Dungeon Siege III

2011 is the year of the fantasy role-playing game. With Torchlight, Two Worlds 2 and Dragon Age 2 already competing for the Tolkienian dollar (or should that be silver penny?), Elder Scrolls V: Skryim, Neverwinter and Diablo 3 are creeping up from behind with +5 daggers unsheathed. It is into this fray that Dungeon Siege III steps, waving a Wand of Diversion as it attempts to cast a level seven Stolen Thunder spell on the group. Will it succeed? Square Enix certainly think so, and they are keen to show us why.

Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games have taken a step back from the franchise for this third instalment. Though Taylor is still overseeing the project, the reins have been passed to sequel-makers-to-the-stars Obsidian. Fresh off the back of Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian’s developers have tried to merge the more traditional hack-and-slash elements of the Dungeon Siege franchise with their penchant for deep narrative and morality systems.

The game supports up to two players locally, and up to four online. It’s a drop in/drop out system, so you and your friends can quest together without having to draw up a schedule in advance. I got my hands on the two-player mode a few days ago, giving me the chance to put two of the game’s four central characters through their paces.

The character assigned to me was an Archon by the name of Anjali, a kind of warrior mage with a knack for levitation. In her human form she uses melee combat to vanquish her foes. Then, at the touch of a button, she shifts into her floating spirit form and the fireballs start flying. All four of the player characters are able to switch between two such stances at will, giving them a more rounded, less specialised feel.

I played alongside Lucas, a sword wielding warrior with the ability to unleash a powerful shield charge upon his enemies. As characters progress they are able to upgrade their powers and abilities by unlocking new spells and pouring experience into existing skills. As I battled the undead hordes populating the haunted castle, I gained an area effect spell which would incinerate baddies whilst simultaneously healing Anjali. Lucas acquired a shield charge skill, allowing him to smash through large groups of skeletons and send splintered femurs flying.

Successful co-op gameplay is about tactics, and Dungeon Siege III is no different. With Lucas’ melee focus and Anjali’s ranged abilities, I found myself hanging back and lobbing fireballs at necromancers while Lucas carved up large clusters of nasties with his sword. Things can get pretty hairy, and we often found ourselves back-to-back in a pool of healing fire, blocking and dodging while our bars recharged. While Lucas uses a shield for defence, my character has a nifty warp dodge in her spirit stance that sees her blipping around the battlefield at a moment’s notice.

When the story elements kicked in, the evidence of Obsidian’s heritage emerged. Dialogue options and morality choices appeared in the familiar form of a wheel centre-screen. As you would expect, the choices you make have an impact on the type of abilities you are awarded and the quests that eventually become available. In multiplayer your teammates can highlight their preferred choices on the wheel, but ultimately it is the lead player that has the power of veto. It’s an unusual system that betrays the game’s single-player focus, but it could lead to some invigorating headset squabbles in four player mode.

The demo ended with a boss showdown: a rowdy red demon conjured from a circle of evil priests. Thanks to a few extra items we had discovered and equipped a few rooms prior, our defences were strong and our attacks mighty. The demon fell and the castle was ours. I then had the choice to either release the castle to its current occupants, or indulge my despotic side by seizing control of the building. Each choice represented a different branch in the narrative, and would yield different rewards and items for my character. Whether these choices have a profound effect on the central narrative is unclear at this point. These separate plot paths could, if executed well, increase replay value, especially considering the four different characters you have at your disposal.

Dungeon Siege III is a curious hybrid of old and new features; a classic isometric quest-a-thon with modern augmentations. I enjoyed the hour I spent with the game – it was vibrant and fast-paced; fresh but familiar. Whether fans of the series will applaud the efforts to move the franchise into more populist RPG territory remains to be seen. It feels like Obsidian is trying to bring a lot to the table with this one. While this is extremely commendable and could pay dividends if everything is balanced correctly, there is always the danger of too many tacked-on elements diluting the core experience. At the very least, if you’ve exhausted Torchlight and you can’t wait for Diablo III to rear its head, Dungeon Siege III should fulfil your questing quota over the summer months.


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