Eschalon: Book II
- July 11, 2010
- Basilisk Games
Get on Steam"Eschalon: Book II" is a turn-based RPG that lets players explore a vast world filled with countless items, monsters, puzzles, and traps. The game is the second chapter in the Eschalon trilogy, and it allows players to go anywhere and do anything at their own pace. No prior experience with the first game is required to enjoy Book II's engaging and immersive storyline.
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Reviews
- Eschalon: Book II offers a nostalgic and enjoyable isometric CRPG experience with improved gameplay mechanics over its predecessor.
- The game features a rich open world filled with diverse environments, quests, and character customization options, making it engaging for fans of classic RPGs.
- Many players appreciate the challenging gameplay and the ability to tailor difficulty settings, providing a rewarding experience for those who enjoy strategic combat.
- The game's RNG mechanics can be frustrating, with players often experiencing low hit chances and being overwhelmed by enemies, leading to tedious gameplay.
- The story is criticized for being incomplete and poorly executed, with some players feeling that it lacks the depth and intrigue of the first game.
- Navigation can be irritating due to the map design, and the game suffers from pacing issues, with excessive walking and backtracking required.
- story36 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story has been criticized for being incomplete, often leaving players with unresolved plotlines and a cliffhanger ending. While some players appreciate the storytelling and character development, many feel that the narrative lacks depth compared to the previous installment, with significant plot elements introduced but not fully explored. Overall, the game is seen as having a decent plot but is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and a sense of disconnection from the first game.
“Great storytelling.”
“Good story.”
“Awesome story, game writing, and it's really hard.”
“The story is incomplete; it doesn't finish its main storyline, ending the game on a cliffhanger.”
“During the game, there's one evil race, the Taurax, and then in the middle, you hear about an even greater evil, but you never hear from that again... until the end, where it suddenly becomes the main antagonist in just a few seconds.”
“On the negative side, the map design is worse, with many empty areas, and the story is also lacking compared to the first game.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of strengths and weaknesses. While the game features improved mechanics and tactical options compared to its predecessor, players criticize unbalanced enemies, tedious backtracking, and a frustrating item identification system that can lead to financial loss. Despite these issues, the game is praised for its faithful adaptation of tabletop RPG mechanics and immersive atmosphere, appealing to fans of the genre.
“Its real strength is in game mechanics; the graphics are about 30 years out of date and the story is sort of underwhelming, but the mechanics are a pretty faithful adaptation of a tabletop RPG system and it's fun to play if that's what you're into.”
“Where the game really stands out from the normal fantasy games are the optional game mechanics.”
“Compared with its predecessor, the combat mechanics were improved by adding a couple of tactical options and increasing the general game speed.”
“Also another grating mechanic - the price to identify items. You actually almost lose money identifying items when selling them afterward, unless you have tons of mercantile skill, which again leads to another problem: the impossible to maintain at useful levels suite of too many skills.”
“On gameplay, it is identical to the first one, except that here I firmly believe that the enemies are way too unbalanced throughout the game.”
“There is tons of walking back and forth - even with fast travel - which really pads out the game length, adding at least a couple of hours to gameplay.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with some reviewers noting they feel about 30 years behind modern standards. While there have been minor improvements since the previous installment, such as better screen size and simple yet well-executed visuals, the game still lacks support for 1080p resolution. Despite these shortcomings, some players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of older RPGs.
“Much like the game that came before it, the only thing that has improved is the graphical quality.”
“Simple but well-done visuals, great character progression, lots of loot and plenty of content make for a very enjoyable experience.”
“Its real strength is in game mechanics, but the graphics are about 30 years out of date and the story is sort of underwhelming.”
“Cons: although they upgraded the size of the graphics on screen (from book 1), book 2 still is not capable of displaying 1080p.”
“It's like the older Elder Scrolls games, but with Ultima-style graphics and interface.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its challenge system, which tracks player stats and encourages diverse playstyles, such as completing the game as a thief or healer. These challenges provide players with new objectives and experiences, enhancing the overall longevity of the game.
“The game keeps a record of your kill, lockpicking, and other stats, providing various challenges to enhance replay value, such as playing as a thief (never bashing anything) or a healer (never using a weapon).”
“The inclusion of challenges significantly boosts the game's replayability.”
“The addition of challenges gives some replayability to the game.”
“Challenges (the game keeps record of your kill/lockpicking/etc. stats) provide various ways to improve replay value, such as playing as a thief (never bash anything) or a healer (never use a weapon).”
“The addition of challenges gives some replayability to the game.”
- music4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised as phenomenal, with multiple users highlighting its exceptional quality and impact.
“Phenomenal music.”
“Again, the music is amazing.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as they often face overwhelming enemy numbers in battles, leading to repetitive cycles of running and resting. This mechanic can detract from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
“The enemies outnumber you in every single fight, and it just gets tedious to have to run and rest, then run and rest.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a unique gameworld-wide turn-based system that contributes to an absorbing atmosphere, enhancing the overall player experience.
“The game features a unique world with a captivating turn-based system and an immersive atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is incredibly absorbing, drawing you into the unique game world.”
“The combination of the turn-based system and the rich atmosphere creates a truly unique gaming experience.”
