Playing the Role

[Magenta]

It's just over two months since Mutagen was released. It has now taken over as my all-time favorite RPG, replacing... you guessed it... the original Geneforge. I continue to be amazed at Jeff's ability to weave together a story that can be played and replayed in so many different ways. This is role playing at its best. I have joined all the sects at one time or another, and played without joining any sects. I have played as a Shaper, and a solo pacifist Agent. I played as a Guardian who Feisty Slapped the S#$% out of some well-deserving Sholai and rogues (thanks for the tip BenS). And played again as an mostly solo Agent but not pacifist. I have played normal, veteran and torment. I'm not very good at combat, so I fully expected to fail on torment, but there were these medals, and well, I had to at least give it a try. I would be embarrassed to admit how many times I died and reloaded, but persistence paid off. I not only finished, I cleared all the areas before using the Geneforge, except of course Guarded Docks. And yes, I earned all the medals.

After all that, I still can't wait to start another run. This time I want to play as a Shaper again. For some reason, this is the hardest role for me to play. From time to time, I will find myself using Agent or Guardian tactics, which is not the best use of the Shaper's innate abilities. I find it interesting that there is no longer any incentive to keep the same creations around for a long time. This means you can create and recreate them as needed for each situation. I know some people feel like expendability means destroying their beloved pets, but I don't think that is how a real Shaper would think. Shapers are arrogant SOBs, who use their creations as tools, not pets. If your hammer breaks, you might be annoyed but you just get another one. There is no remorse over lost tools. At least that's how I plan to play it. We'll see how it goes.

[BenS]

I also loved this remake, playing it 4x--a record for me for any SW game. I also completed a Torment run for the 1st time. I'd say this all bodes well for the future remakes.

[Magenta]

17 minutes ago, BenS said:

I also loved this remake, playing it 4x--a record for me for any SW game. I also completed a Torment run for the 1st time. I'd say this all bodes well for the future remakes.

Congrats. I don't know about you, but I struggled on Torment. I'm glad I did it though. Besides the extreme satisfaction of knowing I can do it, I also learned a lot about different approaches to combat. And I was surprised how many different approaches it took. 

[BenS]

To be fair, I had the meta-advantage of having played the game 3x before I attempted Torment, and even then there were some tough times ahead. I talked about it in more detail in a thread I started about Torment. I give a lot of credit to Jeff and the beta-testers for ensuring the various difficulty levels were indeed balanced and offered their own levels of satisfaction upon completion.

 

I fully expect a multi-game run w/ the future remakes. I can hardly wait.

[Magenta]

16 minutes ago, BenS said:

I fully expect a multi-game run w/ the future remakes. I can hardly wait.

Me too, but it will probably be YEARS. I'm going to try Avernum next - I've never played it. Maybe it will keep me busy until #2 comes out.

[BenS]

9 hours ago, Magenta said:

Me too, but it will probably be YEARS. I'm going to try Avernum next - I've never played it. Maybe it will keep me busy until #2 comes out.

Oh, I love that series too. But it's different from GF, so manage your expectations. It's a classic 4-person party. The 1st 3 of 6 have been remade, and I've played them all.