神界
Divine Divinity

Larian Studios, 2002
Windows 和 Mac

Larian Studios, 2002
Windows and Mac

拉瑞安工作室[1] 的《神界(Divine Divinity)》自发布以来得到了很多不应有的坏名声。问题在于,它是在 2002 年发布的,当时四处充斥着各种《暗黑破坏神(Diablo)》的仿制品。而且,如果你只是在别人的屏幕上看过这款游戏,或者只是自己玩过半小时左右,那它看起来的确不过是另一个《暗黑破坏神》的仿制品,所以直至今天还有人这么喊它——尽管《神界》远不止是一款仿作。

当然,这款游戏里有许多普通砍杀游戏(hack-and-slash)的要素。UI、大量随机的战利品、成群的怪物和相似的核心机制都是我们早已司空见惯的东西。

然而,这些只是表面现象,《神界》的独特之处只有在你花了几个小时深入体验之后才会显现出来。其中最容易让人注意到的是角色系统,它比一般的砍杀游戏更具有 RPG 色彩。你会发现《神界》到头来其实是不存在职业区别的,因为所有的角色都可以按照适合他们的方式学习所有的技能。不仅如此,角色系统中还囊括了相当多的非战斗要素,如扒窃、潜行、砍价或炼金等。

Larian Studios' Divine Divinity has got a lot of undeserved reputation since its release. The problem is that it was released in 2002, a time when various Diablo clones were popping up left and right. Furthermore, if you looked at various screens or played it for half an hour or so, it really did seem to be just another Diablo clone, so the moniker's stuck even today. Even though Divine Divinity was so much more than that.

Sure, there are many elements of a generic hackand-slash here. The UI, the randomised tons of phat loot, hordes of monsters and similar core mechanics are all something we've seen countless times already.

However, these are only superficial, and Divine Divinity's unique aspects only become apparent once you spend a few hours finding them. The easiest one to notice is the character system, which is much more RPG-y than your average hack-and-slash. Not only is it ultimately classless, since all characters can learn all skills as they see fit, but it also has quite a few noncombat qualities, such as pickpocketing, sneaking, haggling or alchemy.

拉瑞安的第一款 RPG 游戏是与 Attic Entertainment 合作开发的,名为《女士、法师和骑士(The Lady, the Mage & the Knight)》。它于 1999 年被砍掉,并作为《神界》被抢救回来。早期的演示和设计文件作为《神界设定集(Divinity Anthology)》的额外内容发布。

Larian's first RPG was called The Lady, the Mage & the Knight, developed in partnership with Attic Entertainment. It was cancelled in 1999 and salvaged as Divine Divinity. An early demo and design documents were released as extras on the Divinity Anthology.

战斗与《暗黑破坏神》非常相似,但你可以随时暂停。

Combat is very similar to Diablo, but you can pause at any time.

游戏还会记录你的声望(受各种事件影响),从而影响商人的开价和人们对你的个人看法,继而可能解锁或锁定新的任务。

不过,《神界》之所以是一个真正的 RPG 游戏而非一个砍砍砍的游戏,最重要的原因还是游戏中没有程序化生成的内容。所有的任务、地图、事件和对话都是人为设置的,唯一的随机要素是战利品。探索的时候,这一点尤其重要,因为游戏地图实在太大了,地牢和洞穴都为你提供了大量的谜题和秘密。《神界》的谜题和秘密用到了游戏最具特色的技术——受《创世纪 7(Ultima VII)》启发的环境交互功能。

字面意义上的每一个道具都可以被移来移去,显出下面隐藏的宝箱和暗道,还有许多物品可以触发隐藏的效果,鼓励玩家缜密地思考和观察。有时,对各种物品动手动脚可以发现相当有趣的事情,甚至像是在利用 BUG 的边缘试探,例如你能找到一张可以放在背包里的床[2] ,因为它没有重量。而从技术角度讲,就算只是在地图上漫无目的地跑来跑去寻求机遇,也是十分值得的——因为《神界》的画面真的很好看,配乐也非常惊艳。

其他需要注意的是,《神界》很多时候注重的不仅仅是战斗。有些章节中,你在相当长的时间里都不用拔出武器。相反,你要在城里跑来跑去和人们交谈,完成各种任务、把他们洗劫一空或者追踪秘密。游戏里有形形色色的聚居地,它们主题各异、问题百出。拉瑞安工作室标志性的诙谐笔法为这些“和平”章节更添色彩。

The game also tracks your reputation (influenced by various events), which changes merchant prices and people's personal opinion of you, which may in turn lock or unlock new quests.

But the most important difference that makes Divine Divinity an actual RPG and not just a slasher is the lack of procedural generation. All quests, maps, events and conversations are hand-placed, the only random element is loot. This is especially great when it comes to exploration because the land map is simply huge, while the dungeons and caves provide you with plenty of puzzles and secrets. Puzzles and secrets that employ Divine Divinity's most unique feature – the Ultima VII-inspired environmental interaction.

Literally every prop can be tossed around to reveal hidden chests and passages underneath, and various items can be activated to secret effects, which rewards thoroughness and perceptiveness. Sometimes this juggling can lead to rather interesting discoveries, often bordering on bug-exploitation, such as finding a bed that can be put in your backpack because it weighs nothing. But running aimlessly around the map simply looking for opportunities is also rewarding for more technical reasons – Divine Divinity's graphics are really pleasant to look at, and its soundtrack is simply amazing.

It is also important to note that Divine Divinity very often focuses not only on combat, and some chapters will have you not draw your weapon for quite long periods of time. Instead, you'll be running around towns just talking to folks, doing various quests, robbing them blind and chasing secrets, and there are a variety of settlements in the game, all with different themes and problems to solve. These “pacifist” chapters are made even better by Larian's now-trademark witty writing.

__________

1 译者注:拉瑞安工作室是一家比利时游戏开发商,成立于 1996 年,主要作品是《神界》系列。
2 译者注:在《神界》中使用床可以将人物血量回满,是相当实用的道具。

GameDB 相关游戏: 神界

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