ScenarioReview

BRUCE MITCHELL I enjoyed this epic and the many unconnected encounters. Average

THE CREATOR This is a like it or loathe it scenario. I loathed it. Substandard Everything was unnconnected, the (barely existent) plot was bizarre and confusing and the dialogue was terrible.

BIG WORDS Eh. I liked getting to wander about and do random things. Average

JAYNE Okay, I loved this scenario. I loved the constant literary references scattered throughout. I loved the variety between the different islands. I thought the dungeons were well done and interesting and the plot was well-paced and engaging. I give it Good. So, there!

BOB THE IMPALER Never finished this. It started off good, but the plot wasn't good enough to hold my attention for long. Regardless, even if it was released now it would still be considered a good first effort. Substandard

DRAKEFYRE It was big, for sure. It wasn't much else. Average

TERROR'S MARTYR Ugh... This scenario is a rather large piece of mediocracy. The plot is horrible, I never enjoyed it. The combat is boring. The dungeons are worse. I finally found some something-or-another at the end that finally seemed to mean something and didn't, and there were random creatures all over the place. Wheras I try to force myself to finish most "solid" efforts, this scenario was way too weak in way too many areas to be any substantial ammount of good to any substantial ammount of people. Substandard

MORGAN Contrary to Stareye, I greatly enjoyed Wreck of the Slug. I suspect he doesn't enjoy the vast amounts of wandering about you have to do in it. I had many hours fun playing this scenario. Good

STAREYE This was the first true epic (Riddle was just not "epic" enough for me) in Blades of Exile, an impressive feat for anyone or anytwo people as the case may be. As neat as this was, my memory of the playing experience was boredom. The scenario failed to hold my attention for too long. I cannot remember if I finished or not, but overall I was not overly impressed. My Score: Substandard

S.M. ADVENTURER This scenario was very nicely done. It was fun to play. Morris the Giant was a great character. Good plot too. My Rating: Good

BRUCE MITCHELL Short and sweet. Average

TERROR'S MARTYR Assuming that the errors of the beta were all fixed... It's a fun scenario. It's very short, it's easy almost too a fault (although that's not a huge problem), and it has some catchy plot hooks. Some "clever" things are done here and there, and it's altogether a very playable scenario. Average

I AM BOB SUSHI After playing the horribly failed Demon Island, many people avoided the sequel. Heck, most parties can’t make it to the Ice Tower before getting slaughtered by the hordes of Nightmare Imps and Fury Demons. In Demon Island II, however, things have changed on our little island. The lava is gone, making outdoor travel less tedious. The Nightmare Imps have been eliminated, thankfully, and the Fury Demons no longer wander unchecked. There are now more monsters, undead and the like, wandering the island, some powerful, others easily defeated. But there is familiar evil about, someone thought destroyed, still wandering, appearing, killing. It’s another wild party at Valgoth’s place! First and foremost, this is, in my opinion, on the top ten list for best designed scenarios of all time. There is one bug, the 100 town thing (which is much more evil than Zerivix), which makes the game un-winnable at its climax, but another tiny scenario, can be acquired from the author, contains the ending. That’s about it for design flaws. If there were any others, they had no effect on the game. And it excelled in many areas: There were two ‘movies’ within it, more advanced than Doom Moon II’s, dungeon design was better than good, the Blue Chests provided an intriguing side quest, the monsters were much more balanced than before (though still difficult), and the Arena/Casino/etc. is perhaps the best designed dungeon in the history of BoE. Is spent hours in the chess room trying to get a godlike rating. Puzzles were a big part of the scenario, and there were a lot. The maze, one of the first dungeons, would be nearly impossible to anyone who hadn’t played DI I. Zerivix’s gem puzzles were perhaps the most challenging I had ever had solved, and while not confusing, took a lot of trial and error to correctly complete. There was also the exorcism you can perform on the King is the most unique usages of a spell I’ve ever seen. Luckily, a hint file was included. While not required, it can save a lot of stress. While there was a bit of repetitiveness in the plot that was played, the plot as shown in the movies was well thought out and well created. I suppose that key, guardian, key, guardian cycle did get a bit annoying, but the dungeons were so varied, I didn’t really notice. Finally, the ending scenes were, like most good endings, emotionally stirring and fun to play. On to the cons. and there were a few. In the readme, Yancey said he made this scenario to be a challenge to those that wanted one. This scenario is not meant for parties without considerable experience, and almost ever boss showed this. Without the demon weapons from Doom Moon I, would have had considerable trouble against Zerivix. There was a lot of combat, not as much as Spy’s Quest, but still a lot. Most was difficult, but like Dragon’s Revenge, nothing a strong party couldn’t easily handle. Those that put scenarios like Election at the top of their favorites list will hate this scenario. Those that put Doom Moon II at the top will love it. Also, there were a few spelling and grammar errors, but a few billion less than DI I. Custom graphics were, next to design, this scenario’s greatest asset. The castle, which is visited many times, contains very well made 3-D graphics. It’s a huge surprise to me that no one else has used them. Maybe if they’d take the time to play the scenario they’d find out about them. >:0 The warped reality was cool, and the Giant Squid was similar to the final monster in DM II, in that you attack multiple monsters making up a whole. I give Demon Island II a 8, and Minidemon, it’s companion piece (the ending) a .5. So all in all, it gets an 8.5. I highly recommend that if you have a nice strong party, you give this one a try. GOOD

