Black Geyser - Review @ Mortismal Gaming

I have some more impressions now that I have been playing more. It is growing on me for sure. Took a bit to get used to the graphics as I tend to prefer nice visuals. The camera has been the hardest, along with the more 2D look, but once you get immersed into the game it fades.

I don't mind isometric games but prefer the more modern ones like Kingmaker and WOTR, which have more camera control and sense of depth to them. With a very set camera all the art work has to account for that. Nothing new to people who have played this style though.

In regards to BG1 and POE1 - I see both resemblances. This isn't an AD&D game so that will limit the BG1 comparison. But outside of that I do get the "feel" of the BG1 game in the atmosphere and style. There are also things from POE1 I enjoy, like when resting at an Inn you have to select a room. They cost different amounts and have different benefits like POE1. Also you can put party members in different rooms so they can get the most benefit out of the buffs for their class, which is a nice plus.

They added powders to the game, made by gathering herbs, drying them over a heat source, like a candle, then crushing them. Powders can flavor stew or make poisons that can be tossed at an enemy or planted on them in stealth mode.

There is a lot more depth to the game then I first though in both mechanics and character building. It is very well done and so far no major problems or bugs but I am also early on.

Exploring was another issue I saw raised in comments but from what I recall BG1 also had plenty of empty space as I was obsessive about exploring everything and remember lots of "clearing" the fog of war and often finding little of interest. This game won't have the same content amount as higher budget games, and BG1 may have had more, but I think people tend to remember the content and forget that BG1 also had a lot of empty space as well.

I am really enjoying the story so far and the companions. More than I had expected. Again this isn't going to be on the same level of bigger titles by any means but for what it is … it is pretty good.

Also I really like the greed aspect a lot! Adds another later to the game and makes you really consider every decision you make in regards to how it will affect greed levels (and the devs indicated both paths are viable - non-greedy and greedy).

From what I have seen so far simple looting is not raising greed for the party or overall. Not sure about personal greed. What seems to affect greed a lot more are decisions made in dialogue.

Like as a thief you can use shady dealings to exhort gold and better rewards but that is being greedy.

In one quest I could thank a messenger for bringing me a summons to the king and leave it at that, or I could give them a 10gp tip which then increased my good reputation by 1 and reduced party greed by 2.

I think whether looting affects greed somewhat depends on the circumstances around the loot but I admit I don't understand the full nuances of looting and if there are hidden things going on. I checked the greed meter before and after looting and there is no difference. Nor any message. So looting of killed enemies, if it does affect greed, it is for a hidden metric and not the meters you can see for the party or the world at large. I haven't stolen anything so don't know if that would display anything.

All the warnings and hints I have gotten in the game have been mainly about being careful about the choices I make in the game and dialogue.

Oh another cool thing - the royalty acts like typical stuck up royalty. I won't spoil the details but I can say you can't mouth of to royalty like you can in some games and have no repercussions. You mouth of to royalty in this game and sometimes you will pay for it.

Which can be hard to resist as some of the dialogue choices are great and amusing.

CONS:
- Rough graphics that can take some getting used to
- Hard to understand the greed mechanic but I think this is partly by design to add some mystery to the game so players don't "work it" completely. I rather like it but some might consider it a con.

PROS:
- Good character building
- Fun story
- Interesting mechanics with greed, powders, and brewing.
- Cool companions so far
- Decent combat but then I am not a big combat person as most folks around here know.

Thanks for your insights!

The greed mechanic sounds pretty good when normal looting doesn't anything. Would be nice if the devs could confirm that.

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark

Exploring was another issue I saw raised in comments but from what I recall BG1 also had plenty of empty space as I was obsessive about exploring everything and remember lots of "clearing" the fog of war and often finding little of interest.

100% true

Originally Posted by Morrandir
The greed mechanic sounds pretty good when normal looting doesn't anything. Would be nice if the devs could confirm that.

I prefer it being a mystery myself. As others have said, it adds a sense of trepidation to every action in the game, which would be lessened if you knew it all before going in.

Originally Posted by lackblogger
I've just been through a small dungeon, which was also a mine in Black Geyser, and not very long after that a longer dungeon which also involved some time travel.

