2007 Indie RPG of the Year

[Dhruin]

Time to join the popular crowd with some "game of the year" polls. First up is Indie of the Year, which we've separated from the main RPG market so they don't get drowned out. We've selected four games to compete - while there were other indie releases this year, they were either out of our coverage or didn't generate the same "buzz".

So, here's a summary in chronological release order.

Geneforge 4

Spiderweb is the cornerstone of the indie CRPG market - though their iterative approach is often criticised. Geneforge 4 continues the story of the Shapers and the Rebellion, with factions to choose and lots of decisions. The engine improvements are subtle but the animations and lighting are tweaked and there's a simple but effective stealth system. Without doubt, the most complex, dialogue-driven indie released in 2007.

Nethergate: Resurrection

A remake and an older engine than Spiderweb's current lineup might be considered drawbacks but for anyone who didn't play the original, Nethergate: Resurrection offers a large, open gameworld, great dungeons and a different setting. Not as dialogue-driven as Geneforge 4 but there are two entirely separate and interwoven campaigns and plenty of opportunities to make choices in the myriad sidequests. A grand adventure (well, two, actually).

Depths of Peril

It's easy to write this off as a Diablo-clone but Depths of Peril takes the most risks in this batch and is genuinely innovative. Take a competent hack'n'slash action/RPG and add a living gameworld with competing factions. Out-adventure them, take the political route and form alliances or take them out with brute force - there are so many different ways to approach this game while enjoying the basic loot-and-leveling gameplay. In a word, addictive.

Eschalon: Book 1

Eschalon sets a new standard in indie RPG presentation with lovely graphics, an attractive interface and nice music. The gameplay is unshamedly old-school - the character creation system is nifty (although the balance varies) and there's a mostly open world to explore as well as a cool lighting and stealth system and old-fashioned fare from bashing chests to torch management. The NPC interaction and quests are both simple but the minimal story works quite well. Oozes atmosphere.

Now, make your choice!

[Dhruin]

Really hard choice for me because I enjoyed all of them and they all have different qualities.

Nethergate, because I really enjoyed all the little stories and encounters while exploring the world.

[woges]

I haven't played enough to vote. I'm still trying to finish some games from 2000 and before - and my hard drive just totally failed so I'm back to square one on many once again.

[dteowner]

I really shouldn't vote, either, having only played Eschalon. Depths of Peril looks really interesting. I can safely say that Eschalon would be a deserving champion, though.

[Amazadh Kristeopolous]

Ouch!! What a horrible choice! Unfortunately, I can't comment on Depths of Peril, because I'm a pre-Intel Mac person, and DoP is Windows only. Shame, it looks interesting.

Sooooo... ...well, I've played all three of the others. Geneforge and Nethergate I know well, I've been a fan of Spiderweb Software for some time, and have collected most of their games over the last 5 years.

But, Eschalon 1, I've had that for just three days, and it has entirely taken over my spare time, which is a fairly good sign... I'm impressed. It's not perfect, but what is? It is however, entertaining, nicely conceived and well executed. I've tried out two very different characters, and the magic-user is as difficult to operate solo as a young m-u should be, frantically trying to survive in a hostile environment with few tools of the trade.

[abbaon]

Talk about jumping the gun. You couldn't wait a week for Grimoire?

[magerette]

Hard choice, but I went with Depths of Peril. Just more my type of game, with the strategy/arpg fusion. I enjoyed parts of the demos for Nethergate and Eschalon, but DoP has the most playtime for me, and I can see playing it for years to come. I have yet to get the full version of Eschalon, and that may edge it into first place, but not just yet.

[skavenhorde]

Nethergate, it's the only indie I know of that has two great stories wrapped up in one game. Plus, I liked how he meshed some real Celtic folklore into the game.

[BillSeurer]

Talk about jumping the gun. You couldn't wait a week for Grimoire?

Grimoire in a week? heh heh heh...

[old-school gamer]

Talk about jumping the gun. You couldn't wait a week for Grimoire?
We waited 15+ years for Grimoire, *HE* tried our patience long enough...