DRAKEFYRE Hack-fest, but the 3D graphics were astounding. I'm going to have to say that I'm not sure whether this was really better than the original. Substandard

BRUCE MITCHELL Epic. Very very tough combat. Puzzles that are highly unlikely to be solved without the walkthrough. I found the walkthrough insufficient - and drawing maps was essential. The Ice Castle especially is a nightmare. The optional 25 blue orbs is probably impossible - and the designer won't give more than basic hints in emails. I never will know what's in the blue chests and what happens with the aliens. I loved the Battle Arena. Also good were: Slot Machine, Wheel of Luck, Treasure Fishing, Target Practice. The final battle is exciting - but due to some 100-town flaw you will need to email the designer for the ending. I enjoyed the 3D-type graphics for the Castle etc. Generally I enjoyed the graphics. I have played this scenario twice, the first time without the graphics - which made the scenario even harder, but also made the graphics so welcome second time around. The problem is that the graphics file needs to be renamed in synch with the EXS file. The Chaos Maze is extremely sadistic - especially the 2nd level. You must have a six PC party (for Castle Zerivix Level Three). Average

The 3d graphics alone get it at least a 6, in my book. Unfortunately, it doesn't have much besides that to raise its score with. Still, it's decent. Average

ALCRITAS Why, oh Why? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice,... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Waaaaaay back when, when the scenario review archive was still at Malkeera, I reviewed Demon Island the first. For those that don’t remember, I stated: “Quite honestly, I’m shocked that this scenario was created. On one hand, the author displays an excellent command of the scenario editor — the opening is fast and dramatic and there are many well executed special nodes — including one very impressive cinematic sequence, something I thought impossible within the BOE editor prior to witnessing it here. But on the other hand, the scenario suffers from a VERY fatal flaw, [Too many demons.]” Well, frankly, as shocked as I was at the creation of Demon Island the first, I am ever more shocked that Ross Yancey (yancey AT bmi DOT net) has now created as released Demon Island II. This guy’s got too much skill and too much time to be making these kinds of scenarios. I can’t believe, after the very poor reception Demon Island the first got, he came back to program more. Given Demon Island II’s reception, I’d expect he’s gone for good now. Hopefully, I will be proven wrong, and he’ll come back to design something a bit more player friendly. Alright, let’s get right to the heart of the matter — DI2 suffers from the same fundamental flaw as DI1 — too many demons, too much combat, too many illogical puzzles, and too little redeeming features. Soooooo much combat. Better than the first — it’s variety is changed a bit (there are now fire demons, and you’re periodically attacked by various items/objects), but it’s still constant, and it’s still extremely hard, and it still grates on your nerves. If you didn’t find the combat in Doom Moon II or Spy’s Quest tedious, you’ll love this scenario. If you did, stay away as if it were the plague! Speaking of Doom Moon II, Demon Island II bears a great deal of similarity to that scenario, even beyond their similarly poor choice of names. Apart from the constant overwhelming combat, Demon Island II, like Doom Moon II (boy, is that going to get confusing.), is littered with illogic puzzles. Once again, if you don’t mind them, play ahead. If you do like them, flee fearless friend, flee! The problem with Demon Island II is that, while the technology is competent, it’s not an earth-shattering leap forward like DM2. In DM2, the combat problem was overcome by the great features of the scenario — you wanted to keep playing to see what great new feature would appear next. But there’s really not all that much that is new in DI2, and it’s just not worth fighting through another three hundred Haakais to see things you’ve seen a dozen places before. (Incidentally, since writing the review for Demon Island the first, I have discovered there is a way to repeatedly cast “Ravage Spirit”, or any other spell, without pulling up the select spell menu. Typing a capitalized “P” [or “M] will cause the PC to cast the exact same priest [or mage] spell she/he previously cast. You probably all know this, but it’s a relatively recent discovery for me, and trust me, I used it a lot!) Spelling errors/bugs have been cut down dramatically from Demon Island the first, although there is a fatal bug at the end, that requires an additional scenario file to complete. It’s a pain, but if you insist on playing through this giant demon infested scenario, you might as well see the finish line. Leaving all that I’ve just said aside, however, there is one overwhelming positive of Demon Island II. Early on, you’ll return to a castle you visited (that is if you happened to play Demon Island the first), to find it overrun with — wait for it — Demons. Okay, nothing special there. But the sequence in you climbing the castle to find the big bad and kill him is truly spectacular, highlighted by what I believe is the first use of truly 3D graphics in the Blades engine. Honestly, my recommendation is that you play the scenario to this point — the combat is worth trudging through for this early encounter. At that point, you’ll be able to decide whether to keep going or not. If you like lotsa combat and strange illogic puzzles, you’ll love Demon Island II. If you’re like me, and you play Blades mostly for the plot, it’ll be time to cast “File: Exit”. My score - Average

