Nicolas Eymerich - The Inquisitor - Book 1 : The Plague

First things first, this is definitely a niche game. If you're not a fan of medieval historical fiction, Latin, or truly insane levels of a**holery, don't buy the game, or buy it on sale. The Awesome: [list] [*] You can play the whole game in Latin. [*] The story. It interested me enough that I have a sudden burning desire to learn Italian just so I can read the novel this was based on (sadly, the novels were never translated into English) [*] The easter eggs. I'm pretty sure at least half of the achievements are for finding the easter eggs in the game. [*] The main character. He's such a snarky bastard. [spoiler] He was downright happy when he tricked the guard into taking poison. And the levels of snark when he talks to the Inquisitor General are off the charts[/spoiler] [*] The scenery. It's truly gorgeous, I guess to make up for the character models. [/list] The Meh: [list] [*]Clicking on things. Tiny things. Tiny things that apparently are about three inches to the left of where you think they are so you end up madly clicking over the entire screen to find that ONE PIXEL THAT WILL LET YOU FINISH THE PUZZLE. Or you can use the TAB key and hope for the best. [spoiler] This was really only a major problem when I had to inspect the corpse towards the end of the game. Eventually I just madly hit TAB until I heard new dialogue, because clicking was getting me nowhere[/spoiler] [*]Not being able to pick things up until you need them for a specific puzzle. This results in a lot of backtracking, but it can be fun because it's kind of like a game of memory. Now, where did I leave that rubber chicken? [/list] The Truly Horrible [list] [*] The character models. Sweet jesus they're terrifying. [*] The final puzzle. [spoiler]Calling it a puzzle is kind of an affront to puzzles. Clicking letters and then click-dragging Greek letters over top of their English counterparts and then scraping gunk off good ol Nick's face is NOT my idea of a good time. It's filler, and I think they would have been better off just ending with a dream scene instead of trying to cram another puzzle in. [/spoiler] [/list] I originally bought this game because it listed Latin as one of the languages you could play in. I wasn't expecting a whole lot out of the game, especially after reading some of the reviews. That being said, if you ignore the little annoying bits and pay attention to the story, it's actually pretty fantastic. Just don't get your knickers in a twist about ugly people and the sometimes-tedious puzzles and you'll be fine. 8/10 do recommend, and I'm definitely playing it again to see what other easter eggs I can unearth!

The nerd in me LOVED this game. That's not to say it's perfect, but I enjoyed it very much. AWESOME: + I can play it in Latin!!! LATIN!!! Woot! (subtitles available in several languages). + A drunken guard starts singing In Taberna, from Carmina Burana. 15/10 Whoever put that there, I LOVE YOU!!! + The hero is a total a**hole, he's total bada** at it, and he's convinced he's the good guy doing the Lord's work. Snarky as the best, the way he owns even his boss is superb. Perfectly believable for a Medieval inquisitor. GOOD: + Good immersion, decent acting in Latin at least, which is not easy to do in a "dead" language. + Beautiful scenery and artwork. + Puzzles are rather logical, and you don't go around picking up random ♥♥♥♥ without knowing what you want it for. This may result in a bit of backtracking, but it makes better sense plot wise, so it's a plus for me. + Some hilarious Easter Eggs, some of which I must go back to find. BAD: - The quality of the characters. That is quite awful, to be blunt. The way their jaws appear weird while they talk, or parts of their outfits poke through other parts... yikes. Sometimes it distracts so much it breaks immersion. - Not being able to skip dialogue can be a downer when you're replaying, but the WORST of all for me was... mild (really mild) spoiler: [spoiler]you're looking for a certain book with red back, in four walls full of books with red backs, and to find the one you need, you need to click on every single one of them, and each time you HAVE TO hear Nicolas reciting the same two long sentences just to say "this is not the one". After the 8th book I clicked, this became so intensely annoying, I actually went for a walk-through to know exactly which book it was, so he would shut the ♥♥♥♥ up.[/spoiler] - The last "puzzle" was annoyingly repetitive and not really a puzzle at all, and the cursor started glitching like crazy. I totally and absolutely recommend this game, in spite of the bad things, because the good were so awesome for me, I can't wait to get Book 2 on sale.

