Geneforge 1

The start of the saga. This is a cult classic sci-fantasy rpg. The player is a shaper that ends up on a forbidden island and has to find their way off it. Whether they deal with the inhabitants or not is up to the player. It is entirely possible to beat the game in 15 minutes and get the worst ending because the player left without doing anything. There are multiple ways to play through this game, one of which is entirely pacifist. It's a solid 35-40 hour experience. Has a lot of problems with difficulty balancing that are common with CRPGs of the time. Having played through this version and the remake, the remake is significantly more forgiving.

"[i]munch munch munc--[/i] MOOOO." This game heavily influenced the flavor of my autism as a child. I have to give it a thumbs up on principle, but in reality trying to play this on modern hardware is pretty bad. Forced resolutions, interacting poorly with any sort of screen element software, things like that. [h1] Definitely play the remake if you can. [/h1]

Geneforge is a classic computer role-playing game developed and published by Spiderweb Software that continues to stand out thanks to its imaginative setting and emphasis on player freedom. Rather than placing players in the role of a traditional fantasy warrior, the game casts them as a Shaper, a member of a powerful order capable of creating living beings through magical science. This unique premise immediately separates the game from more conventional RPGs, introducing a world where knowledge, experimentation, and authority are just as important as swords and spells. Despite its age, the game's original ideas remain compelling, delivering an adventure built around choice, consequence, and discovery instead of flashy presentation. The story begins when the protagonist becomes stranded on an isolated island once reserved for the Shapers' secret experiments. What initially appears to be an abandoned land gradually reveals itself as a place filled with dangerous creations, political conflict, forgotten laboratories, and hidden truths. As players uncover the island's history, they encounter numerous factions with opposing beliefs about power and freedom. The narrative refuses to div…

The age of this game really shows. It is slow and boring. The interface and controls are awful. The story was interesting and unique, but it was not enough to make up for the problems. I suspect the ratings for this game benefit a lot from nostalgia.

You haven't truly experienced dated RPG control schemes and gameplay mechanics until you have played [i]Geneforge 1[/i]. As expected from an RPG game from the early 2000s, you are limited to an isometric view where you have to awkwardly position the player characters and their creatures in order to properly prepare for combat. There is no X-ray vision when enemies are obscured by an object or wall, which can lead to players being unintentionally ambushed or caught stealing because an NPC has hidden behind something the camera cannot see. With the pixel graphics being horrendous, players will also struggle to find unique or useful items when they fail to appear, requiring excessive pressing of the 'g' key to bring up the menu and grab anything nearby. Everything about this decade-and-a-half relic is just a headache waiting to happen, and to think [i]Fallout[/i] (1997) did everything this product does better, despite being three years older.

pretty good game