食人虫:
Entomorph:
黑暗之瘟疫
Plague of the Darkfall

Cyberlore Studios, 1995
Windows 和 Mac

Cyberlore Studios, 1995
Windows and Mac

食人虫(Entomorph)是由 SSI(Strategic Simulations)公司发行的最后一款亚丁世界观(World of Aden)[1] 背景下的 RPG,游戏风格比较混搭,包含轻度角色扮演要素和大量的类街机即时战斗体验,并辅以一些解谜与寻宝环节。

然而游戏真正的亮点在于异星设定和故事情节:弗洛斯(Phoros)岛曾是个强大的国家,培养出的巨大甲虫可以充当劳动力和食物。一场名为“黑暗降临”的事件使所有甲虫离奇消失,整个国家陷入混乱当中。十年后,贵族们开始将甲虫带回岛上,不料出现了大量人口失踪和被袭击的报告。

你扮演沃瑞克(Warrick),一个受训归来的侍从,去寻找前往弗洛斯的妹妹。有个有趣的设定:你在游戏内的冒险经历会由一位说书人记录,他会讲给你弟弟听,有时还会对故事细节添油加醋。另外还有个蛮酷的转折,随着任务推进,你最终会变异成一只昆虫。

遗憾的是,《食人虫》的乐趣也就到此为止了。游戏使用《阿拉丁传奇(Al-Qadim)》的引擎开发,力图延续 RPG、动作和冒险元素融合的风格,但一个都没做好。游戏从一个充满各式有趣 NPC 和支线任务的村庄展开,但很快故事变得线性而且叙事上给人一种赶工和半成品的感觉。

战斗很粗糙,没有技能、装备,甚至连武器都没有,只能用拳头怼敌人。属性和经验值的设计也不存在,玩家变强的唯一途径就是逐渐变异成昆虫。魔法系统相对完善一些,有 22 种不同的法术,在你使用时可以设定消耗多少法力值。这个想法不错,但由于你的法力值很低,除了少数的 BOSS 战外,其它时候几乎只能用治疗术。

The second game set in the World of Aden and the last RPG published by SSI, Entomorph is somewhat of a hybrid title, featuring a bit of puzzle and item-hunting, light role-playing elements and a heavy dose of arcade-like real-time combat.

However, the exotic setting and plot are where the game really shines. The island of Phoros was once a thriving nation, raising giant beetles for both labour and food. When an incident known as the Darkfall led the beetles to vanish, it fell into chaos. Ten years later, a group of nobles start to bring the beetles back into the island, but multiple reports of missing people and savage insect attacks begin to appear as well.

You play as Warrick, a squire who returns from training in search of his sister, last seen heading for Phoros. In an interesting change, your adventures here are narrated by a storyteller, as he recounts it to your younger brother – sometimes spicing details up a bit. Another cool twist is that, as your quests advances, you will eventually mutate into an insect yourself.

Unfortunately, there ends Entomorph's appeal. The game uses Al-Qadim's engine and tries to follow its blend of RPG, action and adventure, but none of the different elements work very well here. It opens with a big village full of interesting NPCs and a few side-quests, but quickly devolves into a linear and poorly told story that feels rushed and incomplete.

Combat is crude – there are no skills, armour or even weapons, you literally just punch your enemies. And there are no stats or experience points either you only grow stronger by progressively mutating into an insect. The magic system is more robust, featuring 22 different spells, and you can set how much mana to spend when casting each one. A nice idea, but you have so little mana that you'll rarely cast anything but healing spells, except during the rare boss fights.

《雷神英雄传(Thunderscape,SSI 制作的另一款基于亚丁世界观下的 RPG,由 Kyoudai Games 公司于 1995 年发行)》和《食人虫》虽然销量喜人,但随后 SSI 就被卖掉了,新上任的高层取消了所有基于亚丁世界观的游戏开发计划。

Thunderscape and Entomorph sold well, but by then SSI had already been sold, and the company's new owners cancelled any further World of Aden games.

最重要的一点,真正毁了《食人虫》的是糟心的任务设计。这款游戏在引导玩家方面相当差劲,因为没有任何明确的目标,你很可能会在地图上瞎逛几个小时,盲目地寻找任务物品或目的地。

所以真的很可惜,游戏有着令人耳目一新的原创概念,画面精美,配乐丰富,但除非你超爱异星风格的游戏,否则还是不要玩《食人虫》了。

Above all, what really dooms Entomorph is just how frustrating its quests are. The game is horrible at directing players, and you'll likely spend hours walking without any clear goals, blindly trying to find a quest item or where you were supposed to go.

It's a shame really, as the concept behind the game is refreshingly original, the presentation is colourful and the soundtrack is rich. But, unless you are starved for exotic games, it's best to avoid Entomorph.

随着游戏推进,你将会变成一只巨大的螳螂,岛上会出现更多的昆虫,植物也会被慢慢破坏。

You'll morph into a giant mantis as the game advances. More insects will appear as well, and the island's vegetation will slowly be destroyed.

一些 NPC 有细致的背景故事,你可以通过完成支线任务来获得魔法道具和治疗药水。

Some NPCs have nicely detailed backstories, and there are a few side-quests you can take to earn magic items and healing potions.

__________

1 译者注:DND 规则下的衍生幻想世界观。

GameDB 相关游戏: 食人虫:黑暗之瘟疫

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