The game is set in 1364 in Carcassonne, where Father Nicolas Eymerich, a sotic man famous as an inquisitor and cares for nothing but the 'will of God', was called to investigate a strange case in one of the nearby villages. Upon discussing the case, he realized his fellow Inquisitor, Father Jacinto, had disappeared as he went to investigate the village before him. Knowing this, our former inquisitor, Father Nicolas, suspected something evil was behind this case, and he decided to investigate in his own way. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3457378199 The main character is bad, truly bad and evil. I've never played a mean, remorseless, and cold-hearted character. He is quite unique in his own way, but he had me pause the game and eye the screen on multiple occasions at his mean actions. The whole game is voiced, which made it even better; you can hear how hateful he is toward everyone. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3457458048 The soundtracks are really good; I wished there was a way to listen to them, as each scene has a different soundtrack. As this is an old game, the artwork is quite dated, but as you play, you'll overlook it—at least in my case. There are a couple of 3D cutscenes; they were not bad, but they were low in quality. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3457377970 You'll roam in one large area, and you'll be provided with a fast-traveling map, which will help you to collect the items you'd need to solve the puzzles and unfold the mystery. The first act was in the Abbey, and the second you'll move to the village, but it won't last long before the game's end. The game is full of easter-eggs and other things you can inspect. The puzzles are not easy; they require some thinking and trial and error. Pros: +Interesting story. +Excellent writing. +Fully voiced. +Fast traveling map. +Journal. +Beautiful soundtracks. +Complex puzzles. (Mostly trial and error) +Manual save. +Points system. +Hinting system. (The cross) +Steam achievements. Cons: -Dated graphics. -Pixel hunting. -Some graphics glitches in a couple of the scenes. There is a second episode out as a sequel, but I'm unsure if it will give all the information missing in this one. This game ends in a cliffhanger and doesn't tell much of what is actually going on. It felt like a prologue, but a good one. [quote]𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤𝑠 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑐𝑘 𝑚𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑒 [url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32399565/]𝐹𝑒𝑒𝑛𝑎'𝑠 𝐶𝘩𝑜𝑖𝑐𝑒[/url][/quote] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/] Follow [b]IndieGems[/b] [/url] for more reviews like this one. [/quote]

The most striking thing about this game is just how totally unique it is. The setting, the main character, the subject matter, are all things you really don't see in video games. And for the most part, the game succeeds in bringing you into its dark, plague-devastated world of desperation and madness. Other reviewers have touched on the negatives. Some of the backtracking can get pretty annoying because actions become available that weren't possible in earlier trips through a given area. But that isn't too unusual for this kind of game. Even if you end up having to use a walkthrough, it is still worth it just to get through to more story and atmosphere. But overall the puzzles are not too hard to figure out. Make sure you play it in Latin! I think it really makes for a totally different experience. The main character is pretty much a reprehensible, predatorial guy from the start, so don't approach the game looking for a warm and fuzzy time. You may not sympathize with him, but you will probably want to keep going to find out what he will do next. If you have any interest in medieval times, religious history, or just dark, atmospheric, intriguing adventure games, I really don't think you can go too wrong with this one. After playing this I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

