A Month in Gaming
The problem I find with monthly gaming articles is that they tend to cover ground that I’ve already written about over the last 4 weeks in other blog posts, only in less detail. So here is the brief version of my gaming activities throughout February. I played through the entirety of the Star Trek Online 10th Anniversary event and received the new hybrid Tier 6 ship. I enjoyed the new 2 part feature episode and have managed to maintain a schedule of doing “odds and sods” to keep myself busy. STO is currently my primary game. I’ve ground to a halt in The Lord of the Rings Online, as soon as I start questing in Minas Morgul itself. It is simply too uninspiring and grindy an area. So I’ve focused on completing deeds for virtue experience and daily repeatable quests for Anfalas Scrolls of Empowerment. Due to constraints upon my schedule, I decided to temporarily stop my subscription to ESO Plus, as I simply do not have the time to invest in The Elder Scrolls Online at present. ESO is a good game and deserves attention when played. Committing to multiple MMOs at once is always a mistake.
Deathtrap Dungeon: The Interactive Adventure
I watched Welsh Troll stream Deathtrap Dungeon: The Interactive Adventure this morning and was instantly hooked by this bold new adaptation of a much beloved adventure gamebook. So I subsequently purchased the game via Steam for £7.99 which is a very reasonable price. Despite being in early access, this game’s old school appeal is instantly apparent. Based upon the 1984 book by Ian Livingstone, it perfectly captures the tone and spirit of source text. Rather than providing a visual depiction of navigating a dungeon as previous video game adaptations have done, the developers, Branching Narrative, have opted for a minimalist narrative interpretation. Hence we have actor Eddie Marsan sitting in a battered leather chair, telling the story of Baron Sukumvit's "Trial of Champions” and how those who undertake the challenge must traverse a dangerous subterranean labyrinth, from which none have ever returned. There are occasional illustrations to orientate the player but overall this is an intimate experience between the player and narrator, without an excess of visual distractions. It focuses on the power of imagination and storytelling.