Does the Flavor Change from the Beginning?

Remove all ads!

*very small spoilers*

I've finally decided to install my old copy of PS:T and give it a go. The problem is, I just can't get excited about the game. I get out of mortuary and start wandering around, talking to everyone as per the advice here, and I just get bored. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to reading and I do not expect this to be a hack n' slash or anything like that, but I just have no real idea what is going on (other than "find pharod") and can't get motivated to play.

So my question is, if I just tough it out for awhile, will things change? Does the whole game consist of walking around talking to people in town like that or does it grow in complexity and linearity?

Of course, no spoilers please. I'm just looking to know whether this is a big difference in the flavor of the game from the "fresh out of mortuary" stage.

 

It is a very old game by now. I have found inthe past that I havent been able to play very old games no matter how good they are supposed to be. PS:T though, start roleplaying or something, it is truly awesome.

 

Quite. Toward the end you may feel as though you're being pulled around by your nose. Of course, I didn't mind that too much since I desperately wanted to see what was next.

 

Although the game has been touted as "non-linear" in several reviews, that's not really true. While you can walk around the Hive, then later on most of Sigil, as much as you want, the points that progress the plot are laid out quite linearly. After Sigil the game literally forces you to "follow the yellow line". I have to admit that, while I usually dislike linear games, I didn't mind it that much in PST because the story is so good.

I agree that the beginning is slow, but every time I played the game (whether it was the first time or subsequent replays) I got drawn into it very quickly, almost from the first minute. I'm not sure what's preventing you from being drawn in. If it's not knowing what's going on, that slowly unfolds as the game progresses - though the pace really picks up after you find Pharod. I personally thought that not knowing what was going on was the major drive to keep playing, rather than something that put me off.

I do think the flavor of the game changes significantly between the different sections. The Hive has a particular mood to it, both in terms of the background story, the characters you meet and the quests. The next section of the game is very different, especially the Dead Nation (one of my favourite areas). I think it fair to say that if you still don't like the game when you get there, you probably won't have the patience to go all the way through.

 

It's basically impossible to create such a complex storyline as Planescape Torment in a non-linear manner. Usually what you get in freedom you sacrifice in plot and depth. There are some exceptions but this seems to be a very common rule with RPG's.

Planescape Torment starts very slow yes, I had some trouble with it myself to begin with. But the quality of dialogue and the depth of the story and characters is something I think is quite unequaled in gaming history. You should be prepared for quite a lot of reading, the game is very dialogue based, but once the plot gets going there is no turning back, atleast there wasn't for me.

EDIT: Also the beginning has a charm to it too, it's strange world you're in and you don't know who you are so the obvious beginning would be to establish yourself where you are and what you should be doing, and that is what the beginning after the mortuary is all about.

 

PS:T is kind of like a good novel. You have to put more in at the beginning, but once you get invested you get an incredible experience in return. I started PS:T 3 times, got bored, and uninstalled. However, I kept hearing such glowing praise, so the fourth time I refused to let myself quit. As the story started to unravel, I eventually got hooked, and before the end I was in awe of the game. Best story in a video/computer game. Period.

If you appreciate a good book, or even the story and dialog of a typical black isle game, you owe it to yourself to finish this game!