The saga of Bad Rats has taught us that even the worst game can find success in how hilariously bad it can be. It's a tough balance to find, where the game has to be terrible in a darkly funny or endearing way while also being mechanically sound enough to get through. Our new friend Nicolas Eymerich has the makings of such cultish appeal, but sadly never quite reaches that far into hilarity or awfulness to make the cut. Aside from the obvious bits he isn't even that bad at first, but once the puzzles start cropping up his adventure screeches to a very unwelcome stop. The title tells you everything you need to know up front, really. Nicolas Eymerich is an inquisitor serving the Catholic church in France sometime in what feels like the Dark Ages. Trouble is brewing in a small town called Calcares, and our friend is tasked by the local abbot with uncovering the cause. Before he departs on his quest though, there is a wealth of information and secrets to gather in the abbey. I'm not sure it's enough to fill an entire game, but that's all the ground that this title, Book 1, is going to cover here. You may notice when you start the game that the title screen depicts Nicolas glaring at you from behind burning menu buttons as DOOM-style programmer metal plays in the background. This is what you're getting with this title, not a faithful depiction of the 14th century clergy but an impossible badass battling heretics and the supernatural forces of evil with naught but his acerbic wit and withering disapproval. Nicolas is like a badass elemental, completely incapable of speaking above a menacing whisper unless he is shouting, glaring at literally everything in existence, and assuming that all people, creatures, and inanimate objects are in some way sinning against God Himself. Amazingly this never really gets old, and in fact makes the game pretty funny as you start rolling through the ridiculous puzzles. Despite being confined to the dozen or so scenes that comprise the abbey, there are pagan talismans to make, secret libraries to reveal, and foul heretics to drive out before you even start your quest to Calcares. Nicolas reacts with acute distaste to nearly everyone in the abbey, and is given some pretty colorful ways to insult people's heritage or threaten them with damnation. And to be fair most of the locals ARE degenerates, like the abbot who couldn't be more Palpatine if he tried and the cursed fellow who can't stop thinking about ladies' bottoms. Since this is a point-and-click adventure you're going to find plenty of items to use, most of which you won't know what for when you first find them. This one also has the unfortunate habit of not letting you take some things you'll need later until you know what you need them for, but obviously does not do this consistently. Items can also be hard to pick out from the game's weird mix of decent 3D and incredibly low-res 2D. There's a particular puzzle in the library about collecting scraps that's nigh impossible without looking up where the last piece is. Honestly, most of the puzzles are going to trip you up due to either vague instructions or finicky interfaces. That's one big knock against The Inquisitor, that a walkthrough (or liberal use of the built-in hint system) is going to be necessary despite the postage-stamp-sized scope of the game. Your journal is almost worse than having none at all due to some very, VERY rough English. And then when you find what you need to do, Nicolas is going to give VERY unhelpful feedback unless you're already clicking the thing you need to click. That's not real likely either when you need to take a specific paving stone out of many or highlight some text you can't even read. You're going to face plenty of frustrations trying to puzzle through this one yourself, especially with how slow Nicolas is getting around and how he can get hung up on walls and stairs. Ultimately it's just not a very polished game, and despite the hilariously over-wrought dialogue and interesting glimpses of plot the shortcomings pull it down too far. The puzzles are more irritation that challenge from start to finish, in part because of the muddy graphics that are going to get on your nerves eventually. The interface is awkward and ugly, and just getting around the abbey is a pain even with fast travel between rooms. And if you can somehow overlook all this it's only Book 1 of a two-book tale, with very little to inspire carrying on to the meat of the plot in a second game. I wish I could recommend this one for its so-bad-it's-good elements, but there are too many just-plain-bad elements heaped on top of them. Did you enjoy this review? I certainly hope so, and I certainly hope you'll check out more of them at https://goldplatedgames.com/ or on my [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/audish#curation]curation page[/url]!

+ Game can be unintentionally hilarious at times due to overacted dialogue. - Even for an episodic game, this chapter of the story feels incomplete as it goes essentially nowhere. The entire game is just one big distraction from the main plot. You know as much as you do at the end as you did at the beginning. - Bugs invalidate the scoring mechanic and several achievements are broken, invalidating any attempts at 100% completion. The developers have abandoned the game. The point and click gameplay and design aesthetics are passable but cannot be called good. The quality doesn't hold up to the many other classic adventure style games or even HOGs now being produced on Steam, which also manage to be self-contained stories that don't bait the player to buy more episodes.

