Taking a Peak at Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox (PC)

Villagers!

The very first computer RPG that I ever played was Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. My dad and I would take our party into the maze and map our way around there while fighting all sorts of monsters and hoping we didn't accidentally step onto a teleporter. Good times were had, and the game imbued me at an early age with a taste for role-playing games presented from a first person perspective. From there, I went on to search out other such games like this, eventually absorbing myself in the likes of The Bard's Tale, Might and Magic, and Eye of the Beholder. So, when I found out about Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox, an RPG of similar ilk currently in development, I knew that I had to check it out.

The game is set in what the developers call an infinite, persistent world, so it stretches on and on and there is no level cap. This means players will have no lack of things to do while exploring, marching off into the wilderness in search of dungeons, monsters, loot, and the like. Even from what little time I've spent with the game thus far, it already gave quite a sense of vastness.

When starting a new session, players are plunked down in a field where a mysterious robed individual greets them. Here players get to choose whether they would like to start where they are or be teleported out into the wilderness somewhere. This is also the point in the game where one starts leaning toward what kind of class they would like to play (warriors, magic users, rogues). Stats are not realigned at this point to reflect the choice, but the NPC will give different items depending on what you decide (a weapon for warrior, armor for paladin, a spell for the mage, dungeoneering devices for the rogue, or a cash payout). There's also an option to refuse any of these and become a wanderer for those who want to make the game a little more challenging straight out of the gates. Regardless of what class you choose, it should also be noted that this is a one-character game, not party based, so keep that in mind.

Dungeons are dark and forboding.

So far, I've been enjoying the mage most in the early game as this gives players a fairly powerful fireball spell that is extremely useful in dispatching low level enemies. A few of these will usually kill an imp or goblin, though they won't be enough to dispatch something like an orc or lizardman, and if you come across a troll or a minotaur, don't even bother casting anything, just run.

As one faces off against the game's assorted denizens, it will quickly become apparent that Ahkranox is very challenging. The best way to make progress is to take things slow and steady, plan ahead, and manage all resources wisely be it the mana pool, potions, or gold. Never use more than you have to in order to get through an encounter because you never know when that potion, or few gold pieces may come in handy later. Even the lowly goblins can become a problem if they catch you with your pants down. Also, be sure that you know what the three crystals at the bottom-center of the screen mean. When one of these light up, it's telling you something very important about the area you're in, so take heed. Finally, if things start looking hairy, run. Digging in one's heels and fighting when the chips are down can often lead to death in this game. Monsters' levels also scale with your character, so there's no coming back to low-level dungeons to deal with previously difficult enemies. They're still going to be difficult because their level is increasing with your own. The best way to deal with these creatures is finding good gear to augment character stats better.

With all of this, players will be pushed pretty hard, but, as mentioned, it isn't insurmountable. Proper planning prevents piss poor performance and all that. Nonetheless, Ahkranox will present a greater challenge than many other RPGs do these days. The game is also set up so that players can't really save spam too much as there is only one save slot that is overwritten every time players save again. Want to make several save files while traversing a particularly dangerous dungeon should things go awry? Too bad, you'll just have to be very careful where you tread and very selective of when you save. With all that in mind, the game gives players one more option on top of all this should they want to make things even more difficult: permadeath. So, have fun with that!

Poison traps need special tools
to be disarmed.

When not fighting monsters, there is a ton of exploring to be had. It is a game that promises to have an infinite world after all. I'm not sure what sort of coding wizardry is involved in making this possible, but after creating a number of characters and exploring nearby areas the game is consistent in its layout while also feeling like it stretches on forever. The over world is huge, and there are dungeons all over the place. Occasionally players will come across small towns that they can enter as well, where all sorts of shops and guilds are situated to help them along in their adventures. There's also an Information Kiosk where various quests are available, ranging from "kill 10 rat" affairs, to gathering items, or completely clearing certain dungeons of monsters. They're very simple, but the rewards are quite useful and players have a choice of what they can receive between gold, gear, or an unusual item of some sort.

The dungeons themselves are absolutely massive. Even venturing into the early ones, they stretch out far into the distance, and it will take quite some time to check out every nook and cranny in them. Thankfully, there is an automap feature to help make navigating these places a little less daunting. While wandering these places players will come across all sorts of traps. Some are easy to see, represented by either red or green rings on the floor. Red ones will explode if stepped on, damaging players for at least 75% of their health, while green ones are poisonous. Specific tools are needed in order to disarm these traps. On top of this, there are hidden traps. However, the purple gem at the bottom of the screen will light up and chime when you get near one of these. If this happens, start clicking on the adjacent tiles. Should nothing happen, that tile is safe to step on. If there is a trap there, a new screen will come up where you can attempt to disarm it by trying to drag a crystal past a number of mechanisms without destroying it. There are also hidden rooms to be discovered, and, once again, you'll need to pay attention to the crystals at the bottom of the screen to find these places. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised by just how large these dungeons are. In a lot of RPGs, players are eased into things, starting with smaller dungeons and working their way up. In Ahkranox, we're thrown into the deep end and presented with massive labyrinths from the get go.

Trolls are very strong, so be careful if you come across one.

Besides towns and dungeons, I've also come across the occasional safe area. First, there are guard towers. If you happen across one between 6PM and 6AM game time, they will allow you in and offer to sell you simple supplies as well as let you sleep there for the night free of charge, replenishing your character's health. There are also a few farm houses peppered about. Here too one can stay the night at these places, and you can ask the people living in them for directions, which will cause a bunch of nearby dungeons and points of interest to be marked on your map. I've found the farms to be particularly useful places to visit when I want to replenish health after a foray into the dungeons because you can enter them at any time, not just at night.

Farm houses are super useful.

All the while as one explores, the presentation is very reminiscent of classic first person RPGs in terms of aesthetic and the game's adherence to a grid map. As I've been traversing the dungeons and exploring the wilderness thoughts of games like Might and Magic, Wizardry, and Ishar spring to mind. For someone who grew up on those games, this made me very happy. In terms of detail, the game isn't exactly a looker, but it gets the job done. The atmosphere created in the game, however, is fantastic, largely thanks to lighting. I should note that visuals can still be a bit glitchy what with this being a beta, so don't be surprised if you need to fiddle around in the settings to clean things up a bit. The music has been pretty decent thus far, however, with some nice atmospheric ditties playing in the background, and I've not minded what voice acting I've come across.

So, things are looking pretty good in Ahkranox. For people who crave an expansive world to explore that is in a similar vein to classic first person RPGs, this may be a game to keep an eye on. It's something that can be played in both short bursts and marathon sessions, providing for quite a lot of fun. The combination of exploration and challenge has proven quite compelling from the time I've spent with the game thus far, and I can see myself visiting this world more in the future.

*Note: The most recent Beta version that I've played prior to writing this article is v. 1.3*