But I agree it's a bit unfair to Eschalon as there is no competition

Nethergate 2007 has just minimal differences to Nethergate 1999
Geneforge1 and 2 were nice but 3 and 4 were just remakes of the first one
Depths of Peril is no real RPG.

Why isn't Avernum 5 in there? Anyway my vote for Eschalon is well earnt.

[rune_74]

Dhruin you knewI would vote for Eschaloin:)

[shaf]

my vote goes to Eschalon, i played to for 2 week before finishing. I completed the storyline in 22 hrs doing as many side quests as I could.

Better Dev response that most commercial game, very fast bug fixing.

Can't wait for book 2.

Shaf

p.s. I don't believe Grimore will be delivered, it was too quiet for too long.

[txa1265]

I am also going with Eschalon ... though I thought about Depths of Peril.

Very much a tough choice - all four are excellent games that I think stand along, if not above, almost every commercial release this year.

For me, I voted for new blood - sorry, Jeff, it isn't that I don't love you, I just want to encourage others - and make sure there is a 'book 2'.

[crpgnut]

Eschalon for the win :) I'm tired of Jeff's games and I haven't got around to Depths of Peril yet.

[VPeric]

Where'd my post go?

Anyway, it's Eschalon for me. Geneforge has somewhat inferior production values, Nethergate's interface is too archaic for my taste, and DoP... well, DoP just didn't "click" for me.

[GothicGothicness]

Easy choice for Eschalon, I tried the demo of all the games, but it is the only one I bought, it is superior to the other games in the list IMHO.

[Arma]

I would say Geneforge 4 is my pick with Eschalon Book I a close second (if only I could pick two games ... ) Geneforge 4 was a great improvement over the previous games not in the strictly technical sence that it offered new graphics or otherwise new gameplay into the old formula, but because it offered a completely new approach into the whole Shapers vs Rebellion saga.

Avernum 5 was probably left out since the Windows release is still over 2 months away for the time being..

[abbaon]

Grimoire in a week? heh heh heh...
Yes. But Cleve's a Christian now, so that'll be a biblical week (http://www.thebeautifulthoughtsofgod.com/studies/S07.htm).

[realmzmaster]

My vote goes to Eschalon I. I was hooked the minute I played the demo. I have played the other crpgs mentioned, but Eschalon has caputured all of my game playing time. Eschalon Book I by Basilisk Games! Two thumbs way up.

[Corwin]

Yes. But Cleve's a Christian now, so that'll be a biblical week (http://www.thebeautifulthoughtsofgod.com/studies/S07.htm).

Where did you hear that piece of news? I like a link to the source!! :) Oh, I picked with the majority.

[RampantCoyote]

I loved all the games on this list, and I think they are all pretty deserving of accolades. But my nod went to Depths of Peril (http://www.rampantgames.com/blog/2007/12/is-depths-of-peril-too-perilous.html). It was the most innovative RPG this year, though I'm afraid it may be an underdog because of it. The dynamic world thing sucked me in more than any other RPG this year.

[Dhruin]

I agree - and good blog post. I suspected this would be the result before I started - and well done to Basilisk. I really oscillated before choosing Nethergate; Depths of Peril got a good chunk of my play time this year and it really is innovative but selling a game that is underpinned by hack'n'slashing to our crowd was always going to be...well, a tough sell. It's also a hard game to "get", so a chunk of those who saw it would still see it as a Diablo clone, because the covenant play just didn't sink in.

Likewise, while Nethergate and Geneforge will understandably induce a certain level of fatigue in our readers, I'm sure a good chunk just never tried them - or didn't get far past the graphics if they did. I maintain Jeff's content is excellent and being a remake is pretty irrelevant if you didn't play the original.

Still, you have to engage the folks and Basilisk did a fantastic job capturing their hearts.

I hesitate to call this a lesson that other indies should learn because the others might lose their other appeals if they followed the same path.

Anyway, regardless of the vote, the really good news is I filled a good chunk of my gaming time with nothing but quality indies - and there are still more to come. Good stuff.

[BasiliskWrangler]

I hesitate to call this a lesson that other indies should learn because the others might lose their other appeals if they followed the same path.

