Christmas vacation provided me with some extra time for gaming. After a couple weeks of concentrated effort, I completed Geneforge 2. Although the game engine was essentially the same (800x600 resolution), there were some nice improvement over the first entry in the series. Geneforge 2 had more areas to explore, more spells, and more creatures to shape. My character was level 46 by the end of the game. In the previous game, my character only made it to level 23. Overall, I enjoyed it about equally with its predecessor.

Geneforge 2 starts not long after the end of the first game. Although it is a sequel, you play a different character. This time I played as Esther, and Agent of the Shaper Council. Esther was an apprentice sent on a mission by the Council along with her mentor Shanti. When Shanti went missing, Esther began an intensive search. Along the way, she encountered four factions (vs. three in the original Geneforge). Unlike many RPGs, Geneforge 2 continued with a morally complex story line. Often, it was hard to know who were the good guys and who were the bad guys, if there were such a thing. In Geneforge, everything tends to be shades of gray. Like the original, I stayed unaligned throughout most of the game. Unlike the first game, however, I eventually chose a faction to side with at the end. There are many possible endings, but I was satisfied with the path I chose.

After the NALB season ended, I felt like playing a computer RPG. So about a month ago, I decided to play Geneforge, part one of a five part series. Released in 2001, Geneforge is old school in gameplay and graphics. The 800x600 resolution and somewhat crude visuals did not dampen the experience for me, however. I enjoyed it a lot, much more than I thought I would.

I played as a Shaper named Andras (a default name, but I liked it). Shapers are powerful beings who not only cast spells, but can create life itself. As a young apprentice Shaper, Andras was stranded on Sucia, an abandoned island barred by the Shaper Council. A struggle for power was taking place there. Powerful beings and several factions were involved. This presented a nuanced plot with many possible courses and outcomes. The story was much better than the typical hack and slash dungeon crawler. I chose to forge ahead on my own path, unaligned with any of the three island factions.

Early last week, I completed Geneforge. I am now playing Geneforge 2 and look forward to seeing how the plot of the series unfolds.