Vic Davis's Occult Chronicles is spoo-oo-ooky!

[sclpls]

So this is funny, yesterday I added Vic's blog to my RSS feed so I would stop checking his website obsessively for updates that hadn't happened in months. Today sure enough there was an update! The logical response would be after such a long break probability was on my side, but isn't it even likelier that this is the result of some conspiring ancient monstrosity?

Anyway, I am stoked for this Lovecraftian roguelike.

http://www.crypticcomet.com/blog/?p=935

[sclpls]

The beta for this is now available.

 

My impression so far is calling it a roguelike is maybe taking things a bit too far. I guess it is another roguelike-like (ugh... that word, we really need a better term). The roguelike elements are a randomly generated spooky mansion to explore, permadeath, and high risk/reward scenarios. Like most Vic Davis games it plays very much like a board game, and most encounters are resolved by a trick taking card game. People familiar with Lovecraft games like Arkham Horror will settle right in.

 

The UI still isn't like incredibly friendly, but by Vic's standards this is a huge leap forward. I was able to play competently in my second game without consulting the manual or anything. With his other games reading the manual is essential.

 

The graphics are nice, and the writing for this game is absolutely amazing. Seriously, this is probably the best writing I have seen in a game since Alpha Centauri. If you are skipping past all the writing in this game to resolve actions quickly you are playing the game wrong. This is a game you need to play as a slow burn.

 

There are a bunch of other amazing things I want to say about this game, but it would probably be spoiler-y. I hope people here check the game out because I think there are a lot of people that would really dig this game a lot.

[osmosisch]

I made the mistake of booting the beta and trying to get anywhere without reading the quickstart guide. I should have known better from his previous game. Opaque doesn't even begin to cover it.

 

That said, I can see/smell all sorts of interesting stuff lurking below the surface that I can't wait to get my teeth into. It's looking good.