Depths of Peril
Fooling you with AI
Fights can be frustrating affairs at times, with the landscape hiding enemies and the fixed rate of attack.
These groups are one's main opponents, outside of the list of beasts that patrol the lands. The barbarian horde may be content with all living in the same town but they're split into several factions (i.e. the covenants); each is lead by a character similar to yours, who travel the land doing exactly the same as yourself: looting, killing, maiming... the usual stuff for an everyday warrior. This is essentially Depth of Peril's USP (unique selling point): a single player game that acts like it's a multiplayer one. Naturally though, it's quite limited in scope, when compared to what can be achieved in the likes of World of Warcraft but it works quite well during the opening stages of the gameplay; probably because the NPCs already "know" what to do, whilst one learns the ropes. Or rather, it would do if it wasn't for the fact that the promoted strategy elements get in the way of it all. One can trade with the other covenants, or make demands, alliances and so on - however, in this preview version, there was little in the way of any diplomacy from the opponents. They just make incessant demands that, to begin with, you're just in no position to agree to (even if you so desired); this invariably harms relations, until it ultimately leads to conflict and defeat.
To my mind, this is where Soldak have missed a golden opportunity, in terms of what could really be achieved with the strategy elements. Imagine a huge city, where one could build up troops, build defences around one's covenant hall and prepare for attack. Now imagine a town that takes 30 seconds to cross, a limited number of defenders that can be hired or recruited and no means of stopping the enemy from simply teleporting directly into your hall. Guess which one is Depths of Peril? There is still time and scope for Soldak to work on how the covenants work with and against each other, and this is something that I believe they should seriously concentrate on - there definitely needs to be a gentler introduction to the pace of matters. Along with this, there is another facet of the game which should be good, but isn't, and that's the storyline and overall quests. Dealing with the former first, it's not that there is no story within the game - it's there, hidden away in tomes around the game world - but one is typically left with a simple question: "So what happens if I defeat all the other covenants?" Yes, you're a barbarian and your family motto is "iuguolo nex trucido" but the sense of purpose to it all is stifled by the sheer hectic nature of the game; there's barely any time to just sit back, think and plan. The quests share the same limited mentality as the barbarian hordes - kill this, kill that, rescue him but kill them first. Even the obligatory "collect 10 golden numpties" tasks involve endless battles with spawning monsters.
The fighting wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for a design choice that frequently frustrates: to initiate combat, one simple clicks on a monster. Your character then moves off after the target and then proceeds to swing a weapon or cast a spell at a fixed rate. No amount of additional left-button action will hurry matters along and woe betide the barbarian who favours two handed arms! The actual speed of the attack is constant; what varies is the time between each assault and weapons that require both hands involve such lengthy periods of time between successive strikes that enemies soon overwhelm you. Each map area is so small that one soon passes from relatively easy battles to sound thrashings far too quickly; other than an ungraded health bar, there is no instant way of ascertaining whether an enemy is too easy or hard either. There is potentially an enjoyable game underneath the basic looks, frantic action and claustrophobic world, but right now, it just gives one a headache. I really wanted to like Depths of Peril, despite the graphics; I, like many others in the office, are big fans of old-school gaming and on paper, the game has much to offer. Soldak Entertainment is also run by a lovely bunch of people, with very modest ambitions, and they're trying hard to add a modern twist to something old. But much will depend on how much they can or are willing to address between the version we tested and the final release to the paying public. There is definitely some kind of a market for this style of gaming but consumers will only forgive so many issues, regardless of the price. We'll keep an eye on Depths of Peril and see how it develops over time.
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