Agreed. There is room in the market for everyone to make their version of an RPG. Vogel has perfected his art form and has thousands of faithful followers, me being one of them. Steven Peeler has made something very special with Depths and he is one hell of a nice guy to boot. It is such an honor to have Eschalon even mentioned in the same poll as the other three games, and I am flattered that so many people have enjoyed what we made.

There is some really cool stuff going on here in the studio and I am going to do my best to really win you over with the next game, Dhruin! ;)

[rune_74]

Likewise, while Nethergate and Geneforge will understandably induce a certain level of fatigue in our readers, I'm sure a good chunk just never tried them - or didn't get far past the graphics if they did. I maintain Jeff's content is excellent and being a remake is pretty irrelevant if you didn't play the original.


I think alot of us have actually....its not so much the graphics we are fatigued on more so the system...the spell system hasn't changed since avernum 1 all through geneforge 4....they are all the same. No doubt he has content, but if its basically the same game extended(which putting a different storyline basically is.) How long until that loses its appeal. Not bad games by any means.

I also bought depths of peril and is a fun action rpg, no doubt also a good game.

[Dhruin]

Poorly phrased perhaps. I'm sure a lot have -- and I can appreciate that fatigue -- but I'm also pretty confident an even larger group have only dabbled because of the graphics. I see this even within our staff. My point is simply that the "they're all the same" argument (which has merit) only counts for the relatively small group who have played a lot of them. For those who haven't (and honestly, I can show you the threads on RPG Codex where every time a Vogel newsbit is posted several people ask "Are these things any good? I heard they were all the same." What difference does that make if you never even tried the demo.)

I've said this too many times. Enough. ;)

@Thomas - you already won me over. Played it twice through and really enjoyed it. I have some quibbles, yeah, but the significance of your achievement in Eschalon isn't lost on me.

[RampantCoyote]

That's the thing -- while I have a preference, it's not an easy choice. It's a clash of titans this year. I'm very, very impressed. I haven't played Nethergate yet, but the other three have all been top-notch.

[Corwin]

I played GF 1&2, but when I heard/read that 3&4 were basically more of the same, I didn't bother. I think the fact that BW plans to make major changes for E2, like a party IIRC will help sell even more down the track!!

[GothicGothicness]

Eschalon even mentioned in the same poll as the other three games, and I am flattered that so many people have enjoyed what we made.


I can't help but wounder how much your forum posts affected the results, very clever to encourage people to vote at your forum hehe, On the other hand it is sure to bring visitors to RPGWatch, I just wounder what would happen if they did the same at spiderweb and depth of perils forums :P Would the results be completely different with all of their fanboys cooming here to vote?

If they played eschalon as well,,, it probably wouldn't. But I think many people who voted didn't try all the games.

[BasiliskWrangler]

The post I made on Basilisk's forums? You mean:
RPGWatch has an Indie RPG of the Year poll up. Eschalon: Book I is listed as well as several other excellent games. Do head over and cast a vote for your favorite Indie RPG.

Oh, and if you vote for Eschalon, I'll be your best friend. :wink:

I post news of Eschalon anytime I see it mentioned around the web, and I encouraged people to vote for their favorite game. The last line was just me being funny. Besides, 90% of my visitors are RPGWatch regulars anyways, so it's unlikely my post caused the poll to be skewed by a flood of outsiders.

Anyways, thank you for your vote, GothicGothicness.

[skavenhorde]

Basilisk has been here many times before the poll, so I don't entirely think it's fair to say that he posted on his forums just to influence the outcome of the poll.

@Basilisk I am of the same opinion with Dhruin. Your game was great and a tremendous achievement, but I did like Nethergate just a tad bit more. That doesn't mean I didn't buy your game or the other. I bought both, so it is a win win for me. Running out of those stupid arrows before the patch was a pain though ;) But thanks to you and creating those patches at light speed, you fixed that problem.

[chamr]

Basilisk has been here many times before the poll, so I don't entirely think it's fair to say that he posted on his forums just to influence the outcome of the poll.

