Pon Para and the Unconquerable Scorpion

[i]NOTE: you can find my review for the first game here – [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/futabatian/recommended/1074550?snr=1_5_9__402]Pon Para and the Great Southern Labyrinth[/url][/i] Would you look at that! My muse finally decided to hit me on the very last day of the year. Tis’ a New Year miracle, no less. Or the girl is just as capricious as my mood these days. So, Pon Para…I wrote a proper full review for the first game way back in 2019. I guess my desire to create long texts was more convincing than my general laziness at that time, huh? Now, with the release of Unconquerable Scorpion, it is high time to talk about the story once again, and I am only happy to oblige. [h1]Pros[/h1] [list] [*][b]Word building and magic system[/b] I am no expert in literature, but I do like watching them talk on YouTube. One of my favorites is KrimsonRogue, who is quite good at explaining things and is actually connected with writing. According to him, a magic system has its place when all parts of it make sense, work well together and do not contradict their own basic principles. And I dare say that Kyle Marquis has yet again managed to achieve this. Pon Para features a completely unique set of rules called philosophy that has absolutely nothing in common with the real one. The world’s core is full of not melting iron but cogs and gearwheels instead, and philosophers with the right skills can use them to perform magical feats. And there are also gods and outsiders, and nymphs and satyrs, and only-God-knows-what other creatures, including emissary beasts, lurking among the ruins of the old world. And the world itself is magnificent! There is so much lore to it that the author can actually write six or even ten books and still not cover everything. Not to mention the abundance of secrets and dangers the half-eaten apple hides [i](yes, this is exactly the shape this world has, no allusions to the famous Apple company here)[/i]. [*][b]Quality of writing[/b] I have already said it in my review for the Great Southern Labyrinth, but could not but repeat myself: creating such a complicated and unusual setting that masterfully mixes some real-life elements (very reminiscent of ancient Rome or Greece) and completely new features takes really good writing skills and imagination. In case with Pon Para, there is one drawback in this part, but I will talk about it later. Overall, if you want a good mix of fantasy and some curious sci-fi, then this text-based adventure will deliver in both genres. Also, the game is rather long: the first playthrough took me about 14 hours, for example. And the total 742,000 words that this book offers are quite a feat! [*][b]Characters[/b] Even more love interests, even more fun, even more people to kill. Yay! It was really nice to see that a lot of people from the first game returned in the sequel. Even the most minor extras were mentioned at various points, and some even decided to play a more major role this time. And yes, I still hate Urmish with burning passion. Hope to kick his buttocks in the third book… [*][b]Story[/b] The plot is neatly connected with the first game, so be ready for some consequences of your choices. Oh, and juicy twists! How can a modern story go without at least a couple of them? This time you will discover a completely new city and enemies, and your activities will include not just running away from trolls, goblins, Stormraider, templars, emissary beasts, gods…Hm, I did not even notice that there was so much running involved before. Anyway, be ready to pursue a very dangerous creature and unravel serious mysteries that can shake the very core of this magic world. [/list] [h1]Cons[/h1] [list] [*][b]Issues with writing[/b] In general, the text feels dry at times. This comes from the first game and can also be seen in Empyrean and Tower Behind the Moon (but surprisingly less in Night Road), so it seems like the author’s style in general. Keep in mind that I am a huge sucker for soft and lush descriptive styles like Turgenev’s or even Jack London’s - if we talk about nature, for example, - so I am most probably biased in this particular aspect. But yeah, for me, Pon Para feels more like a scientific essay rather than adventure at times. And I am not talking just about philosophy descriptions and such. Another very important problem, at least for me, is repetitiveness of words, structures and sentences. Specifically in the Unconquerable Scorpion, you can see paragraphs that are almost exactly the same in many places. I have no idea if this is partially a coding error, though, and I am also not a native speaker. Still, some more variety to the general vocabulary (in terms of reported verbs, for example) and descriptions would be welcome. [*][b]Continuity problems[/b] According to the patch notes, some of them have already been fixed. But I still managed to encounter one: [spoiler]when the priestess of Pel (if I am not mistaken) in Stormraider’s prison suddenly returned from dead and cried as her secret shrine was destroyed. And I am 100% sure that she could not be alive at that time because, well, my character killed her himself just several pages ago[/spoiler]. So far, I have not really found anything else that noticeable, so this issue is more about esthetics rather than an actual bug. [*][b]My personal complaint: very little romance[/b] Guys, I waited for almost three years to finally smooch that brooding Stormraider, and this bastard gave me just a hand squeeze, several smiles and one quite fast kiss in his study. I crave, no, I even demand more! And the same goes for other characters – it is a crime to have such majestic personalities and not really use them to seduce my guy/gal at least a bit more often. [/list] [h1]Is This Adventure Worth It?[/h1] You do not even need to ask me. I adore Pon Para series for how unique and fresh it is, for the great attention to the lore and even the smallest historical details. Each city and empire bring something new, so the second book is very different from the first one in terms of plot and challenges. There is obvious character development too, and relationships between your party members, yourself and outsiders are believable (at least 99% so). At the same time, the text does feel dry at times, and some particular aspects [i](romance *sob*)[/i] are neglected for the sake of grand adventure and rich mythology. Still, they do not spoil the read that much, so both notes can be also attributed to my personal taste. So, looking for a text-based adventure to sweep you off your feet for several days? Look no more as here is your treasure! [h1][url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/32296668-Casual-Game-Reviews/] More reviews on our Curator Page[/url][/h1] 🌟🎄🌟[i][b]P.S. Happy Holidays, everyone! Wish you a great year and really hope that 2022 will be more stable and saner compared to its siblings.[/b][/i]🌟🎄🌟

Frenetic from start to finish. This game never lets up, it keeps putting you in new and wild scenarios, while adamantly refusing to resort to old fantasy tropes. Marquis has written a real winner with this book and series.

its pretty good

Definitely an improvement from the last Pon para. This one feels better paced, has more romance options for those looking (Hyranni ftw), and I quite like the variety of situations it puts you through--more fun compared to the last game. I'll also say that I like the approach to romance, it never intrudes on the story (which makes sense here since you are in constant crisis), feels natural, and due to its moments being written as short & sweet it leaves you wanting for more. So far I'd say its slowburn romance done nicely, but I do think the next installment should have more substantial moments of romance as some well-deserved pay off, for a job well done. With that said as hyped I am the next sequel, I know that good things take time and with that I'll see you in the next installment of Pon Para. Thank you, Kyle Marquis.

I started the Pon Para series after enjoying the author Kyle Marquis's other games Night Road and Book of Hungry Names. While the other two are more aclaimed, I think the Pon Para series is his best, most memorable work so far! The world building and lore is excellent, and the book truly takes you on a journey of epic proportions. Bring on Pon Para III!

Хорошая игра, увлекательная. Жаль только, что закончилась на самом интересном месте.

a fun game

I like the story it's very entertaining, I'm having fun. Be careful with the decisions you make...some are not as effective as others, trust me. If you want to romance a character...I'm not sure how that one goes. I haven't gotten the opportunity to do so. Let me know if you did.

Great game, the choices actually matter

+1