S.M. ADVENTURER Average

THE CREATOR Average

KHOTH Not bad. I think there was too much combat (at one point I thought I was stuck in an infinite loop) and the music puzzle was very annoying for someone like me with no knowledge of such things. On the other hand, I did enjoy it. Good

DRAKEFYRE It's decent, but a bit Monty Haul and typical TM combat. Average

ZXQUEZ Ehh, not much to say, since I couldn't beat it. I say Good

BRUCE MITCHELL Combat-oriented scenario with good rewards. Enjoyable if you like this sort of thing. You have to make various choices along the way and I'm not sure how these influence the plot. I found this to be Terrors Martyrs most coherent plot at the time of its release. The puzzle that requires knowledge of music seemed out of place. A tough optional dungeon with fine rewards - easy to miss unless you read the hint file, as it's only revealed by someone who appears after a certain point. Average

SIMMIC I have to say, when writing Justice, Akhronath didn’t seem to be very poetic. Looking at his other two scenarios, Earthward Road and River and Leaf, I was somewhat surprised. Justice was the first scenario of his I ever played, and it shouldn’t be taken as an example of what the rest are like. Both River and Leaf and Earthward Road begin with a bit of poetry; Justice begins with a quotation, and a very apt quotation too. As it’s the first thing you’ll read anyhow, I can’t see myself spoiling anything — “A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” — Joseph Stalin. Strangely true. This scenario, some would say, could almost be a, well, smaller replica of A Small Rebellion set in a different time and place. It begins by vaguely telling you that you’re Empire soldiers in the Empire War against Exile. But you’re not fighting Exile. You are purging the land of Sliths. Some of us will remember the slaughter of entire villages of Sliths that Limoncelli directed in Exile II. This is what you’re meant to be doing in this scenario. And no wonder, I thought, that it’s rated R. Combat is some of the most challenging you’ll get, harder even than Nephil’s Gambit. In this manner, the designer almost turns it into a mental challenge, forcing you to use spells usually disregarded or ignored, to use hit-and-run tactics and generally fight conservatively. Nor does the scenario lack in other, more directly mental challenges. I’ll warn a player about one thing in this scenario — don’t use a 1 PC party. I beta-tested this scenario, and, upon reflection, decided that to use a 1 PC party was darn near suicidal. While some scenarios, such as On A Ship To Algiers, are suited to 1 PC parties, this scenario is quite the opposite. Avoid them. Also, if you’re the sort who doesn’t enjoy combat, play through with a medium or higher level party. Plot is one of the strongest points of the scenario, of course. Although, as mentioned earlier, the usual poetry is lacking, Akhronath’s use of English does by no means get any worse. Everything is written feelingly, except perhaps outdoor encounters. Of all the scenarios I’ve played, this one brings me the closest I’ve ever been to crying about what is going on. Which isn’t that close, but it was nevertheless a very good effort. Characters are well fleshed-out and well-written like the rest of the dialogue; each has his own personality. Each has their ideals, but none of them, you will think, are actually bad or evil people. Such an achievement is what I think of as one of the ultimate realisms in Blades. This scenario is well worth playing. It’s short but challenging, and more than worthy of your attention. My score - Good

BEN FRANK On hearing about Justice, by Akhronath, I very much looked forward to the opportunity to play a short, solid, scenario. While there seem to be many attempts at epics out in the Blades world, there are few good small stories that can be played to the end in a few hours. With only a little time at this point in life to take an interest in Blades, this seemed an ideal opportunity. The scenario itself is solid, but very, very linear. You play a small party dispatched to a part of the Exile cave system inhabited by Sliths. Your mission, to wipe them out (or not) and free up Empire resources to deal with the Exiles. (The scenario occurs concurrently with the original Exile series.) Game play consists largely of running up and back between different areas in a small cave system, collecting items and delivering messages. It is in this manner that the linearity becomes frustrating; I found I had to visit many places multiple times. The first time was inevitably “out of order” so nothing happened, while on a subsequent visit (after killing the beasts again, getting the right dialog phrase from the right person, or whatever) the required event occurred. Additionally, if you can’t find or overcome the current obstacle, you can’t advance the scenario. The battles are quite challenging given the limited resources at your disposal. Given that the scenario is designed for a starting party (and I start with three characters) you often find yourself strapped for resources, spells, or even weapons. There is little treasure, but then there is nothing much to do with any you find anyway. The dialog is strong and coherent and the plot is well fleshed out. The only plot drawback is that the decision point comes very late, missing an opportunity for a Of Good And Evil type ethical struggle. Overall the scenario is well crafted and interesting. While not great, it does not aspire to be. Ranking - Average