LogFAQs > #954199949

I'm back with a clear head to rant about Enderal.

Okay first off, Get This Game. Seriously. It's free if you have Skyrim (its a total conversion mod), and I do believe it has an SE edition for SE Skyrim as well. This game is so so so far from what Skyrim is. Bethesda take notes. Although it takes place some years after Nehrim: At Fate's Edge which in turn is a total conversion mod of Oblivion, it is not necessary to play. And in case you're curious the devs worked on 2 more games: Arktwend and Myar Aranath, both TCMs of Morrowind. Only the former has an english patch (sub only). All 4 games are part of a created universe called Vyn. These games are known as "The Vyn Saga".

In fact Enderal is the only game with English dubbing and my oh my the writing and the voice-acting is divine. There is more emphasis on dialogue and discourse when it comes to interactions. Plot-moving things to say are clearly marked, letting you know that there are a ton of other lines from which to explore the lore and hear people talk. Apart from the rather limited things the normal NPCs say you'll be hearing quite alot as everyone in this game actually talks like a normal person. This isn't really a problem because there aren't alot of towns and so if you just keep hearing the same thing in the same town, you sort of just get used to it.

From the moment you land on the titular continent, Enderal has lots to offer. About six to eight biomes all distinct. Every dungeon is uniquely made. There are collectibles to find; you be hard pressed to 100% the achievements in this game. The enemies though lacking in variety are very well placed and more importantly do not level up with you. This gives you a subtle way of knowing when exactly you can explore a certain area. That is to say, you might not be able to tell if you like me, decided to play like Skyrim and go stealth archer only to be mauled by the first set of wolves.

Indeed the system for levelling was revamped to something more CRPG. You get points every level up to distribute abilities to. But also, you have to actually purchase skill books to learn the appropriate skill and every 25 levels the books ratchet up the price. I find this a very good strategy so as not to immediately bloat your wallet to ridiculous levels. Of course, if you just go straight for the Rhetoric skill then yeah bartering becomes Skyrim-levels of dumb. Incidentally, you'll wanna do it anyway as Rhetoric gives you some very unique dialogue to be sure.

Let's get to the meat of things. The plot and the themes this game explores. Enderal is not a happy tale. It is a somewhat deconstructing romp through a traditional heroic storyline. But it doesn't try to be as in your face as possible with the deconstruction. It plays out more like a swamp of a novel; it hooks you in slowly with beautiful bits of description, giving you a sense of wonder before it absolutely devours you and before you know it you have to see it through the end even though you might dread what's beyond that door. I'm trying really hard to sell this game without spoiling it, because it is just something you have to witness. I haven't played anything this dark since idk Memoria? And that was a point-click adventure.

The themes of this game are tied to "Endings". There is nary a source of life outside the capital. Animals are going rabid. Undead are rising again. Bandits strewn across the land. It seems like the world is on the brink of extinction. The falling apart of humanity both physically and mentally is nigh. Especially the latter. The game is very good at showing you how a person just breaks down no matter how valiant they can be. The sidequests are 90% either tragic in hindsight, or twisted into an undesirable outcome on the last minute. In fact the one quest that ends pretty well for everyone involved with no twists whatsoever felt like a twist in itself because I was expecting something to happen.

Now here's the part where I go into a bit of Spoiler territory and tell you how I love/hate how it ends. Because the end is just...its one of those makes you think about life kind of games. Basically, you start off as this "Chosen One" despite being an Outsider and is prophesized to prevent something called The Cleansing which has to the shock of many been happening for aeons. Everytime, the same thing. So you go have some adventure, discovering things you think the bad guys are keeping from you and a plan is made to defeat an enemy that can't be fought and what happens.

You all die.

It turns out that everything. Even being The Chosen One. Was the plan all along. What every Cycle has been doing to try and save themselves from The Cleansing was the Cleansing. The Silver Lining? Pffff. Alright, the silver lining is you're actually the first person to self-actualize as "an agent of the bad guys". And so now you have 2 choices: The Bad Ending in which you sacrifice yourself to prevent the Cleansing of the world...only affecting the entire Enderalean continent. Or The Worse Ending in which you just gtfo and let the entire world of Vyn cleanse itself, escaping in order to become a new god for the next Cycle hoping that The Cleansing doesn't happen again. The new edition updated with a secret ending in which you just die but in your dreams everything is awesome. So yeah.

So yeah I think I'm done gushing about this game. Best game I've played this year. Definitely washes off the bad taste of Greedfall in my mouth. Go play this game. And if you got questions about it, just ask em.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.