With Blizzard’s release of "Diablo", a new game type emerged, one in which you are supposed to point and smash enemy hordes. With Diablo II the standard was set, and many companies started producing their so-called “Diablo clones”. Titan Quest is one of them, but in this case it deserves recognition. Since this game is quite similar to Diablo and this is the standard, I will be comparing them throughout this review.
Based on ancient mythology, mainly Greek, you start nearby the village of Helos, where its people is claiming for help, since monsters have been attacking everywhere. As your quest continues you learn about the Order of Prometheus and which titans are behind this plot, traveling along Greece, Egypt, and the Far East.
In Diablo you create your character, you choose a class and set a name, but here, instead of choosing your class at the beginning, you have to reach level two, where you can choose a class, or more properly “mastery”. Each has its pros and cons, so from level two you can be a warrior, a rogue, a magician, or anything else. However, when reaching level eight you can choose a second and last mastery, so that you can combine the skills of any two masteries - for example, the high energy levels of magicians with the strength of a warrior and all their skills. This cannot be done in Diablo, where if you choose to be a paladin, you will be a paladin all along. Each time you level up, you get two increments in attributes (Vitality, Energy, Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity), and three skill points. Once you have chosen a mastery, you access the skill panel for it, and in it you will see a cross on the left – this is where you must start, clicking on it for level one of the mastery to be enabled. All skills are enabled at some point of the mastery, and these levels are 1, 4, 10, 24, and 32.
In Diablo you start with some simple items, and then you get many, many more from chests, monsters, quests, merchants, or friends. In Titan Quest you do the same thing, but in Diablo items have limited durability, and after some use they get worn out and break, so you have to take these items to a blacksmith to have them fixed, while in Titan Quest there things last forever and require no fixing. Besides, there are items of poor quality, common, magical, part of a set (with extra benefits if completed), rare, and unique, which in this case are purple, not gold. In Diablo, instead of gems you can get relics and charms, but in Titan Quest there are relics and charms for every kind of item, including necklaces and rings. For relics you need to find three pieces for each one and five pieces for every charm. For example, picking up "scarab's carapace" five times allows you to complete that charm. There is no "Hodradric Cube" in Titan Quest, however, some foes drop recipes to create artifacts - all of them require three ingredients, which can be relics, charms, scrolls, and lesser artifacts. This is the case of the powerful ones, which often require these lesser artifacts to be created, so do not throw them away.
In Diablo many scenarios are randomly generated by the time you get there, adding some variety to it. However, here you will notice that everything is always the same, though the game contains a tool that allows you to create your own scenario according to your liking. Later in the main menu you will find the "Custom Quest" button that you can use to design a quest and play, on your own or with a group of friends. There is nothing like playing with your friends - the game offers you multiplayer functionality up to 6 players, whether in an original or a custom game.
I have read complains about this game from people who cannot be called smart. All of these comments are senseless and with poor arguments, such as “you cannot choose a class, but reaching level two you can” - it seems as if some would want this game to be exactly like Diablo, which would be boring, monotonous, and predictable. Titan Quest is indeed a great game with outstanding graphics, and it is the only one that deserves to be called “Titan Quest” and not “just another Diablo's clone”.
Comments (2)