"Brain candy in RPG form."

When I first picked up this game, it was mostly due to the Black Isle logo on it, which probably meant it wouldn't suck. Which it didn't. On the contrary, I was amazed by the lack of praise for this game. It is truly art in video game form.

Gameplay: 8/10

The game's weakest point, and by no means a bad one. Most of it is your typical 2e D&D stuff for the computer, such as battle mechanics, classes, stats and the like. There are a few variations, though.

First off, some characteristics for The Nameless One (Main character) depend on your in-game actions, instead of being set in stone. You start off as a level 3 True Neutral Fighter without weapon proficiencies, so you're basically classless in the beginning. Later on, you'll encounter trainers that let you change class to mage or thief, or increase your weapon proficiency as a fighter. And depending on your actions, The Nameless One's alignment might change. Being honest and helpful will net you the title of Lawful Good, whereas a lying scumbag will end up Chaotic Evil.

Secondly, the class variation is somewhat lacking. There are Fighters, Mages, Thieves and Priests. Two potential party members are not fighters, two are multiclassed fighters, and the remaining three are pure fighters. Fortunately, their combat styles will vary enough for avoiding fighting over who gets which weapons, since there is only one weapon wieldable by multiple characters that you might be in a pinch about who to give.

Also, a lot of the game is played through dialogue, which actually matters in PS: T, making non-combat stats worth investing in, particularly wisdom. A total of four battles are mandatory, and a bunch are necessary for completing sidequests, but everything else can be sorted out by talking, through stealth, or run away from.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are basically a zoomed-in version of Baldur's Gate's, with more environmental and character variety. Through-out the game, you will also encounter a number of FMVs, all very well done, too. Most notably, some higher-leveled spells will have amazing graphics, and some even have FMVs tied into their animation. The game's graphics are smooth and pleasant, but not spectacular.

Music: 8/10-10/10

The game's soundtrack is a beauty to behold (or whatever the hearing alternative to behold is). Almost every theme you encounter will set the mood for the area you're in, or the character you've just run into. From the dark Main Theme, to Grace's calm theme and the more chaotic battle themes, you'll get the idea what you're getting into before getting there. Except for Annah's theme, but you'll love it nonetheless.

Unfortunately, the music isn't varied very well. A lot of the game will take place on the streets of Sigil, which has the same theme in every district. And for every battle up 'till a certain point, the battle music will be the same, barring two dungeons, one being optional. After that point, every battle will use the exact same theme, until the final Dungeon. Non-battle themes do however have some variety outside of Sigil's. And the character themes will only play for party members before they join, and never after (except for Grace's), whereas a total of 5 NPCs have themes.

Overall, 10 for the music itself, but 8 for the lack of variety.

Setting: 10/10

The mood of the game will for the most part be rather dark, but the game truly gives you the feel of the areas. For example, the streets of the Hive (basically Sigil's slums) are littered with prostitutes (who can be hired, but no descriptions are given of the intercourse) and thugs who sometimes attack with no provocation, and always with provocation. In the richer areas of town, most people on the street will ignore you, and should you provoke them enough, they call the guards and run. In a marketplace, the yells of salesmen make out the background noise. And the music also contributes to the setting.

Characters: 10/10

Another shining aspect of the game is the characters you'll encounter. First off, your possible party members include a floating comic relief skull, who's a surprisingly efficient warrior, a gitzerai priest distanced from the chaos of his home plane, a surprisingly loyal tiefling, a chaste succubus, dedicated to order and good, a robotic clockwork construct attempting to cope with the concept of individuality, and so on. All of them have well-developed backgrounds and personality, and will develop depending on how your interact with them.

Also, you will encounter a variety of NPCs, some attempting to hinder you, others aiding you, and some needing help or indifferent towards you. There are very few generic NPCs, and aside from a couple of sets or two, all are encountered in highly crowded areas. Even some nameless NPCs will have their own dialogue sets and various stories to tell. Named NPCs may not be important to the plot, but most offer very interesting dialogue, should you be the reading happy kind of guy. Zombies, in particular, will have quite a bit of information to share, should you gain the ability to speak with the dead.

Plot NPCs are some of the most memorable NPCs in any game I've encountered. I could go on in lengths about every individual NPC (important or not) I can recall off the top of my head, but the list is several times longer than my attention span, and probably yours, too.

Story: 10/10

The game's story is truly the stuff of legends, and something you really have to experience for yourself to truly enjoy. The game starts in the Dustmen's Mortuary (a morgue run by death-worshippers), where the main character, The Nameless One, finds himself waking up on a corpse-carrying cart, and is immediately confronted by a floating skull. After a bit of conversation, he realizes that he has no idea who he is, where he is, or what's going on.

And so, he sets off to escape the Mortuary with his newfound friend Morte (the skull), having no idea what to do, other than the vague instructions tattooed on his back, reading that should he have no idea what's going on, he should read his journal (which was gone upon waking up), and to seek out a man named Pharod, should he still be confused. From there, the plot will develop and twist, and should be experienced by the player, not through a summary or review.

Replayability: 9/10

While the main plot never changes, there are various mutually exclusive decisions in the game, different stat distributions, classes, parties, and most notably, ways of handling major events in the game, which makes the game worth playing through again at least once, if only to see the differences with a(n) Good/Evil character compared to the other way around. The game carries alignment out very well, and provide your main character several reasons for various important parts of the plot, thus not forcing an evil character to do good for no reason, or vice versa.

Overall: 10/10

While the average of the above scores may not come to 10, the story and characters are by far the focus of the game, and are reason enough to consider it one of, if not the, best RPGs/games of all time. The game is somewhat similar to an excellent book or movie, only far more interactive.

Rent or buy?

Considering the age of the game, I believe that you will find it hard to rent anywhere, and should you find it sold somewhere, just as cheap to buy. Even should you have the option, I'd suggest buying it, because unless you're gonna play it fanatically, you'll most likely miss out on a lot.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/06