Close in spirit

The Banner Saga 2

Beliefs of ancient Slavs are just a storehouse for those who were struck by primitive patriotism. But there was almost no place in the mass culture of this mythology, and only in the past five years, one team of cunning Poles changed the status quo status.

Now others are being pulled up. In our case, the Poles again. Thea: The Awakenging addresses the very deities that sent our guideous ancestors – to Perun, Svarog and a dream – and creates a convincing atmosphere. But with the same success instead of Veles and Lada, goblin and mermaids, there could be Taranis, one, Kobolds and Fairies.

Hunting and gathering

We control the tiny village, who miraculously survived after the Ecumenical Cataclysm: the world tree burned down, and the darkness enveloped everything around. Now she is jerking, and we, in the role of one of the Slavic gods, chosen before the start of the game, lead a handful of survivors through life's hardships.

Any of our wards is not a dial in the field, but a separate character with a bunch of characteristics and equipment. That they have in common? Everyone needs some kind of food and fuel for heating. Sources of both are in abundance on the map: mushroom glades, deer trails, fish cages and oak groves are bent, like resources in Civilization. But in Thea, unlike 4x strategies, you can neither build new cities, nor expand the boundaries of the only settlement.

Therefore, the villagers of willy-nilly had to send an expedition to external, harsh and dangerous, world. A pair of soldiers, a couple of collectors, rapidly ripening berry bushes and fruit trees, an old zakharka, so that the infection does not start in the wounds … By the middle of the party as part of the expedition, a dozen-two people will turn out: children grow up, miraculously surviving travelers find a shelter in your village and a shelter in your village. New House. So the number of admirers of the deity is growing.

► At dawn, the darkness is thinning and night creatures scatter. They do not attack the first again – until the next sunset.

► The village will last on one type of provisions, but the variety of food promises such powerful bonuses that you will climb the willy for the ranger for game or algae.

Through the land

Your expedition should be ready for everything, so as not to please for lunch for the next bear-over. Does this mean that the most notorious scores and masters of the sword should be recruited to the detachment? No. It is not in vain that there are a lot of characteristics about a bunch of characteristics: there are really a lot of them, and at the same time far beyond the boundaries of a standard role set. Yes, there are familiar intelligence, but there are tactics, gatherings, hunting, diplomacy, knowledge of customs, wings, sixth feeling, the ability to beat in the back and curse enemies.

All this is needed to pass non -combat trials. For a company of experienced warriors, of course, a regular battle is preferred, but in the battle and they can hurt. And if the generator of random numbers wishes, the wound will be fatal. In the “peaceful” clashes there is one risk: to fail the operation itself and be forced to fight on swords.

A good team will not go on without a linguistic girl, which the devil is getting into the causes, as well as without a wise old man who knows tactical techniques, without a witch, from whose aura sparrow bounces. Even accidentally met a flock of wolves is easier to poison and thereby turn to flight.

► Vocishas a glorious warrior, but endurance tests – for example, analysis of the blockage – will fail with a bang, not to mention diplomatic tasks.

Forgotten by the gods

On the one hand, Thea requires a player of skills characteristic of typical survival games: arrangement of life, establishing simple infrastructure (construction of houses in the village, distribution of work, creating objects and finished food).

On the other hand, it requires planning, because any tests, combat and peaceful ones are decorated in the form of a card game. Simple in appearance, but in fact: you and your opponent take turns laying out your fighters on the table, some of them use buffs or debuffs, then the combat phase begins, and the maps are fighting themselves. But the right selection of staff is still much more important than the layout. There will be no talkers – fail the conversation.

Thea: The Awakening is saturated with random events – going on a hike, get ready to read a lot. Even if you leave aside the plot quest and the personal quest of the chosen deity, the adventures will wait at every angle.

Here is a blacksmith's dwarf to arrange a date with a mermaid-and there everything is how difficult, it seems to be stealing children. This is according to the orcs who are also not a special faith. Then you will meet the damned princess, because of your cruelty doomed in eternal searches. There is a werewolf suffering in the arms of a silver idol (it is so tempered!). Here is a demon-kenfob who does not want to trade with local goblins.

The choice in tasks will not affect anything global, but the short -term consequences will be very tangible.

► And if a witch weighs as much as a duck ..

► Dwarves are one of the most formidable opponents at the beginning and in the middle of the party.

And thanks to the change of day and night, the musical bust and various details of Thea makes you feel an insignificant creature in a huge dangerous world, and the village seems to be a peaceful harbor, where you can finally rest. It is a pity that Thea uses common pagan motifs and only from time to time recalls his Slavic essence. Yes, sometimes you fight with goblin, but more often with orcs, goblins and fat spiders. And the Slavic names of the characters contrast with not at all Slavic images, albeit perfectly drawn.

* * *

Thea: The Awakening with a relatively small amount of content places it so successfully that the games are enough for tens of hours. At the same time, you can’t see everything that is in the game for one batch. Passed the storyline for Svarog? Now look at what perki you opened him. And how many new gods were given out, and each with their own characteristics, with his own personal quest, parallel to the main. The usual quests are the whole sea, in addition, you can create them yourself.

Unless the raspberry spoils the random factor – it often prevents immediately using the best fighters, and at times it sets on a fairly battered group of thick and very painfully beating trains. But this is tolerant, and the developers are for nothing that a tiny studio full of immigrants from famous companies – follow the project. So the Russian localization was released, a free cooperative regime, a strong plot branch about giants ..

Pleased
Sharped
  • A world full of adventure and disasters;
  • decadent atmosphere with pagan motifs;
  • The harsh environment in which you have to survive;
  • the need to choose a versatile detachment.
  • In fact, Slavic mythology;
  • In battles, the composition of the army is much more important than your actions.
How we played

What: The activation key was provided by the developer. On what: PC How many: About eighteen hours.

"Achivka" of the editorial office
The light will protect me

In the old memory, hide every night in the village, peering nervously into the darkness.

About localization

Wonderful translation of the text – except that the font in the original is more beautiful. The main plus of localization is that it does not resort Kwiff sister sites to stylization under obsolete forms of language. Original, if that, suffers that.

Site assessment

8.0

Great

Verdict

An unusual game at the junction of a step -by -step strategy, role -playing game, card games and text quests. Not quite about Slavic myths and with the taste of the Korean random, but is replete with trials and is still updated.