Game control is a letdown, and probably the weakest point of the game. Moving and attacking is done with the left and right mouse buttons, in combination with a handful of hotkeys. The camera is completely manually controlled, never being able to lock on the way the character is facing. The minimap is one of the worst I’ve seen in an action-RPG, and it took me several hours of play to finally get used to it. My character also occasionally got stuck on the rest of the party, or on some of the landscape, sometimes resulting in an untimely death. In addition, it was easy for me to accidentally click on one of my party members, opening up a dialogue box in the heat of combat. During this time, I couldn’t do anything until I closed the box, but enemies could continue to pound on me. That’s not a happy thing.
Speaking of party members, players are able to use up to two AI-controlled characters as backup, to help fill in wherever needed. These guys can be given a simple script to follow, but they often get themselves quite dead by rushing to combat a bit too enthusiastically.
I never liked “corpse-running” after death, but Silverfall seems to think this is a good way to spend the time. Once killed, all of your possessions fall to the ground where you died, and you have to run back (naked) to collect the stuff, right back to the place that might have been a bit too tough for you, only this time you have the added challenge of not having any equipment. You can purchase “life insurance” to be resurrected with your equipment intact, but that increases in cost with each use.
Silverfall looks decent, with a cell-shaded graphic style. The magic effects are colorful and impressive, the monsters, a typical fantasy grab-bag, look good. The voice acting could use a little work, but there wasn’t all that much in place to mar the game. There are reports of numerous bugs and glitches throughout the game, although I must have been lucky enough not to come across anything noticeable myself. There are also a couple of multiplayer modes, including a PVP mode and a cooperative campaign mode, for those wanting a more social game.
I found myself somewhat enjoying Silverfall, but I’d never consider placing this title on anyone’s “to buy” list. There’s an interesting world to explore, if only the developers had put a little more time in adding the extra spark that makes players want to endlessly churn away at the hordes of enemies. Perhaps those who absolutely need more Diablo-esque hack n’ slash will find a few hours of entertainment here, but most would do well to give this one a pass, or at least wait until it hits the bargain bins.
D+
An action-RPG hack n’ slash that doesn’t live up to the promise of its setting. There is some fun to be had, but there are enough questionable moments to keep this from being a solid title.
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