Plus, so what if he did? I certainly would had I poured my heart and soul into something for over two years with no income from it. I'd promote it any way I could short of breaking the law, and might even consider that, if I thought it would pay off in sales. :cool:

P.S. Voted for E:B1, of course. Sucked me in way more than the others did (never played Nether or GF, but have played Avernum and am assuming that the only major difference is the story & setting rather than the atmospherics and mechanics). In fact, way more than almost any game I've played over the last couple of years. Struck a perfect balance for me in character development flexibility, combat difficulty, tactical options, story & action, economy of dialogue, questing & exploration, and pacing & spacing of gameplay treats/surprises. Short version: hit my sweetspot. :biggrin:

[ShagnakAtWork]

Voted for Eschalon. I haven't played a game that enthusiastically for a long time.
Between work and kids and personal projects, genuinely free time is harder to come by than ever before, so it's a testament to the game that I managed to finish it.

Also it would have been difficult for me to vote for the others, as I haven't played Geneforge 4, am only part way into the Nethergate demo (Dhruin is right - 'tis good!), and have played little of Depths of Peril.

[Dhruin]

I wouldn't worry about forum posts to support a game - fan mobilisation is common and par for the course. These things are just for fun; the result shouldn't be taken too seriously. Just wait until we do the next one, which will potentially see hordes of Polish Witcher fans throwing themselves at our battlements.

Besides, it's always nice to see a developer engage and foster their community.

[magerette]

Re: the "fanboi vote" syndrome--noticed today that you now have to be registered at Voodoo Extreme to vote in their polls, specifically their GoTY poll (which includes The Witcher) after lots of posts there said the vote for RPG of the year( won by thousands of votes by TW) was unfair (and/or hacked) due to being promoted on the Witcher site and other, non-usual Voodoo Extremer type places... (This was the poll that left out MotB and had such contenders as Mass Effect and Stalker, as well as various MMO's all up together, btw)---So the 'storming the battlements' remark may be true--however, plenty of non-Polish posters here will be around to help lift the ladders and ward off the pots of burning oil. :)

[VPeric]

The way to solve this problem is to not let people vote in polls that have started before they registered. Don't know if vBulletin forums have such an option, though.

[Jaz]

No such option, sorry. Excluding unregistered folks from voting, yes. But once they registered, they can vote in any poll... unless it temped out.

[Melvil]

Eschalon, it was quick, but I loved every minute of it. With some of Vogel's games I find myself rushing to the end because I can't take the sound of another door opening, or the walking sound of the npc's across the map.
Plus, in a sense, they all do follow a similar roadmap design wise, try playing avernum 1 - 3 without a break, just try :)

Anyway, congrats to BW on making such a wonderful game.

[Steven Peeler]

How dare Basilisk cheat and tell his community about this poll. I'm just offended. I'm kidding of course. :) We usually try to keep our fans aware of things like this also.

Depths of Peril isn't even close to beating out Eschalon in the poll, but I appreciate everyone that voted for us. I mentioned this on my blog, but I'll repeat myself. It's very nice for us indies to get some attention here and there, so a poll like this is pretty cool. Not that this is anything new for RPG Watch.

[dteowner]

Eschalon did have a slight advantage with a release date closest to the poll.

I'm curious if "our contestants" are seeing a boost in traffic/sales. There'd be no good way to pinpoint a cause for a bump if there was one, but it would be nice if Spiderweb, Basilisk, and Soldak could see an actual benefit from our discussion.

[chamr]

I just had a brilliant idea: Tom, Steven and Jeff ought to form a limited partnership for the purpose of developing one, single cRPG together! Think of the possibilities...

[rune_74]

No, what they should do is enter into a advertising business venture between them. They all cator to the same crowd why not use each other to get more sales?

[crpgnut]

I really need to play Depths of Peril. I still haven't finished MotB, and I need to finish Eschalon with at least one of my 12 dudes, all this while mucking about in Chapter 2 of Witcher. Who would have thought I'd have too many crpgs to play....

[skavenhorde]

I just had a brilliant idea: Tom, Steven and Jeff ought to form a limited partnership for the purpose of developing one, single cRPG together! Think of the possibilities...

I second that idea :) Seems like a win win situation to me.

