魔法门：暗黑弥赛亚 Dark Messiah: Might and Magic p.384

我现在还很清楚地记得那个我们琢磨出来怎么创造一个冰面来使兽人（orcs）滑倒的时刻，我认为那就是我们意识到自己正在创造一个一切皆有可能的虚拟世界的时候，这种感觉真的很棒。

I clearly remember when we discovered how creating an icy surface made the orcs slip on it.
I think it was when we realised that we were right in trying to create a simulated world where everything was possible. This was really fun.

Raphael Colantonio
《暗黑弥赛亚》创意总监

Raphael Colantonio,
Dark Messiah's creative director

魔法技能树以火球术和治愈术等标准魔法为主，但也有冻结地面和夜视之类的法术，还有种非常有趣的心灵遥控能力，其运作方法就好像《半条命 2（Half - Life 2）》里面的重力枪（Gravity Gun）一样。

你在你的冒险旅途中会成长得非常强大，但是武器装备的更换却很少。尽管如此，随着每一把新的剑，匕首，棍棒，弓以及每一套新的盔甲的出现，你的实力也会很明显的增强，而且一些武器也有特殊能力，使你用过一次后就难以忘记。

《暗黑弥赛亚》使用的是 2006 年版本的 Valve 的起源引擎（Source Engine），并且辅以 Havok 强大的物理引擎。开发团队成功地将宏伟的中世纪建筑完美地展示了出来，包括雄伟的大门，教堂，破碎的寺庙，兽人建筑和一艘完整的船等等。但是其也并非是完美的：在一些狭隘的边缘行走或跳跃时要格外小心，有些地方的光源可能会阻挡你的视野，第三章的追逐可能会因为路线曲折和攀爬绳索而令人恼火。有时游戏也会突然崩溃，因此请时刻注意存档。

尽管关卡做的都很出色，但是它们都太线性了——大概正是因为这个原因，Arkane 甚至连地图都懒得做了。但是隐藏物品却不少，并且取决于你对游戏的熟悉程度，它们或许可以左右你的生死。

The Magic skill tree features standard fare such as fireballs and healing magic, but also spells to freeze the ground, see in the dark, plus an amusing telekinesis power that works just like Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun.

While you'll grow quite powerful during your journey, equipment change will be sparse. Still, with each new sword, dagger, staff, bow or armour you'll get visibly stronger, and some weapons have special abilities that manage to make them fairly memorable.

Dark Messiah employs a 2006 version of Valve's Source engine, complemented by Havok's powerful physics engine. The developers managed to deliver an outstanding presentation of medieval architecture, with massive gates, churches, temples in ruins, Orc constructions, a complete boat and much more. It's not without its flaws, though: walking and jumping on narrow edges has to be executed with extreme caution, light sources in some places may deter your field of view and the chase in the third chapter can be annoying with its twists and turns and rope climbing. It also tends to crash sometimes, so save often.

While levels can be impressive, they are all too linear – so much so, Arkane didn't even bother to include a map system. But there are plenty of secret item caches to find, which depending on your familiarity with the game may decide if you live or die.

多人游戏虽然在写这篇文章的时候基本上已经是无法进行了，但是如果你能找到几个朋友和一个可用的服务器，倒是也还能玩一玩。游戏模式包括经典的夺旗战和“征战”，在这两个模式下，团队都试图控制整个地图，并且可以像单人模式一样升级。这些地图设计精良，视觉上给人带来很大冲击力，开放的竞技场为许多不可避免血腥战斗提供了空间，角落和缝隙里也有许多可供潜行，设置陷阱和埋伏的地方。

即使是在自己最小众的游戏中，Arkane 对于细节的把控也是非比寻常:可以让你锻造自己的剑的熔炉；一把可以用来射断绳索用以攀爬的弓箭；一看到你就害怕得发抖的法师学徒；在杀害一定数量的敌人以后你会获得一个的“肾上腺素提升”模式，允许你强化法术或是秒杀敌人。这是一部充满激情的作品，尽管其中的细节很多都不重要而且还有一些陈词滥调，但是它们依旧带来了许多乐趣。

非常可惜，所有的这些都无法使其从大作层出的 2006 年脱颖而出。尽管如此，任何对第一人称 RPG 稍有兴趣的人都应该尝试本作——或者想要尝试有史以来最好的踢腿物理系统的人。还没有一只脚比萨雷斯的更加强壮^[1] 。

Multiplayer, although nearly dead at the time of the writing, still can be enjoyed if you find some friends and an available server. Game modes include the classic “capture the flag” and “crusade”, where the teams try to take control of the whole map and can level up like in the single-player mode. The maps are visually stunning and well-designed, with open arenas for inexorable bloodshed and nooks and crannies for sneaking around and setting up traps and ambushes.

Arkane's concern for details is substantial even on their least known game: there's a forge that you can use to make your own sword; a bow that allows you to shoot ropes and climb them; mage apprentices that tremble in fear once they see you; and a rewarding “adrenaline boost” that activates after a certain number of killings, allowing you to mangle enemies with a single strike or beefed-up spell. A work of passion, these details add a lot to the fun factor, even if they are not very important or innovative.

Unfortunately, none of this was enough to make this underrated game stand out among the other big releases of 2006. Nonetheless, Dark Messiah should be tried by anyone with at least a mild interest in first-person RPGs – or that wants to experience the best kicking physics of all time. There has not yet been a foot stronger than Sareth's.

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¹ 译者注：或许《死亡空间》的主角艾萨克可以与之一较高下。