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Categories: Commentary
Tags: browser game, mmo, pc, rpg
At some point I decided to replay Baldur’s Gate. I ran through the starting town, dispersing the fog of war and “meeting” people I probably knew quite well. I may have killed some rats. Then I was off in the woods with some old guy. Then he died and I was alone. I ran away from bears. Often. At some point I met some people. I think they tried to kill me. Then I met some more people. We went to a town. People tried to kill me there. Or something.
Hey, I love role playing games. I was playing RPGs before insurgents made them trendy. But you have to admit, there’s a certain sameness. You go off on a quest. Kill stuff. Bring loot home and buy better stuff. Then you rinse and repeat.
A few games have tried to do something about this. The Bard’s Tale hilariously pointed out conventions (before plunging right into them). Majesty took a step back and let you rule a fantasy empire: building armories, magic, and equipment shops, and putting bounties on monsters, their lairs, and unexplored land–leaving the actual questing up to the heroes you’d recruited. There’s Kingdom of Loathing, a MMO in the Munchkin end of the RPG spectrum. And then there’s Progress Quest.
Progress Quest is the ideal RPG for today’s busy gamer. With never-ending games like Oblivion, Neverwinter Nights 2, or any MMORPGWTFBBQ, PQ‘s unique gameplay system is a refreshing change. After downloading a small zipped file (the newest version or an older, obsoleter one), you get it running with a few clicks and are into one of PQ‘s realms. After starting a single or multiplayer game, you build your character from one of the 21 races and 18 classes: Half Orc/Ur-Paladin, Low Elf/Puma Burglar, Double Wookie/Bastard Lunatic, and Talking Pony/Robot Monk, for example. Then the game plays itself.
The game plays out over a constantly updating character sheet. Ominous dreams are had. Messianic Ankylosauria, Humidity Giants, Oxygen Golems, and Cub Scouts are fought. Puissant Spheres are sought, eggs are delivered, rocks are fetched, and Plaid Dragons are placated. Wicked spells are cast including Tumor (Benign), Animate Nightstand, and Holy Batpole. Weird crap is collected and sold for better equipment. And it’s all completely automated. Hell, the game even runs minimized.
Now the level of interactivity might turn some people off, but let me assure you, when you kill that beer golem and sell his beer golem foam to get enough money to buy Holey Splint Mail, it’s as authentic a role-playing experience as any game can deliver.