[GothicGothicness]

could be really sweet to take the best part of each,,,, while I can easily see spiderweb game and eschalon merge it's best part it'd be hard to mix it with DoP, since it is action oriented.... hmm some ideas look best on paper... I think they should each keep doing what they are doing very well! joint ventures never go as well as expected!

[chamr]

They could always get back to their own mojo after their joint master-work was released. And, yes, they'd have to be very open-minded and cooperative to ever pull it off.

On the Steven part, I can see him putting his talents to an cRPG idea I've always been intrigued with: NPC's that are true rivals/equals to the player. NPC's that roam the world and adventure and perhaps compete with the player for quest rewards, faction favor, loot, etc. Maybe even a plot-line NPC or two that actively work against or to the benefit of the player even when the player isn't directly interacting with them or even near them. And it would have to be dynamic, like DoP, rather than strictly scripted. Wouldn't it be cool to stumble on your arch-nemesis by pure chance in a town and have an old fashioned Western showdown in the street while the townsfolk scurried for cover? Then you find that key artifact on him that you had been looking for to continue a side-quest you'd had to abandon earlier? Or think of a Belock(sp?)-Indiana Jones type relationship where you're always going back and forth with each other throughout the game stealing stuff from each other and trying to get the other guy killed without directly doing it yourself, because it's too politically sensitive or morally hazardous.

[Corwin]

I really need to play Depths of Peril. I still haven't finished MotB, and I need to finish Eschalon with at least one of my 12 dudes, all this while mucking about in Chapter 2 of Witcher. Who would have thought I'd have too many crpgs to play....

I feel your pain; I'm in a similar situation!! :)

[GothicGothicness]

Maybe even a plot-line NPC or two that actively work against or to the benefit of the player even when the player isn't directly interacting with them or even near them. And it would have to be dynamic, like DoP, rather than strictly scripted.


Yeah, I think we all want this kind of RPG it is just too darned hard to pull it of. Steven is the one who have come closest!! Which means he has to be very great indeed!

[magerette]

I'm with you totally--it would be awesome to actually have to worry about the AI doing something outside the box like that. Fights may be difficult and tactical, but almost always they're either rote map-clearing or at the player's convenience--you can buff up and know what to expect in them--and when they're not, it's because the games cheat and suddenly you've been railroaded thru an irritating cutscene that dumps you somewhere with a horde of slavering minions and a stupid but powerful boss thirsting for your blood, all of which you could have easily defeated if you hadn't been thrown naked into the fray.

Some excellent ideas, chamr. And I agree w/Gothicness, Steven Peeler is the only one who's even tried to experiment in this direction with rpgs. There's a little of that feeling in some strat games, like HoMM, where you dread meeting the hero down the block, and tailor all your moves to maximize your ability to beat him when he turns up, but that's a far cry from giving the AI an autonomy similar to the player and also interwoven with story events.

[Dhruin]

It's an interesting idea (that has been mooted before) but would it actually work? If the competing AI finished a major story link before you even got there, would that actually be entertaining gameplay? How would you feel about not necessarily being able to explore and smell the daisies at your leisure?

It works for DoP because the action is direct and simple and the quests are random. I'm sure there's a balance that could be achieved but I think it would be hard.

Still, if you could get that right balance...

[skavenhorde]

Wizardry 7 had something similiar to that. Where the chests would be empty if you took too long getting to them. Then you had to track down the people who had the pieces of the map. Though the NPC's couldn't finish the game before you, it made the game more interesting.

If someone did something like that I think it would still be fun to play. It would help get away from the theme of "You are the CHOSEN ONE, only you can save the world."

[chamr]

It's an interesting idea (that has been mooted before) but would it actually work? If the competing AI finished a major story link before you even got there, would that actually be entertaining gameplay?

Obviously, you'd have to balance well. No NPC's should be taking away major main plot lines away from you. That would be a bit overboard. The way I envision it, these semi-autonomous NPC(s) would fall into three categories:

1) competing with you for a few side quests only
2) making a couple of the main line quests easier if you play your cards a certain way, per quest
3) making a couple of the main line quests more complicated if you play your cards a certian way, per quest

IOW (to steal a page from PJ's book), dont' go crazy with it. Do enough to make it fun and interesting, but not too much so that it's frustrating. "Eschalon It". :)