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If
you are looking for perhaps one of the most original, innovative and "dark"
video games to come down the pike for the PlayStation, Deception may clearly be
for you.
The game opens with you (as the elder Prince) speaking with
your father (the King) about your recent journey abroad with your fiance Fiana,
when suddenly your father topples from his throne, dead...with your sword
sticking out from his back! Your brother just happens to be in the kings
chambers with you at the time and calls for the guards, claiming that you killed
their father. You are promptly sentenced to death in the town square. Your
dying wish is that whomever framed you be brought to justice and that your life
be spared...oh, you also yell out something to the fact that you would even sell
your soul to Satan if your wish could be granted...Guess what, the devil just
happened to be listening to you. After your death, you are visited by one of
his messengers, a woman named Astarte. She informs you that your life has been
spared (in a way) but the catch is that you must spend the rest of your "life"
as the master of a mansion. As part of the deal, you must lure people into the
mansion and sacrifice their souls to Satan himself...
Sound like your
kind of game so far? Read on...if not, read on anyway...perhaps I can change
your mind!!!
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A
strategy game with RPG elements.
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Whoa!
Very nicely done polygon characters over a completely 3D mansion backdrop.
Actually there are two main screen display modes that you are presented with.
The 3D mode, which has you in a first person perspective and a strategy mode
where you are able to create and place traps throughout the mansion and build or
remove rooms to the mansion. Room and trap building play an intrical part in
this game. Depending on who is in your mansion, the proper trap and trap
placement is crucial. The strategy screens are all laid out very logically and
are easy to understand and manipulate. Strategy game lovers should really enjoy
this part of the game, as it really leaves the options up to you.
The
3D mode however is where the game really starts to shine. You are able to
freely roam the confines of your mansion, stalking, luring and capturing your
victims. All of the characters are uniquely designed and rendered beautifully.
Character attributes are also nicely depicted. A strong opponent is very large
and slow, but god help you if they corner you. Trap experts are skinny and
wirey as they should be. Psychics float above the ground and wizards kind of
glide around. There are at least 20 different types of characters each with
their own graphic representation. Another nice touch is the fact that many of
the same type of characters, say a soldier or a fatemaker, will have different
color clothes on and different facial proffers.
The animation is
rather basic for the most part, but doesn't detract from the game in the least.
I would rank the graphics right up there with Tekken 2, they are just not as
fluidly animated.
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Great
thought has obviously been put into the sound effects and musical score of this
game as there is plenty to hear. Objects being hurled or cast at you all sound
different for each character...a variety of screams, howls and cries also
accompany you along the journey. The suspense of the game is really highlighted
when you are running and in addition to hearing your footsteps echoing
realistically through the mansion, you can hear those of your quarry...who
sometimes sneak up on your from behind! Swords clash, armor clangs, wizards
wiz...well, you get my drift. The effects are all superbly executed.
The
musical score is also nicely done and quite original. Each menu screen has it's
own "special" little tune and each chapter is emphasized with an
equally dramatic soundtrack. I have often found a couple of tunes to be stuck
in my head hours after playing this game.
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First
off, let me start by saying, this game requires NINE BLOCKS of space on a memory
card. If you really want to get the most out of this game, I would suggest you
buy two new fresh cards, one for each memory card slot on your PlayStation. The
reason for this is because during any given chapter (a chapter is similar to a
level) of the game you are presented with many options and decisions. You may
want to save one possible outcome on a card just in case you want to try that
path later.
As I mentioned earlier, this game has some very dark
overtones to it. There are basically two sections to each chapter. The first is
the main chapter and usually consists of a mini story about some person or
another that has decided to visit the mansion and kill you for the reward money,
or to take your place as the dark ruler of the mansion or to try and find hidden
treasures that are strewn about the place. This portion of the game often
presents you with moral or ethical dilemma's. One example is a chapter where a
young couple come to the mansion with hopes of killing you for the reward money.
The reason they need the money is to afford an operation to save their young
daughter from death. If you decide to capture and kill the parents (which, of
course is what I did!), you are presented with a short clip of the daughter,
walking back and forth by her death bed calling for her mommy and daddy. Some
pretty intense stuff to be sure. After completing a chapter you enter the next
segment and are given the option of collecting more bodies. Your goal in this
part of the game is to lure people into your mansion. Once there you have the
option of killing them for; A: gold. This will enable you to buy and create
bigger and better traps later in the game. It also enables you to purchase goods
from a merchant. B: sacrificing their souls to Satan. This option also gives
you additional magic points that are required to set your traps or C: using
their dead and rotting corpses to create monsters. The monsters are then yours
to control and use however you see fit during the game. Using an equal balance
of all three options is critical for your success in this epic adventure. Also
worthy of note, is that each character you kill will usually have something
besides gold that could prove useful to you. A black orb for instance, is
needed to release a monster...run out of orbs and you can no longer release your
nasty little inventions until you get more.
The game in my opinion has
a great deal of replay value. There are numerous decisions that can be made
throughout the game that would affect the direction your character takes. The
game also has multiple endings. You furthermore have a LOT of different traps
that are at your disposal. These traps can be used to confuse your prey, trap
and capture them or just plain out kill them. My favorite trap is the voltage
hand. This is a giant hand that projects out of a wall and squeezes your
victims to death, while electrocuting them...hehehe. Another nice little trap
is the flaming spike. This nasty little trap pops out of the wall, and skewers
your prey with fire. Nice, creative stuff here folks...
The game also
has a distinctive Role Playing feel to it as well. As you kill your hapless
victims, you gain points in experience, magic, skill, etc. Trust me, in the
later levels you will need all the experience you can get! As each character
attribute is distinctively different, so must you plan and model your traps to
successfully capture them. Set the wrong trap for say, a sorcerer, and it will
easily evade it, leaving you open for it's attack. To make matters worse, as you
progress in the later chapters of play, the characters get harder to defeat.
Traps that may have once worked, will no longer do the deed. The trick here is
to save your gold so you can afford to build bigger and better traps. If not,
you will just become another forgotten master of the mansion and sentenced to
fry in hell....
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A
thoroughly unique and additive game. It combines strategy, adventure and moral
decision making expertly to produce a very satisfying and memorable game playing
experience. Let's just hope the religious or government groups don't catch on
and hear about this game!!
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TOM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Good |
I
am up to Chapter 20. I have logged around 15 or 20 hours on this baby and it's
still going strong. I have found that when confronted with heady moral
decisions, kill first and worry about the consequences later...enjoy! |
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SOUND: |
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8/10 |
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