Publisher: Iron Tower Studio
Developer: Iron Tower Studio
System requirements: Pentium III 1000; 512 MB RAM; GeForce4 MX440 with 64MB onboard
Genre: RPG
Release date: TBA

As some of you may have heard me mention, I’ve been following the progress of a game called Age of Decadence for quite some time now. It is an independently developed RPG, which appears to be very promising. In addition to quests, different play styles, weapons, and locations, there are going to be extensive dialogue options that include the ability to use various skills during the course of conversation. What appeals to me the most is that the game will include both diplomacy and intrigue, allowing for non-violent solutions (or at least the kind of violent solutions where you get others to do the dirty work for you).

As much as I enjoy treachery and deceit, however, sometimes it can be just as necessary to bonk someone on the noggin to reinstill a sense of reality within them. AoD has taken an interesting and unusual approach to combat as far as most modern RPGs are concerned. Violence is turn based, and is played out on a grid. It is reminiscent of the system employed by Betrayal at Krondor, an absolutely remarkable 1993 game. Either way, a few days ago a combat demo was released for AoD and naturally I was very keen to take a look at it. Now, after having spent some hands-on time, I’d like to share my impressions with you.

Aside from combat, which I will get to, the demo also shows off such areas of the game as character creation, dialogue, inventory and trade. As I was building my character, I was mindful of the fact that this is a combat demo so I put all of my stat points into Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity, and my skill points into improving my block, dodge, critical strike, and sword attributes. Sword is one of the eight possible weapon types, and the one I saw fit to start off with. Once in the game world, I went over to a weapons and armor vendor and was pleasantly surprised by the variety of arms and armor available.

Having bought a shield, a helmet and some basic leather armor I had a quick chat with the arena master and got myself a gig fighting criminals for a spectacle, and quickly learned how the combat system works. There is a set amount of action points available to you each turn, and they can be spent on either movement or attacks. Since you start off a certain distance away from your opponent it may seem a good idea to close in, however, I quickly discovered that by moving into melee range I had spent all my points and essentially delivered myself for the beating. In my next fight I skipped the first turn and once the enemy closed in, I had my entire point-pool at my disposal.

There are nine types of attacks overall. The fast, normal and power attacks are self explanatory. They cause progressively more damage, cost progressively more points, and are progressively easier to avoid. There are also throw and whirlwind attacks, as well as four types of called shots to the head, torso, arms, and legs respectively. Each attack has the potential to be devastating, based on the particular opponent you are facing as well as on how your character is physically built. Wrong choices will kill you in a hurry. Positioning and movement play a role as well, allowing for such things as attacks of opportunity.

As far as I’m concerned, few RPGs are able to provide a good combat experience. Usually it is either a click-fest, or some sort of a tedious exercise in micromanagement. However, after battling a number of foes in the AoD‘s arena, I was vastly impressed with what I saw. Time will tell whether the rest of the game will turn out to be equally as good, but if combat is any indication, we are going to be in for a real treat when it is released. Do not take my word for it though. I suggest you download the demo and take a look for yourself. If you are a lover of RPGs you owe yourself that much.