Enclave

"Enclave-Gather your Arms and Unite for Freedom!"

In your head you hear the foul hissing of another individual. You wake to find yourself in a prison cell, and a stalker as your neighbor. After a few moments of her belittling you, a sudden explosion blows a hole in the outer wall. After the dust clears, you see your once former assailant lying motionless on the floor, and just off to the right, you see what is potentially your freedom. Do you go? Or do you sit. The Enclave needs your help.

Control 8/10

The control scheme of Enclave doesn't provide much room for customization. There are only a couple of configurations to choose from, but if you're a fan of games like Morrowind or Baulder's Gate, then the controls will feel natural after a short time. The first person controls work fine, my only problem is with having to click down the right thumb stick to jump. However, combat and jumping, along with every thing else, go unhindered. I noticed that this game isn't a big fan of using pressured controls, i.e. barely squeezing or pressing a button for something to happen. You have to full on press the button down. Once you get this curve down, however, you will find that the scheme works surprisingly well for the game.

Sound 8/10

Standard fare for a title such as this. The music seems to be recycled a lot, but it is hardly noticeable due to the events that fold onscreen. Magic effects, as well as weapon effects sound incredible. The spoken dialog throughout the game is reasonable as well, as I found that the quality of acting was quite impressive for a title such as this. The music comes really only in two forms, battle and downtime. The game does a good job of letting you know when something is about to happen with the music and effects.

Graphics 9/10

The graphics engine in which this game has been based seems a bit dated. However, the graphics faithfully recreate that of the PC version very well. Character models look nice, and you can easily tell the difference between the armors and weapons each character has. The enemies also have their special flair. I was easily able to tell what type of enemy each one I encountered was, and how I was able to go about killing them. The HUD works nicely too, allowing you access to health, magic, and weapon types. It also displays the name of enemies if the enemy is close enough for your character to get a bead on them. A nice feature that should be emulated in future games of this genre. The only thing I didn't like about the bar energy is that you never really know how many HP you or enemies have, even though when damaged large numbers appear to tell you how much damage has been dealt.

Fun Factor 10/10

This game is incredibly fun. All of the events in the game are scripted, so the whole free form RPG is out in this game. However, I found myself replaying levels that I beat simply to explore and recover missing gold I had missed. Getting gold in the game not only increases funds for upgrades, but there may be surprises involved if you find all of the allotted gold in each level. ^_^ Enclave's replay value is high, and it would make a fine addition to any RPG fan's collection.

Overall 8/10

Enclave's charm as an underdog RPG title gives it a bonus above many platformers out there. It's a welcome wave amongst a sea of cookie cutter titles. While there are games like Enclave available, you'll be hard pressed to find one that does it as good as Enclave. Set up shop, unload, and fall into the world of Enclave. You may never leave.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/04