What an obscure point&click -game. The puzzles aren't really all that hard, but some actions have to be executed in a certain (sometimes cryptic) order, which makes it hard to complete the game without resorting to a walkthrough here and there. Navigation is fuzzy. The animations and characters are so unbelievably ugly they're almost endearing. There are so many easter eggs it's enfuriating - just as you think you finally found a pixel that's useful it's yet another dev team logo or a pointless Monkey Island reference. On the plus side, the story is intriguing, the historical setting is okay, the way they pronounce medieval latin sounds convincing enough, and the protagonist is a bit of an a-hole to say the least, which is certainly something different. The dialogue is the best part of the game. I'm saying thumbs up, because my inner hipster is equally confused and delighted.

[h1]Описание:[/h1] Очень инди 3д квест про инквизитора которого отправляют в деревню чтобы разобраться что за чертовщина там творится... В первом эпизоде мы будем несколько часов шароепится по штабу инквизиции и только в конце приедем в эту самую деревню получив концовку на самом интересном. Благо 2 книга вышла и сюжет продолжить щас не проблема. Обязательно ставим руссик от Prometheus Project т.к. диалогов много и с простыми словами. Игра очень забагована - постоянно вылетает, герой застревает в текстурах, текстуры предметов летают в воздухе, идет иногда куда хочет, зависания в диалогах. Но тут сейвы очень частые и есть крутая штука - подсказка, что для подобных игр редкостная редкость. Много того чего можно упустить, но к финалу вы полюбому придете. Мне понравилось несмотря не на что и хотя это квест но несколько раз чувствовал что в хорор играю... Рекомендую исключительно для любителей квестов! [h1]Оценка: 6/10[/h1] [h1]Послесловие:[/h1] Если вам понравился этот обзор добро пожаловать в группу http://steamcommunity.com/groups/uojer - тут вы сможете увидеть рекомендованные мною игры, другие обзоры, а также просто пообщаться в хорошей компании.

I recommend this game only for its peculiar story and the main protagonist (sometimes more of an antagonist) who is a total crazy nutjob of a monk bent on having feuds with anyone he talks to, otherwise - good god what an abhorrent technical mess this game is. Pixel hunting at its finest (nothing new here) + broken hotspots + broken hint/help system + broken dialogues + broken puzzles + broken puzzle sequences + broken character auto-placement in scenes = this whole game is freakin' broken to the point where you literally cannot proceed unless you look up a walkthrough and click on a series of hotspots in the same random order as the walkthrough says. And so after having clicked everywhere on one particular scene for about 20 minutes and thinking about quitting and hiding this game in your Steam library, the magical click sequence on that same scene suddenly allows you to see a new scene and proceed. WHAT THE #!@!$?? This whole "guess-the-hotspot-sequence" interaction approach makes no sense and only discourages from carrying on. Good grief, I can't believe I'm actually recommending this... Please buy it on sale only.

This game was kind of a huge mess, it was weird and bizarre and I kind of love it for that. Well worth 1 dollar. But was it a good game? No, I can't really say that. The challenge of the puzzles comes not from the logic or the intellect required to solve them, but from defeating the games awkward interface. It's hard to figure out where you can click, your cursor must be just in the correct place. You might think to do something, but Nicholas will be uninterested in doing it, until 5 minutes later when that action is needed for the plot, then suddenly you can do it. But you wouldn't know that. Very mild spoiler example: Nichoals sees some mushrooms. He needs the mushroom as a specific ingredient. But when you try to get one before the game wants you to, Nicholas says he isn't a mushroom expert and won't do it. Likewise there is a drawer in the kitchen (which is completely invisible, by the way) which when clicked on, Nicholas says it is of no interest. Then later it becomes important that you get it open. How would you know that you can interact with it now? For a puzzle game it's actually very irrational and barely makes any sense. It gives only the illusion of choice, you must follow the beaten path almost exactly, except in the case of the weird easter eggs littered around the game. The voice acting and character models are abysmal to the point of comedy. But I guess that has some charm. That being said, the plot is definitely intruiging, and seems like the devs did a lot of research for this game. Besides the characters, the graphics are actually pretty cool.