"Did you get past that level, Tom?" asked Nick.

"Nope, it's still kicking my ass and I've been trying for a week to beat it. Any suggestions?"

Nick pondered for a moment and mused, "Hrm, maybe you should try the Druid on that level and equip a few healing potions as well as Tears of Corrosion." The sagely advice was wisely followed and a new level appeared shortly thereafter.

Get over it. It's hard and it's unforgiving. You can wander around and suddenly fall through a bridge and, yes (gasp!), you have to start over again. That's from the beginning of the level, chiefarooni. So what? Enclave is rewarding enough that trivialities such as it's difficulty or "cheapness" shouldn't be given a second thought. This harkens back to the golden age of video games where games like this were the rule, not the exception, and players took pride in the fact that they finally surpassed a certain point and this led to the eventual torture of their peers who just couldn't cut the mustard and succeed at the same juncture in the game. "Try, try again," the old saying goes.

Now that we've moved beyond the simplification of the difficulty, let's get to the meat and potatoes of what it is to be a player in Enclave. In the beginning stages of the "Light" campaign, you're limited to one character - the Knight - and a very limited equipment menu from which to begin your quest. Each level has a set amount of gold, which, in effect, spits in the face of the tried-and-true quest for treasure from killing beasts such as rats and wolves who would never have gold in the first place - not to mention killing them over and over again to get more and more treasure that they shouldn't have. Regardless, Enclave appeals to the sense of accomplishment by rewarding you with empty rooms wherein vanquished foes used to reside. Imagine that! When something is dead it's dead, not repopulated as soon as the door closes. Nice touch. Forward you move on your quest to traverse the rift and bring forth allies that are desperately needed to fight the dark forces that are slowly descending on Celenheim, with you, of course, as its only hope.

The first few levels are a breeze for the most part. You'll get used to the quirky controls and the awful placement of the jump as a downward push on the right thumbstick. You'll find yourself inadvertently drinking potions occasionally too, with an accidental pressure on the Y button. Other than that, it's a fairly straightforward control scheme and not all that difficult to master with a bit of perseverance. Not much here to complain about. There are a few spots where the camera placement can be an issue and it's not a system that functions with flawlessness, to be sure. However, as far as games of this genre go, the camera isn't obvious or glaring as an issue and does the job for the most part. Suffice it to say that if you don't notice it then there probably isn't much wrong with it and < i>Enclave doesn't have an obvious camera.

Aside from the few deficiencies that might exist, Enclave is an absolute must-have for its visuals alone. And we're not talking about the usual FMV drivel used to "narrate" the story - we're talking about in-game, in-your-face graphics that'll give you an idea of what your green machine is capable of. There are elements that aren't as polished as one would like (there's a point near the end on level 5, for example, where you can "see" and target your enemy but you can't hit him regardless of how many shots you fire with your crossbow/arrow), but the whole package makes this easy to overlook. If you want to nitpick then there will certainly be some easy fodder here for you to expound on. However, the game makes such irregularities easy to overlook and it would serve little purpose to outline them here other than to serve as fuel for a fire that's best put out before it's ignited.

The tale of reuniting two friends of old to vanquish a common enemy might not be the most original, but it does fill you with a sense of purpose and it isn't overbearing. It's a bit sparse but is well worth the trip. Furthermore, once you finish the "Light Campaign" you unlock the more difficult "Dark Campaign" which is even more challenging. Equally rewarding in your progression are the multitudes of weapons and armor (they vary by each class) and the various strengths and weaknesses of each that almost make you use characters that you would otherwise not have thought of using at all. The Knight is a capable and sturdy warrior that is best in melee combat but is very weak at ranged combat. You'll find that on certain levels the weaker Druid is much more effective than the Knight. Also, by encouraging you to find every piece of gold on a particular level (you can "see" exactly how much you've accumulated and how much you have "left" to go) you're almost forced to see all that each level has to offer because it makes the rest of the game that much easier - you need gold to upgrade your equipment and you can go back to any level that you've already conquered to look for what you might have missed.

In closing, Enclave is more than a game. It's hard work and if you expect anything less than that, then seek your pleasure elsewhere. You'll need to meander through levels multiple (that's a lot) times and expect to disappointed, frustrated, and discouraged more than once. But, young adventurer, travel on. This experience is well worth the effort in my book. Well worth it.

Discuss this game in our forums

· · · Haohmaru