Geneforge 5: Overthrow

I started playing the Geneforge saga in late 2012. More than two years later, I finished the story by completing Geneforge 5: Overthrow, the final game in the series. Geneforge 5 was set in western Terrestia and had over 80 areas to explore. It was another enjoyable RPG from Spiderweb Software with many hours of gameplay. In the original Geneforge, I played a Shaper. In Geneforge 2 and Geneforge 3, I played an Agent and a Guardian, respectively. For Geneforge 4: Rebellion, I played as a Servile Rebel. I decided to bring the series to its conclusion by returning full circle to play a Shaper again. I’m glad I did. Shaping, the art of creating creatures, is a large part of what makes Geneforge special.

As with previous entries in the series, Geneforge 5 presents the player with many choices. This time, one of the key decisions was whether or not to side with one of the factions. There were several to choose from, each headed by a powerful leader:

• Councilor Astoria, who seeks to broker a peace treaty between the Shapers and the Rebels
• General Alwan, a militant guardian who will accept nothing less than complete surrender by the Rebels
• Litalia, a former Shaper who leads the Trakovite sect, which is completely opposed to the art of Shaping
• Sage Taygen, a Shaper verging on madness who seeks to destroy all creations
• Ghaldring, a Drakon who leads the Rebels in war against the Shapers

My character, Santros, sided with Astoria, albeit late in the game. That felt like the best option, given the story and my character’s background. By the end, Santros had achieved Level 48 and was quite powerful. I had a nice group of creations, many of which had accompanied me from very early in the game. Unfortunately, my Plated Clawbug and Vlish died during the final battle. I am somewhat sad to see the series come to an end. However, I still have other Spiderweb Software RPGs to play, including Avernum 6, which brings another series to its conclusion.