After six years PC owners are finally getting the sequel to Dungeon Siege II, albeit from a different developer. Obsidian Entertainment are taking the helm this time around and even though you’d expect the makers of Alpha Protocol and Fallout: New Vegas to push out a buggy and flawed experience, we found their latest to be nothing of the sort.
Gameplay is very much what you’d expect of this franchise with combat utilising typical dungeon crawler mechanics and a zoomed out viewpoint which shows the battlefield from a lofty perspective. The plot takes place in the land of Ehb and involves a series of selectable protagonists fighting against the dark forces of Jeyne Kassyneder, a mysterious witch who has slain all but the very last of the 10th Legion and plunged the world into chaos. It’s the sort of plot fantasy fans will have heard plenty of times before. but it’s delivered via well produced animated cutscenes and good VO.
Before you begin your adventure there are four heroes to select from – Katarina, Lucas Montbarron, Anjali and Reinhart Manx. We were attracted to the fancy pistol play which was shown off in the game’s previous trailers, so we went for the lovely Katarina. Proficient in rifles and pistols she proves a well-balanced character, with the ability to switch between long range and short range attacks at the press of a key. Combat is still of the click to attack variety, with the option to cast out special attacks and buffers dependent on if your mana gauge can take the demand.
The campaign kicks off with a secret meeting of the last remnants of the 10th Legion at a grand mansion, before the premises is attacked by the forces of Jeyne Kassyneder. The order’s last surviving legionnaires flee the location to save their lives and it’s up to you to find them with the help of an elderly mentor.
Along the way there are plenty of groups to slay, some more troubling than others, and soon it becomes clear why Dungeon Siege III is being positioned as a co-op experience. Playing on your own can feel like a bit of a slog, but there is the option for another person to join you via a drop-in, drop-out structure. Due to the preview nature of this build we couldn’t test out how adding an extra mind to the mix changes the experience, but even on the lowest difficulty we found it quite challenging playing on our lonesome.
When you kill enemies they’ll occasionally drop equipment and there’s also scattered weapon racks and checks in the world to further satisfy your loot lust.
Additionally there’s also new abilities and skills to unlock as you earn XP and complete quests. Each character has nine abilities in total and they are split into two-different progression curves. When both are maxed out, they unlock a new powered-up version of that ability. It’s a really interesting system which compels you to specialise in one skill, rather than nerf your character – an all too present problem in this genre.
Along with killing, looting and exploring there’s also the opportunity to talk with characters and guide conversations down specific routes by choosing dialogue options. It isn’t original, but it does allow you to look at the *ahem* generously proportioned female figures and break up the sometimes seemingly relentless killing.
From our experience of the opening few hours of Dungeon Siege III, it is obvious that Obsidian Entertainment doesn’t want to reinvent this traditional RPG series, instead they’ve updated it with impressive new visuals and a story which makes the most of this genre’s established fantasy tropes. The sequel won’t surprise many, but if you’re looking for something to tide you and a friend over until Diablo III arrives this certainly fits the bill.
We’ll have a review of this dungeon crawler in the next issue of PCGZine.
Tags: Dungeon Siege 3, Dungeon Siege III
Diablo III feature plus previews for Crysis 3, Dishonored and War of the Roses. As well as reviews for both The Walking Dead and Sniper Elite V2.
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