"One of the best video game stories ever, and a fun game"

Planescape: Torment is hands-down one of the best RPGs ever created. The art sets the dark tone of the game (a good example is the opening screen of the game, where you awaken on a bloody, metal slab in a building called the Mortuary), the music enhances the gloomy atmosphere, all hammering home the desperation and anguish one would face being in the main character's position.

Story: 10/10

This is definitely the game's strong point. Planescape: Torment centers around a horribly scarred and tattooed man known only as The Nameless One. He awakes with no memory of who he is or what he is doing there. There are many subplots, but the main point of the game is finding out who you are and why you exist. It is refreshing to play a game for once in which you are not "humanity's only hope". However, if you dislike reading, this game might put you off a bit. The story is told through text, and a lot of it. In fact, the developers of the game estimated the game's dialog to be the equivalent of an edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. However, if if the thought of reading so much in a video game makes you groan, play it anyway. You'll enjoy it.

The only negative thing I have to say about the story is that about halfway through the game, it seems to lose its direction a bit. There are a few times when quests aren't explained very well, leading to some wandering around talking to random people, but it isn't a big issue.

Gameplay: 9/10

This game isn't just about a great story, it also plays very well. The combat is real-time (in the style of Knights of the Old Republic), yet fighting enemies is not the best way to achieve experience points towards leveling in this game. Though boss fights do dole out significant EXP, most of your experience points will be gained through many of the game's side-quests. This makes leveling, in my opinion, much more fun than the boring hack-and-slash repetition to achieve higher levels. The side-quests, while being mostly the traditional 'go here, get this, bring it to me' and 'go kill this guy' types of quests, are actually quite well written.

The alignment system is fun and lets you carry out quests in different ways depending on what type of character you are going for, however some things will alter your alignment for seemingly no reason. For example, if you play with a toy and make sword noises with it, you become more chaotic. This will mean that sometimes, even though you help everyone that you meet and ask for no reward, you'll still find yourself hovering just above neutral. This isn't a major issue, as alignment isn't that important, it is just a minor nuisance.

Graphics: 8/10

This is a tough section to grade, considering the game was released in 1999 and this review was written midway through 2006. Without bashing the obviously dated graphics, the visuals lend heavily to the dark tone of the game. The colors are dull and lifeless, conveying just the right emotions. There are some graphical glitches, mainly in spellcasting, though that may just be on my computer.

Sound/Music: 9/10

The sounds, though few and far between, are great. As you walk by merchants, you'll hear them yelling out to you to buy their wares. The voice acting is excellent. The Nameless One's voice is deep and raspy, fitting one who has just risen from the dead. With such good voice talent, it really makes you wish that it was utilized more often.

The music is also great. Like the game's story, the music is more subdued instead of dramatic, though there is also not many different musical scores.

Play Time/Replayability: 8/10

This was also a hard section to grade. While I thoroughly enjoyed the game, it was over too fast. However, for an RPG, the replayability is relatively high. As soon as I beat the game the first time, I went back and started a new character, trying with different attributes. To give you a rough idea of how long the game is, playing through the game the second time and doing most of the side-quests took me about 15-20 hours. Not bad, but as good as the game is, it really makes you want more.

Final Score: 10/10

This game is just awesome. It is among my favorite games of all time. The game may be getting old and gray, but that doesn't change the fact that this is simply a great game and the story will keep you enthralled to the very end.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/06