Indeed. I also completed those dungeons this afternoon. Very short and small. Basically no challenge. I don't think I even had to heal once and spells were more "decorative" than anything. The boss, just after, was slightly more challenging but even then…

Originally Posted by vanedor
Indeed. I also completed those dungeons this afternoon. Very short and small. Basically no challenge. I don't think I even had to heal once and spells were more "decorative" than anything. The boss, just after, was slightly more challenging but even then…

Oh, so now the complaint is you don't die enough?

What will be your complaint if the game does kill you a few times at some point? It didn't occasionally, every 10 hours or so, kill you as enjoyably as Baldur's Gate occasionally, every 10 hours or so, did?

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark
Exploring was another issue I saw raised in comments but from what I recall BG1 also had plenty of empty space as I was obsessive about exploring everything and remember lots of "clearing" the fog of war and often finding little of interest. This game won't have the same content amount as higher budget games, and BG1 may have had more, but I think people tend to remember the content and forget that BG1 also had a lot of empty space as well.

There problem isn't that there are empty area. I agree, BG1 certainly had some. Exploring is about scouting to find stuff. If you enter an area and you find everything there is to find right away, it's boring. In Black Geyser, each areas are so small, there is little sense of exploration. Also, wilderness areas are linear. There is little sense of actually discovering something.

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark
I am really enjoying the story so far and the companions. More than I had expected. Again this isn't going to be on the same level of bigger titles by any means but for what it is … it is pretty good.

Companions are rather bland. You get the initial dialog when you meet them, and you have their personal quest, but they have no personality. I never heard one disagree with anything I would say. They don't chat with each other. Once in a while, I can ask one his opinion in a dialog, but that's about it.

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark
Also I really like the greed aspect a lot! Adds another later to the game and makes you really consider every decision you make in regards to how it will affect greed levels (and the devs indicated both paths are viable - non-greedy and greedy).

Yeah, the greed mechanism is interesting. But the world is so full of stuff you can sell for a lot of money, going not greedy doesn't feel like you actually sacrifice something.

I feel the story is very generic so far. The game doesn't give you much insensitive to advance the main quest.

Combat are very unsatisfying and ridiculously easy at Medium difficulty level. I barely have the time to do anything with my characters and most fights are already over.

Originally Posted by lackblogger
Oh, so now the complaint is you don't die enough?

What will be your complaint if the game does kill you a few times at some point? It didn't occasionally, every 10 hours or so, kill you as enjoyably as Baldur's Gate occasionally, every 10 hours or so, did?

I mean, it would be slightly more interesting if I did have to do anything to win every fights. At medium difficulty level, you can basically auto-play the battles.

Originally Posted by vanedor
I mean, it would be slightly more interesting if I did have to do anything to win every fights. At medium difficulty level, you can basically auto-play the battles.

It said at the beginning that you can up the difficulty whenever you like IIRC. Have you tried that? If dying more is your thing, it might be worth a try?

What is medium difficulty btw? It has 4 difficulty settings, so medium could be one of two.

Well as is the case with every game mileage will vary. I don't agree with Vanedor's points but then that is why game play and "fun" are subjective things and some people like some games and others don't. I feel the difficulty is pretty good, exploring isn't that bad, and the companions are good enough.

If I were to compare this game to something like WOTR, BG3, or POE2 then yes it does fall very short of those games. Which is why I was clear, or at least hope I was, that this game isn't in the same league. For what it is, however, I think it is pretty good and enjoyable. More so than expected.

I think anyone buying it expecting, and wanting, it to have the same depth of content and detail as higher budget and bigger games will be disappointed. Going in with the expectation of a fun little game that might scratch a nostaglic or old-school itch, and have an enjoyable romp and diversion, is how I viewed it. That and being okay with this very old-school style of gaming of course.

I tend to play games based on whether I am enjoy them, not based on how modern or new they are … likewise I also don't play games based on how old-school they are either.

I played almost 5 hours of this game today and then went and played 3 hours of Cyberpunk 2077 tonight … probably more than that since I am going back to play some more. Two games at the opposite end of the spectrum in many ways.

Originally Posted by vanedor
There problem isn't that there are empty area. I agree, BG1 certainly had some. Exploring is about scouting to find stuff. If you enter an area and you find everything there is to find right away, it's boring. In Black Geyser, each areas are so small, there is little sense of exploration. Also, wilderness areas are linear. There is little sense of actually discovering something.

