, as a whole the graphics are fairly unremarkable.

Music
Music in the game is close to non-existant. Aside from the beginning theme song, don't expect much. The sound effects are limited to mostly combat and some environmental sounds. Don't expect any moving ballads that inspire you to bash the bad guy's head in. You'll have to make up your own. Or just find some nice classical music to play in the background. Luckily the game doesn't take up much memory and you can play Winamp easily in the background.

The Game World
The settling of the game is unique and fresh. A strange mix of sci-fi and fantasy that serve up a unique playing experience. If you're tired of the same old elves, trolls and wizards in pointy hats, then you just might want to try out Geneforge. The world is fleshed out and even simple things like lock picks are replaced by "living tools", creatures that can work on mechanical devices like locks and traps. The society of the Shapers is a strange cross of scientific research using magic as their tool to obtain results. So, you'll see the evidence of past and advanced technologies of the Shapers in the game. Discovering the secrets behind this barred island can lead to great power. The game is also highly replayable with different characters. Simply because different locations favor different classes. This creates multiple paths to the same goals.

Conclusion
Overall, I'd highly recommend Geneforge for old timers who miss the glory days of the classic role-playing games, or those curious to find out what they missed. Either way, the demo presents a goodly portion of the game for your perusal. No crashes and smooth gameplay relieve you of the annoyance of waiting for a patch. Geneforge is an indepentally developed game by one individual. At $25, it's worth a look.