Numen - Available @ Impulse

[Dhruin]

Catching up on a couple of items I missed during the week. Russian action/RPG Numen (http://impulsedriven.com/numen) was quietly released on Impulse a couple of weeks ago. The current user rating is 4/5 (no idea how many votes) and you can grab it for 29.99.
Thanks, John!
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=14993)

[MrSanta78]

I am almost sure that Numen is Czech action/RPG…

[CraigCWB]

Looks better than anything else I've played this year. Unfortunately, I've already exceeded my tolerance for disappointing purchases for 2010. I guess I'll have to hope they come out with a demo.

[joxer]

Is says "hack/slash"... But in the description a "story with plot turns" plus "many extensive main story and side quests" are mentioned.
Maybe I'm hoping too much... But I'm gonna give it a try.

[Barghest]

No other reviews for it?

[Trelow]

Looks fun enough. It'll be mine once it sales for <$10.

[Daddy32]

It is czech game.
I found few reviews in czech/slovak language, here you go:

Sector.sk
7.5/10 (http://www.sector.sk/recenzia/28899/numen_contest_of_heroes.htm)
Liked:
- Original features
- Gods and their effects on the character and game progress
- Rival heroes and arena fights
- Possibility to get items in gambling game
- Day and night quests

Didn't like:
- No voiceovers
- Several unfinished parts of the game
- Small locations
- Some NPCs

hrej.cz
5/? (10?) (http://pc.hrej.cz/recenze/numen-contest-of-heroes-2946/)

"Experience factory with the antic aura. Don't expect anything else. First-rate execution of character skills is destroyed by respawning enemies. Peaceful parts of the world lack the attraction. Story could be better. Too bad."

Eurogamer.cz
4/10 (http://www.eurogamer.cz/articles/numen-cz-recenze)
"Game is not bad. However, several design decisions are on the edge of amateurism. Game is damaged by horrendous AI, only a few hours of gameplay, technical issues and high price.

Metascore (hodnoceniher.cz)
61% (http://www.hodnoceniher.cz/pc/rpg/numen-contest-of-heroes.html#recenze)

Some more positive aspects mentioned in the reviews:

- Delightful casual fun.
- Simple pure addictive fun.
- Relaxing.
- Above average RPG with several interesting mechanics.

[CraigCWB]

Well, I broke down and bought it. My first impressions after an hour:

1) Game engine including graphics seem very well done to me. I think it may use the same engine as Drakhensang, only heavily modified. It has the same bright sunny cheerful kinda thing going on, which I like.

2) Translations seem excellent. In fact if I didn't know better I wouldn't even know they were translations at all. There are a few typos, but they seem just that - typos. Nothing like the mangled and incomprehensible English in some other European games I've played (*ahem* Planet Alcatraz)

3) Seems a carefree atmosphere. Humor in the dialogs that actually works and etc.

So far I'm liking it better than I've liked other Diablo 2 clones (and that does seem like what this game is trying to be). I'll post another comment when I've gotten a little further with it but it's not one of those games where 15 minutes in I'm kicking myself in the ass for wasting money on garbage :)

PS-Yes, the dialog is unvoiced. I think that's just as well, unless they were going to pay decent voice actors to do it. I prefer good and detailed text dialog to brief and hideous voice dialog.

[Malk]

So, how's the story? Any interesting characters or side-quests? Or it's just hack & slash all the way?

[CraigCWB]

So, how's the story? Any interesting characters or side-quests? Or it's just hack & slash all the way?

I still haven't gotten through the tutorial Island so I can't really comment on the overall game yet. I was wrong when I said this game is trying to be Diablo 2 though! It is NOT a hack-and-slash high critter count game. They really punish you for acting like an idiot, and if you end up fighting multiple critters your level you're most likely gonna die (at least on the hard setting, haven't tried the others). And they reward you for playing it smart and observing the "enemy" and waiting until you can take em on one at a time. It plays a bit like an MMO in that regard. The loot system is very much like Diablo2 = lootfest :)

It's kind of an odd game. Hard to classify it. I guess I'd still call it an action RPG without the clickfest combat. I like the game engine. I guess what'll make it or break it for me is how involved the quests are.

[Dhruin]

Thanks for the correction re the game being Czech. Most of the Numen promotion has come from Akella, and I forgot the developer was Cinemax.

[Ergonpandilus]

Stick with Titan Quest.

[CraigCWB]

Stick with Titan Quest.

Yes, it does play a bit like TitanQuest. That's probably the closest comparison. I personally like it better than TitanQuest though.

[ortucis]

"Nine deities. Nine heroes. And only one champion. Mythical Greece. The land of gods, poets, heroes, but also of terrible monsters and creatures."

Titan Quest..




.. this isn't.

Anyways, going to give it a try. I enjoyed and finished Titan Quest more than Diablo 2 itself (probably cause unlike Blizzard, Titan Quest artists could create beautiful levels/world). Hopefully this game will have better storyline than what Blizzard can come up with in this lifetime (can't be worse than Wc3).