Eschalon: Book I

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 61
  3. Negative: 9 out of 61

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  1. LucidDream
    Sep 7, 2013
    6
    I usually like old-school turn-based RPG's, in fact it is probably my favourite genre. Since this game is exactly that, I expected to like it. Unfortunately I was rather disappointed. The graphics of the game are not really all that good by modern standards. The music on the other hand I found to be quite good and the sound effects are adequate. One good thing about the game is that it canI usually like old-school turn-based RPG's, in fact it is probably my favourite genre. Since this game is exactly that, I expected to like it. Unfortunately I was rather disappointed. The graphics of the game are not really all that good by modern standards. The music on the other hand I found to be quite good and the sound effects are adequate. One good thing about the game is that it can be quite fast paced despite being turn-based, thanks to the fact that enemies move at the same time as you move. This means that you can take as much time as you want but you can also play as fast as you want.

    The main problem with the game is related to battle design and level of challenge. A really good RPG will every now and again throw fights at you that are so hard that you can only beat them by making good use of your characters strengths and your enemies weaknesses and finding a good strategy (tricking enemies to clump together and then throwing a well placed fireball is a classic) while also having easier sections to let you feel like you are making fast enough progress. In Eschalon you only ever control one character which reduces the amount of possible choices you can make in combat and therefore finding a good strategy plays a much smaller role than in games where you control multiple characters. Also, it is generally very hard or impossible to beat all the enemies in an area at the same time, but you also don't have to, you can take some of them out, run away, rest and come back later (or you can use a lot of potions but these are expensive so this may not be the best option). You never have to face that challenging fight that really tests your skills (and as I said the lack of possible choices during combat means skill isn't that relevant anyway), instead the game has you fighting a few enemies, resting, fighting a few more and so on. This quickly gets old and is not all that fun since it requires more patience than skill.

    The story of the game is nothing to special, in fact I don't remember much of anything of it. The main motivation to keep playing is to complete quests, and thankfully there are a fair amount of optional quests as there should be in an RPG, and level up yout character. Character creation is the best aspect of the game, the game really let's you create the chacter you want, including giving your character a religion (or no religion or undecided about religion) an origin (i.e. where you grew up) and of course a class, skills and attributes such as strength, perception, etc. and all these things make a difference. This makes leveling up your character more fun than it would otherwise have been and keeps the game just about motivating enough that I found it worth playing to the end. There are much better games in the genre though, so I would only recommend this to hardcore turn-based RPG gamers who are starved for another game in the genre to sink their teeth into.    … Expand
  2. KarelK.
    Feb 10, 2008
    7
    The game has a good fooling feeling about it. The turn to base combat feels fluent, the skill system remains interesting throughout most of the game and the story is entertaining. Most of the locations in the game were fun as well, with little puzzles and fun sitequests. What I liked less about this game was that it was too easy, at least, for a mage. No creature moves faster than your The game has a good fooling feeling about it. The turn to base combat feels fluent, the skill system remains interesting throughout most of the game and the story is entertaining. Most of the locations in the game were fun as well, with little puzzles and fun sitequests. What I liked less about this game was that it was too easy, at least, for a mage. No creature moves faster than your character, so as mage the pattern of killing critters becomes a bit boring. That is, shoot some fire darts, run away, and repeat. All in all, definitely an entertaining game, but a too easy for the old-school rpg that the game strives to be. Due to this, the game looses some of its appeal later on in the game.… Expand
  3. Cricky
    Aug 12, 2014
    7
    I enjoyed this game. The story was interesting and some of the game mechanics were new to me. Though if you enjoy fancy graphics this isn't for you. The main failing, as already well described in LucidDream's review, is the issue with fights. With one character there aren't many tactics you can employ and you do find yourself resting a lot of the time to regain health and mana. ButI enjoyed this game. The story was interesting and some of the game mechanics were new to me. Though if you enjoy fancy graphics this isn't for you. The main failing, as already well described in LucidDream's review, is the issue with fights. With one character there aren't many tactics you can employ and you do find yourself resting a lot of the time to regain health and mana. But apart from that a decent enough game. Hopefully this issue will be rectified in Book 2.… Expand
  4. StaticSpine
    Jan 10, 2015
    7
    A somewhat good old-school CRPG with a bunch of quirks for fans of 2D isometric graphics, turn-based combat systems and focus on exploration. Boring and tedious at times, but still appealing.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. PC Format
    73
    The production values are far higher than many rivals, and anyone looking back fondly on the RPGs of yesteryear will soon be sucked in. [Feb 2008, p.115]
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    84
    A very nice surprise. In this age of good looking, but simplistic and short, easy games a touch of classic role-playing was really refreshing. I hope to see the remaining Books, too. [Jan 2008]
  3. CPUGamer
    50
    Despite the many warts, Eschalon is not without charm, as this game would have been an award-winning achievement in 1986 or so. Everything is done well, for that era, but, much like steam locomotives, I’m just not convinced this style really works nowadays.
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