This. Baldur's Gate had things spread out in a somewhat realistic manner. I actually appreciated that as opposed to so many games that have different factions of enemies camped out a stone's throw from one another or a new dungeon behind every hill.

Originally Posted by JDR13
This. Baldur's Gate had things spread out in a somewhat realistic manner. I actually appreciated that as opposed to so many games that have different factions of enemies camped out a stone's throw from one another or a new dungeon behind every hill.

Is this a general point about RPGs in general or is this still a point about the two BG1s?

Because I can't relate any of that to either game.

Thanks for the impressions @wolfgrimdark!

I don't mind empty areas, on the contrary, they make finding items more special. And they feel natural too, worlds like Larian's where very spot of the map is packed with loot and NPCs feels unrealistic.

That's something I appreciated in games like BG too, or in Morrowind and the rest of the ES series.

Any more detail on the greed system? Can you loot an evil enemy that you kill without suffering greed? I think I would like to play a non-greedy character and just interested to know what the limits are? It sounds like looting an occasional magic weapon is okay if you ofset it using other means. Sounds interesting to me.

I am still trying to figure out greed, bit of a mystery but that is also part of the appeal and suspense of the game.

On a side note I don't want people to think I am saying this is the next BG1 or POE1, it isn't. My memories of BG1 are pretty old so it is hard to really compare due to how human memory works - tend to remember all the good things in the game (if you were fond of it) or all the bad things (if you didn't like a game). I do think the characters in BG1 and POE1, for that matter, were better. Probably both games are better. For me, however, that doesn't mean this game is bad though.

The game stands on its own for what it is, which is what I have been trying to say, if not very well. Certainly not for everyone. If you do try it probably best to not go in with comparisons in mind and going "I hope this is just like X".

Originally Posted by bjon045
Any more detail on the greed system? Can you loot an evil enemy that you kill without suffering greed? I think I would like to play a non-greedy character and just interested to know what the limits are? It sounds like looting an occasional magic weapon is okay if you ofset it using other means. Sounds interesting to me.

This is the kind of spoiler territory that could completely change the way you interact with the game. I think the whole point of it is to make you unsure and think more carefully about what you do in every situation in the game.

I'm reminded of when I first played Planescape Torment. I mentioned on a forum that I hadn't played it yet & was barraged by people telling me how to play it, detailing all of the hidden mechanics with utmost praise, but just make sure I go with the XYZ talky talk character to 'get the full impact'.

Needless to say, my experience with the game was heavily damaged by spending so much time trying to adhere to one specific character build - which still didn't even get me the 'good ending' I was promised.

Sometimes it really is better to just allow yourself to go into something somewhat blind.

Originally Posted by bjon045
Any more detail on the greed system? Can you loot an evil enemy that you kill without suffering greed? I think I would like to play a non-greedy character and just interested to know what the limits are? It sounds like looting an occasional magic weapon is okay if you ofset it using other means. Sounds interesting to me.

At the end of each quest, you have several options.

One option where you tell the NPC to keep his gold - You lose Greed points.
One option where you get every rewards as expected - You gain a bit of Greed points
Another option where you ask for more than expected - Even more Greed points.

Depending of the quest, there might be a few more options but that's the gist of it.

So far, I haven't found any other way to gain / lose greed points. Taking gold from cadavers in the city street, or from furniture in people houses doesn't seem to impact it.

As for what greed point are actually doing, so far I'm not sure.

One shot I liked in one of the local taverns. In some ways I wonder if they tried to copy BG too much, as in fleeing one's home and traveling south and coming to a mining town where you have to enter a mine … sounds rather familiar



Playing a rogue with focus on daggers (melee and throwing), sneak, pick locks, disarm traps, and bargaining/persuasion. I haven't gotten around to custom portraits as I found one in the base game I really liked. If I play a second time will do that.

And the "father" who get killed right at the beginning.

I just wish they could have copied the UI, too.

Originally Posted by lackblogger
Is this a general point about RPGs in general or is this still a point about the two BG1s?

Because I can't relate any of that to either game.

You can't relate what? That a lot of RPGs have the things I mentioned or that BG 1&2 don't?