Planescape: Torment is universally recognized as one of the best video games ever written, and a must-play for any fan of story-focused RPGs. Does Tides of Numenera live up to the legacy of its spiritual predecessor?
Nope. Not even a little bit.
For a story so focused on developing an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue, I found the central characters to be flat and shallow. I kept waiting for a huge reveal to happen, changing everything I knew about the story, but it never came. The game ends with a pointless final choice and a groanworthy Un-Twist, where we learn the antagonist has the lamest and most predictable motive imaginable.
In contrast to Planescape, which wholeheartedly embraces a brilliant conclusion of damnation, redemption, and the nature of man, Tides of Numerera tries to excuse its failure to actually say much of anything by shrugging its shoulders and saying "Gosh, I just don't know, Player. I guess you decide what everything means." Well guess what? You don't need to spend 20 hours and $60 to get that experience. You can stare at a wall and do that for free. Your companions aren't exactly bad, but they simply don't do anything to make them very likable or memorable.
Vaguely philosophical buzzwords and Ice Cream Koans abound. Nearly every single NPC has some weird, wacky, magical, fantastic, or mysterious quirk. This might sound interesting, but I imagine I would find it less charming and more frustrating in a second playthrough, when it becomes clear how many of these characters prompt intriguing questions that aren't given good answers.
This is a very small and short game, with no real exploration and no dungeons, and problems continually appear that give the impression of a game that wasn't as well thought-out as it needed to be. The combat system is insanely over-complicated for a game that really doesn't have much combat, not to mention very poorly explained. The class system is frustratingly over-restrictive. (Don't want to play the 'Me see problem, me punch problem' warrior class? Enjoy having all your weapon skills permanently locked.) Lots of loading screens and a yucky frame rate despite the simple graphics. Ho-hum art and environments that - despite all the overflowing weirdness and wackiness - make the world of Numenera a rather uninspired one that I don't have any desire to revisit.
Yes, Tides of Numenera does have moments of strong dialogue, sympathetic characters, and satisfying conclusions to conflicts. But the same can be said for pretty much any RPG. When you take away all the weirdness and wackiness, you're left with an experience that just isn't that smart, isn't that pretty, and isn't that fun. Unless you're absolutely desperate for an RPG and have no other options, skip it.
Not a Drop of Planescape's Brilliance
Planescape: Torment is universally recognized as one of the best video games ever written, and a must-play for any fan of story-focused RPGs. Does Tides of Numenera live up to the legacy of its spiritual predecessor?
Nope. Not even a little bit.
For a story so focused on developing an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue, I found the central characters to be flat and shallow. I kept waiting for a huge reveal to happen, changing everything I knew about the story, but it never came. The game ends with a pointless final choice and a groanworthy Un-Twist, where we learn the antagonist has the lamest and most predictable motive imaginable.
In contrast to Planescape, which wholeheartedly embraces a brilliant conclusion of damnation, redemption, and the nature of man, Tides of Numerera tries to excuse its failure to actually say much of anything by shrugging its shoulders and saying "Gosh, I just don't know, Player. I guess you decide what everything means." Well guess what? You don't need to spend 20 hours and $60 to get that experience. You can stare at a wall and do that for free. Your companions aren't exactly bad, but they simply don't do anything to make them very likable or memorable.
Vaguely philosophical buzzwords and Ice Cream Koans abound. Nearly every single NPC has some weird, wacky, magical, fantastic, or mysterious quirk. This might sound interesting, but I imagine I would find it less charming and more frustrating in a second playthrough, when it becomes clear how many of these characters prompt intriguing questions that aren't given good answers.
This is a very small and short game, with no real exploration and no dungeons, and problems continually appear that give the impression of a game that wasn't as well thought-out as it needed to be. The combat system is insanely over-complicated for a game that really doesn't have much combat, not to mention very poorly explained. The class system is frustratingly over-restrictive. (Don't want to play the 'Me see problem, me punch problem' warrior class? Enjoy having all your weapon skills permanently locked.) Lots of loading screens and a yucky frame rate despite the simple graphics. Ho-hum art and environments that - despite all the overflowing weirdness and wackiness - make the world of Numenera a rather uninspired one that I don't have any desire to revisit.
Yes, Tides of Numenera does have moments of strong dialogue, sympathetic characters, and satisfying conclusions to conflicts. But the same can be said for pretty much any RPG. When you take away all the weirdness and wackiness, you're left with an experience that just isn't that smart, isn't that pretty, and isn't that fun. Unless you're absolutely desperate for an RPG and have no other options, skip it.