Unrest Review
Developer Pyrodactyl Games
Publisher Pyrodactyl Games
Platform PC
Release Date 21st July 2014
“Unrest is an unconventional RPG set in ancient India” is the description given by the games’ creator, Pyrodactyl Games, and true to form, the game is unconventional in every sense of the word.
The story is set in ancient India in the middle of an uprising, and most of the game will take place in Bhimra, the ancient city that the uprising is taking place in. The game doesn’t follow one storyline however – it adapts and changes as you play. In other words, every result that greets you at the end of a chapter comes down to your choices entirely.
Your job, as the player, is to read carefully what people are saying to you, and guide your character on towards their goals and dreams as far as possible.
While adaptive storylines are not a new concept, the game works on what could be described as an adaptive/branching narrative – while you control the character and make decisions, your character can also, in cases, die. However, rather than the game ending at the death of your current character, the story changes instead.
Unlike many RPG’s out there, conflict is always avoidable, and most of the play time is spent speaking with NPCs who will help, hinder, or do nothing to affect your character’s life, or struggles.
During conversations with people, you have various choices of answers you can make, which, as in real life, may affect the other persons’ perspective of you. However, there are a number of factors included that thickens that mechanic – your background, your race, how rich or poor you are, etc., and this makes for very interesting and thought provoking situations. Depending on your answers, you could bargain for a guard’s blind eye, convince people into your way of thinking, or, conversely, make enemies, or even get yourself killed.
There are a number of different characters that the player will encounter and play, including a princess turned fugitive, a young woman who does not want to be forced into an arranged marriage, and a priest helping out the beggars and sick in the slums. These characters all have different traits, and these in turn will also affect the answers that will be available to you when you converse with people.
The UI that Unrest uses is mouse based, point and click to where you wish to go. A small list of icons is based at the bottom of the screen, which includes a journal, which tells you about people, places, and histories of the game world, a map, inventory, missions to tell you where you can go next, and character traits menu.
There are keyboard shortcuts for these icons as well.
Because of its large and widely branching storyline, this games replay value is very high, especially the interesting Iron Man mode available in game – which makes sure you deal with the consequences of your actions. It is also immersive, requiring you to really concentrate on what’s unfolding in the game’s story.
Funded by a Kickstarter last year, which was highly successful, the game will be available to buy on the 21st of July 2014, with full mod support, to create more worlds and adventures.
More info on the game can be found here:
Reviewed by Claire Curtin
Score 4/5
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