COMMENTS BY TERROR'S MARTYR
The Final Spire
It's of decent size and the combat's not bad, but I just wished those special
spells could have been used more often. The pacing isn't awful, the
graphics are good, and everything fits into place well enough. I'm
not sure if the plot really *moved* me, but I was having enough fun playing
the scenario as a whole that I didn't quite care-- which is a good thing.
Rating: 7.9
A Good Beginning
Solid, and incredibly short. Maybe not as short as Xerch'de, but shorter
than RoR. It's worth playing, albeit mostly because you won't be wasting
that much time. (Admittedly, sometimes the rewards are a bit hefty for what
little you actually DO in the scenario, but it's all livable.) Everything's
in order, and it makes for a quick but pleasant excursion.
Rating: 5.8
Rats Aplenty
I dunno if Smoo's trying so much for humor nowadays. This one seems
like more of a lighthearted adventure than a laugh-scenario. Still,
it's good enough at what it's attempting to do. It's got humorous moments,
but more importantly, Smoo's gameplay is slowly crawling up. The "stealth"
mission didn't exactly work out correctly, but it's experimental in a way
that most designers just haven't tried yet. The moving rat in the final
dungeon (I'll let you see it for yourself) was nice, but I couldn't say as
much about the floods of monsters or the "fetch the ancient items" bit.
It's got its flaws, but it's worth the playthrough.
Rating: 7.8
Where the Rivers Meet
I think this one deserves to advance by the skin of its teeth. It's
not BAD, and while it's not exceedingly good, it's okay. It does what
it's supposed to do. I still don't like the Senarti graphics, and the
plot confuses me still, but it does have some really imaginative bits at
times. The machinery gets to be a bit much, but it's never as much
as other designers will flood you with. Anyway, enough of my nattering.
Where the Rivers Meet is suitable for a finalist in my eyes, but I'll leave
it to the other judges with stronger opinions to determine the fate of this
one.
Rating: 6.5