You’re bound to be in for a decent game when the story starts off with your protagonist going to the toilet and then ends up in a dark castle while being possessed by an evil spirit. It’s how I like to imagine Castlevania really started. Developed by Franfistro and published by Enjoy Up, Unepic is a game about lighting up rooms, lots of rooms, seriously, that’s where the majority of your time will be spent. This RPG made by one man has impressed me though, designing it, programming it, composing it and drawing it all out is no easy task and a wonderful job has been done all around.
You can tell the game draws from the great games of old. Unepic‘s setting, a medieval castle, is obviously drawing from Castlevania along with the collection element stemming from Metroid; put them together and what have you got? Everyone’s favourite indie related word “Metroidvania“. While I despise the term, Unepic successfully pulls it off and it’s no longer a buzzword to sell the game to us nerds who are stuck in the past. The game progresses as you defeat bosses and patience is probably the biggest enemy in the game, you’re going to be exploring a lot. It’s your job to light up each room manually, going from torch to torch in each room so you can visualise your surroundings and discover the traps that have been set out to bring you to your demise.
You’re going to need to whip out your notebook too, this game much like those of the 8 and 16-Bit era requires you to carefully approach enemies with specific weapons, armours and potions. You don’t have to use different weapons, but it makes the game much easier if you do. Maces, for example, are going to be more effective against enemies wearing armour than say, a dagger. However, none of that matters when your surrounded by a horde of enemies and you can’t defeat them with your longsword, and this is where the game falls short.
While the freedom to distribute the skill points you earn and no hand-holding is a blessing that modern games need to learn, you’ll have to decide if you want to be average at everything or become the next incarnation of Merlin and dominate the magic side of the game, essentially overpowering your character. Levelling up allows you access to better equipment, but you can’t level up in everything, so you’ll have to choose among weapons, magic and equipment types. Many of the enemies are unbalanced and therefore you’ll naturally need a bit of everything, but if you discover that too late, you essentially can’t progress due to the harsh nature of the Unepic‘s bosses (that’s not to say I don’t enjoy the difficulty, but this takes the metaphorical biscuit). Planning and strategies are key, you’ll need to think about what you’re up against before you put the plan into action.
However, due to the abilities of the Wii U’s GamePad, planning and tactics are made much easier. You can assign specific items and weapons to button combinations, allowing instant access to vital items and even pets in times of need. A click press on the screen and you’re ready and equipped to take on the room ahead. Quest information and the current status of your character is also displayed too, which, for someone like me who doesn’t have the time to spend hours on one session of playing, is a godsend. I always find myself returning to games and wondering what I need to do, so it’s very much appreciated. Off-TV play is supported too and allows the player to zoom in and out of the screen, so you can focus in and out of action and see where you need to go next.
Hit and miss is how I’d describe Unepic, it always felt like one step forward and then another back. It might be due to my inexperience with RPG’s, but on the whole, I really enjoyed the game. One of the game’s shining points was the writing and narrative, while some might despise the very sheltered references to nerd culture, I quite enjoyed it and felt it matched the RPG and game itself. Whether it was a Metal Gear Solid reference, The Matrix or even Star Wars, while at times it did feel forced, it worked. Also brilliant was the constant discussions between the protagonist Daniel and the being that has possessed his body, Zeral. The latter wants you to die so he can be released, so his use as an unreliable narrator is used to brilliant effect and creates very funny moments. He even goes as far to explain why you and enemies respawn, breaking the fourth wall, but doing it appropriately.
In the end, Unepic provides enough content to satisfy the RPG gamer looking to relive the days of old. While enemies can appear unbalanced in the later stages of the game, the challenge is tough, but when you pull it off after careful planning, the satisfaction hits the spot. There’s definitely a great game here and it’s supported by a brilliant narrative; an impressive feat for just one person and Unepic is certainly a game worthy of your time.
Thank you to Franfistro for providing me with a review code to produce this review.