Sui Generis PC

Sui Generis for PC presents an unusual approach to the computer role-playing games genre. Instead of struggling to create another epic story, Bare Mettle Entertainment created an open world where the course of events is almost entirely dependant on the player. Each element of the game displays its uniqueness, as the title meaning "unique", must have been a tenet on the basis of which the game was developed.

Story

The story takes the player to a dark fantasy world ruled treachery and conspiracy. The powerful magi in charge of the human society have turned against the people in search of great power, taking mysterious and cruel actions. It turns out that dark creatures were already waiting for the right moment to take over the world.

In all this chaos, the player appears as a simple peasant. Who would probably still be planting beetroots, if it wasn't for the arrival of the dark forces. However, the protagonist gets exiled from the village because of drawing some unexpected attention of dangerous figures, which might bring serious trouble to the rest of the villagers. The exiled character leaves for the unknown, not having much more knowledge of the world than the player. Soon it becomes clear that the protagonist is an individual who may be able to prevent the approaching disaster.

Contrary to most computer role-playing games, Sui Generis for PC does not have a story that is either more or less linear - the story here is completely borderless and without a pre-defined shape. There isn't any specific goal to be achieved by the protagonist. There is a series of events that the protagonist can play an important role in, but they may be omitted as well. Instead of a story, the game gives the player a background of events on the basis of which an independent story is shaped by the player. There is no distinction between good and evil as well. Not everything is what it seems to be, and our own well-being often becomes the most important thing. The freedom that the game delivers applies to the character development as well. There is no rigid class distinction present in the typical games of the genre - each skill has to be improved, and the attributes are dependent only on the physical features of the protagonist.

Gameplay

The world in Sui Generis for PC is a mechanism independent from the player. Whether the protagonist is in the right place at the right time or not, can result in serious consequences for the entire humanity. Different events take place in different locations regardless of the player's whereabouts. NPCs are not waiting for the player to offer an assignment in that well-known, artificial way - the challenges the player encounters on their way depends only on where and how fast the player is going. There are no typical quests, i.e. those "do that and collect the reward" type. During the adventure, the player encounters situations they can engage in. In doing so, it is advisable to remain cautious, because there might be more to lose than to gain.

It is not specified what kind of character (if any) would want to accompany the protagonist. Every adequate character can decide on joining the player. Fallen comrades cannot be resurrected. The protagonist is a unique character, for he does respawn after death, but at a distant location. In face of a deadly threat, everything else frequently wanders aside, because making it out alive becomes the most important thing. The game has no manual saving and loading mechanisms, so every decision is irreversible.

Combat is not the main part of the gameplay - there is less fighting than one could expect to see in a regular cRPG, but each fight is significant. A situation where the player is obliged to eliminate a hundred enemies to level up does not take place in this game. Partially, it is a result of the game world not being inhabited by hordes of creatures willing to annihilate everyone less ugly than themselves. However, not only humans make their presence in the world of the game - each race has its own organized society, whose members do not just hang around aimlessly, waiting for death dealt by the hands of the player.

Technology

The game world is viewed from an isometric perspective. The graphics are very detailed, which some of us will find rather cool, but they do not stand out with anything special. However, what does stand out are the physics. Animations of strikes (and not only) are generated procedurally on the basis of the shapes of objects, which gives a unique touch to the interactions, and makes each fight look different.

Last updated on 12 December 2012