Summary
Developer – Artefacts Studio, Shine Group
Publisher – New Tales
Platforms – PC (reviewed)
Review copy given by publisher
When the forces of evil begin to emerge, it falls to a band of heroes to stop them. Everyone has different objectives at first but realize the threat is too large for them to ignore. By journeying and investigating different locations, the team comes together and defeats a variety of enemies. The encounters strengthen our heroes and allow them to battle even greater threats. Should they need more treasures, they can also re-explore previous missions to get anything they missed.
Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent provides several quick maps that allow you to experience the CRPG genre in a convenient way. You get a team of heroes and explore maps that don’t take long to complete. The story’s strength is diluted from this formula and it’s more geared for quick play sessions. If you have friends to play with, this is a great multiplayer option but singleplayer may not be as fulfilling.
The main story is a group of individuals pursuing a common cause. However, this is interrupted by the arrival of undead forces that herald something bigger. Other allies meet the heroes and unite around this new threat. As they journey across various locations, they see just how dangerous the situation is and what they need to do to stop it. Each adventure strengthens our heroes and helps them defeat the ultimate threat waiting at the end.
Every story has a chapter that’s split into five parts. You must complete each part before moving onto the next but you can revisit anything you have previously cleared. None of the stories take much time to complete, usually no more than an hour unless you are having great difficulty. This means that it’s perfect for quick play sessions especially if you have friends over. The basics are easy to learn and parties can start exploring immediately.
The ease of jumping into a story without needing much background is great for quick play sessions. You know the basics and uncover more of the story as you explore. It’s similar to short tabletop games where you control a cast of characters and everyone goes on a quick adventure. Everyone can cooperate and have a good time deciding how to deal with threats or search for treasure.
However, the stories were designed for quick play sessions and you don’t develop much of a bond or attachment to the characters. You can switch the entire cast apart from mandatory characters and no one thinks it’s weird. This makes it hard to build a connection to characters over a story if they are interchangeable. While this isn’t bad for a quick play session, it does mean longer sessions don’t have the same enjoyment.
Thankfully gameplay is easy to pick up and it’s not hard to learn for a CRPG. You get all the information you need and the tutorial is detailed. It takes time for you to gain access to every character and develop their arsenal but it’s easy to build powerful teams once you do. That means you can jump into a game quickly and make the most of your team. Some information like elemental types need some careful reading but you soon understand what elements to bring along.
Every character gets their chance to shine and the ability to replay levels lets you experiment with different teams. It’s always nice to find another combination you didn’t think of or clear levels with a powerful team. You also have the chance to pick up treasures that you had to leave behind in the past. It’s a great way to incentivize replaying levels and strengthening your team while learning about utilizing every team member.
Unfortunately the game’s design does drag down the interest. Once you know what teams are effective, maps aren’t that interesting to play. There’s only a certain number of team combinations and there’s little reason to replay a section. Unless you are struggling and need more experience, replaying sections feels like a chore after some time. Without friends to make the experience more enjoyable, the appeal can sour quickly.
Terrinoth: Heroes of Descent is a great entry point for anyone who is interested in the CRPG genre. You can quickly pick up games and play with friends, discovering the power of your team. Unfortunately it was designed for the multiplayer experience in mind and that means playing solo may not be as enjoyable. That doesn’t take away from the pick-up nature of the game and you can still have fun. For the best enjoyment, bring your friends.
