Betrayal at Krondor is the single best RPG ever made.

That’s one I never got to experience, although I think I played something similar on the C-64. Man, some of those games were astounding in their ability to transport you. They incorporated the most amazing CPU ever made – the player’s imagination. What would I give for a new Might and Magic or Wizardry that were worthy of the name? I’d drink ale that tasted like grues had been bathing in it!

GOG.com has both BoK and its sequel for $5.99. That’s a lot of classic game for your buck…

You got one thing wrong: Feist did NOT write the plot of BaK or pretty much any of it. It’s a common misconception, but he was writing one of his books at the time and had the role of creative consultant at most. Gave his blessings, that sort of thing. Thank goodness. He never could’ve pulled off with the characters what Neal Hallford did.

“After a few hours, you wish you could turn those bulky paragraphs into simple messages such as “lockpick failed” that are easier to parse.”

I dunno, is there much difference between clicking past a text with a longer message as opposed to a shorter one?

You’re the first I’ve seen to be unimpressed with BaK’s combat. Everyone I know thinks the fights are pretty challenging and strategy-heavy. Also, what do you mean by the inventory not being magic-heavy? You can get lots of spells, but generally speaking you need to move about and explore to find them. The spells make the fights much more complex, as well.

Good review nonetheless, even if you did get a crucial fact wrong. (It rubs me the wrong way to keep seeing Neal Hallford being denied his credit for writing this masterpiece, that’s all.)

Betrayal at Krondor will likely remain the best game I will ever have played, and it’s not just nostalgia. The game is as playable now as it was when it came out. Well, if you’re not too spoiled by modern-era graphics and gameplay hand-holding, I guess.

It remains to me the best-written RPG to date because of how watertight the story is, how all the little details hold up together and make sense when you think about them. And, of course, the vivid characterisation of the main characters. Just lovely.

Thank Hekateras, it’s important that Hallford get’s his due!

My issues with BaK are entirely systemic. Repetitive tasks, like lockpicking, or even entering combat, are blanketed with largely the same text. It’s certainly easier than watching Gabriel Knight slowly bend down to pick something up because I clicked the wrong pixel, but it does make you appreciate modern advancements. Today, most repetitive feedback has an accompanied sound effect that quickly conveys the same information without breaking the flow. Game-pausing dialog boxes are avoided, let alone ones with huge blocks of text. Yet, that’s BoK’s charm…

Likewise, the inventory is very “low-loot”. You don’t find many weapons with different magical enchantments; flames, ice, etc. That means that weapons are mostly either better or worse and don’t feature too many trade offs. Frankly, its a bit refreshing to be free of the loot monster for a while…

After all this years, I still can say it is the best RPG ever made. Nothing similar out there.

Utawarerumono, Planescape Torment, are also pretty good in this genre.