Geneforge 2

It feels like a 90's game that released early 2000's. It's fun exploring its massive world. I feel like Geneforge's biggest selling point is its accessibility and size. I like the story-telling which doesn't overdo the amount of reading dialogue (Like many better games of its type). The combat and the UI is very straightforward too, making it easy to dive into. You will be save-scumming your way through it, it's that kind of game. [h1]The game suffers from a fatal flaw:[/h1] The biggest issue I had was that to replenish your health and mana there is no rest option. Instead you need to backtrack to a healing and mana pool, then run all the way back again. I must've ran back well over a hundred times; it's an annoying chore that cuts your exploration short all the time. This is the biggest issue with the game and will likely cause many to stop playing and not finish it. The other issue I have is that the combat isn't terribly varied or interesting, nor did it evolve much through the course of the game. You are a mage with some spells and can summon a bunch of familiars. It sounds interesting and full of potential and perhaps with a few interesting AE spells and a better system t…

I don't really think it's very good. It's also very hard, and very easy to just make builds that are useless. So, the most enjoyment I got out of this game was reverse engineering the save game format to give myself a zillion stat points, and steamrolled over it. Meta, given the game's storyline. Anyway, it's kind of a Temu Fallout at the end of the day.

Ran better than Geneforge 1 did for me; is mostly more of the same but bigger and better. A good sequel that expands on the world building.

fun game

Geneforge 2 is too big for its own good. 15 hours in and not even halfway done, I decided to use cheats to turn the game into a point and click adventure just to see the story (the only reason for playing any Geneforge game). Even "playing" the game this way is still taking far, far longer than it should. I cannot imagine the time investment required to play this game through to multiple endings normally. This game was made with a toothpick and some string and copy-pasted assets; that the game requires as much time as it does with as many sloppy and infuriating design decisions as it has is just insulting. But it's Geneforge. So it gets a pass. From me. Not for you. Play up until the frustration exceeds the fun and then use cheats to see the rest through, or expect to invest at least 35 hours into this game for a single run.

Another RPG from Spiderweb featuring the Shapers, monster summoning wizards that use a kind of biomechanics in their society. I feel like this one holds your hand a little better up front than the first one, but if you struggle with games like these like I do (mechanically rich but a bit dated, janky, and difficult to figure out) you won't make it very far. And I didn't.