I have considered writing a serious albeit in-exhaustive review of Inquisitor Martyr for some time. That being said, after humming and hahing for a few days, I decided to add my $0.02 to the chorus rather than working on articles I should be working on. So, with a pot of coffee on deck and laptop ready, let's dive in.
What I love about Inquisitor Martyr:
Very few games manage to nail the dark, visceral attraction that draws in fans of Gothic fiction. While I wouldn't say that Inquisitor Martyr (IM) gets it absolutely right, they certainly give it a good shot. The maps are scattered with Opus Francigenum (that's Gothic for you agri-world bumpkins) architecture, vaulting winged statues and even renaissance-esque detailing that really catch the eye. Mixed with the traditional horror tropes of the 40k universe and with a dash of steampunk, they've got a really good vibe going.
The story is no slouch either, at least at the beginning. The narrative comes racing out of the gates strong with cinematic cut scenes, voice acted character dialogue, in-game cut scenes, thematic reading material, and two plot lines. Nice! Missions are tied to the character NPCs that will make up your home base, offering the services that you make use of throughout the game. While this trend is par for the course with ARPGs (Diablo anyone?) it definitely inspires some excitement when you consider what your home-base-super-gothic-spaceship will grow into. And with that, the stage is set for said our fledgling Inquisitor to start really smashing chaos skulls.
I still remember the first encounter with a Chaos Hellbrute, a giant half machine, half organic menace as it lumbered out of the shadows. An inspired moment of game development. You're bound to get a few of those in your first few hours. The initial design of the enemies (mobs) is great. Not only does it hearken back to the units of the tabletop game, but the animations are pretty spectacular. That's where the game shines, in attracting pre-existing fans of 40k. Unfortunately for me, that's also where the positives end; sure, I love the game as a 40k fan, but as a pure ARPG fan I would have dropped it awhile ago. So let's dive into the heresy that pollutes Neocore's finest.
Maybe I've been spoiled by modern ARPG and MMORPG games and the freedom they offer to play with builds on the fly. Nevertheless, not only is respec'ing fun, it can also be an integral part of progression depending on the game. I like playing games on hard, and that means having an effective build. Unfortunately, this is where IM really started to develop a limp for me. With the ability to choose a number of active skills, passive skills which unlock as you level, an entire page of passive and active skill indexes, as well as character properties, weapon abilities and affixes, I was initially quite overwhelmed and a fair bit frustrated. After reaching roughly 20 hours in game, I was ready to start tinkering with my builds, but alas in IM creating a new build isn't as easy as finding the correct gear, skills and properties. You will need to find a particular rare drop that allows you to reset one skill tree of the numerous trees you will inevitably use for one build. By the emperor.. At 30+ hours, I have only found one.
Well if you are pigeonholed in terms of abilities, at least the game is aesthetically pleasing, right? Right..?
Sure, the art design feels particularly inspired, but there isn't a whole lot of it when it comes to the two big ones: character customization and map diversity. Giving credit where credit is due, you will unlock the ability to dye equipment quite early on, but for whatever reason (likely due to the excessive grim-dark everywhere) the colors are not particularly striking. At 30 plus hours in the game, I have only come across a handful of models for my character's primary weapon, and the term "handful" is being quite generous here. Yes, the top tier relic weapons were bugged, and that has now been fixed. However, in that entire time playing I can only recall three weapon skins. Armor is similarly.. well.. similar. People take alot of pride and joy in customizing and building up a particularly cool in-game model, which is satisfying to see kicking ass on screen, and unfortunately IM doesn't quite hit the mark here, but here's to them working on this in the future.
The same aesthetic problems carry over to map design, which is a huge part of any ARPG (barring procedurally generated games). Like I said, there are a plethora of great gothic and steampunk-esque doodads on every map that are candy for existing 40k fans. Underneath however there are a few map themes which are recycled over again and are neither particularly striking or thematic in my opinion. Some people may think differently, but the problem doesn't end there. Combat in IM is dependent on utilizing terrain and objects on the map for optimum heretic-smashing, but the base mechanics are rife with issues. Oftentimes, mobs can hit you, but you won't be able to hit mobs even with an ability that should be able to bypass the terrain. IM is one of the few ARPGs where when I die I feel cheated. You would think that this approach to combat means you can approach greater difficulties if you employ greater skill. In reality, you will spend most of your time kiting back endlessly, trying not to use too many skills (which punishes you in an entirely different way) until your quarry is dead.
If that all sounds a bit tedious, consider yourself forewarned that you will continue this cycle for some time, as the game is inherently grindy. Players can unlock missions which award particular types of weapons and currencies, but only after they've farmed enough premium currency called Fate. No you can't buy Fate, and there is no cash shop currently or in the future of the game according to Neocore, but it's almost as frustrating in IM's current iteration. Not all missions offer Fate, and you will need to complete 10+ of the missions that do in order to pay for the custom missions. This feature isn't optional either, as you will finish the campaign roughly halfway to level cap and those custom missions are the primary way to level up. IM has special events on weekends, but if you were hoping these will help you to your end-game goal, you're sadly mistaken. These special events are just as if not more grindy than the regular gameplay. Why do them? Well, you may get an emote or loot box. The better to show off to friends right? Well, currently world chat is disabled, and co-op is understated. Perhaps that will improve now that the bugs which plagued the game-mode are beginning to get ironed out.
To give credit where credit is due. Warhammer 40k fans will likely still enjoy the game, and the theme of the game really shines through. Each model looks like it was painstakingly crafted to align with the tabletop game. With a more streamlined build system, more bug-fixes, more character customization, and a greater diversity of enemies, IM may be the amazing 40k ARPG I've always wanted. Neocore Games has said they will support the game with ongoing world building, more races, and continued bug fixes, and thus far they have held true to their road map. For the time being however, Inquisitor Martyr remains a small hurrah for 40k fans that needs alot of work.
-KP
Submitted June 24, 2018 at 12:14PM by Brightwing33 https://ift.tt/2MlxPbv
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