[unmei]

Note: This long rambling post is dedicated to a game. Written solely out of my wish to express my feeligs and thoughts on the matter. In other words: I suggest you just skip it. It's not like it would make any sense anyway...

For I have walked the planes...

It all started when I decided to find some old simple game just to have a distraction. Little did I know that it would end up as so much more than this. I been browsin' to find something suitable and stumbled upon this. It's not exactly the sort of stuff I usually play, but it the excited comments and mainly 'From the creators of Fallout' got me intrigued. And it went from there...

What can change the nature of a man?..

They call it: "The RPG of all RPGs". And you can see damn well why. —Never mind it was released in the good old 1999.— I've seen people in their thirties who said the game changed their lives. Carlos Castaneda meets Milorad Pavic. — What? I'm a closet Fantasy fan. — It is more of an interactive novel than a game, really. It's one of those games that didn't sell that well, but in the end are considered an absolute classic of its genre. ('Too much plot, too little action' as some say, but it's no surprise, most people are just too thick and shallow to appreciate it) But yeah, I did feel pretty thick at the early stages of the game and even now, having finished, I feel ignorant - there are still so many things I failed to undersand. And then there are still quite a few bugs in it, unfortunately...

And here I thought Fallout 2 was the peak of ingenuity...


I am utterly fascinated by this universe, I mean this multiverse. I bow down to its creators. Hell, I even went as far as to dl the OST (it's unofficial and was released in Poland), the novel (which is just edited original game sсript) and what's more - 23 books (which turned out to be those D&D RPG guides) and I'm hoping to read at least some of them. No, really, they're impressive. When I look at them I think Tolkien's overrated. As I continued my research, I found out the first book dealing with the planes was released as early as 1987. I also read some of the comments by the creators - scriptwriters, designers. I love seeing people who are passionate about what they do.

It's more than just a game, it's living through your character. Truly playing for the sake of playing. The main pont is not to finish it as fast as possible or gaining max experience points, but to explore this world and the creatures living within. This is also a self-exploration, not only the character's, but also your own. I goes to the extent of identifying yourself with your hero and developing a strong feeling of empathy. Towards the end, watcing my companions die, I really felt like crying.

Speaking of the Alignment ... The first time round I didn't manage to make the Nameless One Lawful Good, he still remained Neutral. Which is, I think, is a kind of psychology test for the player. I did manage it the second time though, but the funny thing is, by that time I decided it's kinda lame. The same with the Factions. I was quite impressed — these fictional groups make far more sense than real religious and political powers - The Sensates, The Godsmen, The Anarchists - so much it's hard to choose one. But I am most fond of the Incarnations. In the end there wasn't a Bad one, only Good, Practical and Paranoid. At first I found them pretty random, but after a moment of great emotional distress I realised they are actually well justified, in my own book.

Wandering many planes, acts of cruelty and kindness, chaos and law. One constant was the symbol of torment on his body, which drew other tormented souls to him. And many to their doom as well, no doubt.


Another point is that the game is really pretty damn creepy. But strangely, in the view of my recent mental state, it was one of the reasons why I was drawn to it. Its dark mysterious imagery suits me just fine at the moment. —Walking the Mortuary or the Catacombs or UnderSigil really freaked me out sometimes.— and the music adds a lot to the effect.

There aren't enough words to describe how much I like the gamw world itself, the plot and the characters. It's a fantasy world deprived of most of the cliches. The very concept of Blood War makes quite a difference from your usual Good vs. Evil stereotype — It's the Righteous Evil vs. Chaotic Evil, and all the while it's in the Good's best interests to keep it going.

But ultimately it's the combination of the original multiverse —you only get to see a small portion of it, and not the least creepy too— and the plot that makes it unique.

The loss of memory, the quest to find out who you truly are and the sad symbolism of the shadows, chasing you, closing in on you. This is a tale of loss, suffering and redemption.

For me this game is a treasure. I should've taken BG before or something, 'coz now I doubt that any game will get even close to it.