Fate

Fate Review

Though Diablo-style hack-and-slash role-playing games have proliferated on video game consoles these past few years, for whatever reason, they've been scarcer on the PC. That being the case, if you've been hankering for a good old-fashioned monster-and-treasure-filled dungeon crawl lately, you should check out Fate. It's a fully 3D action RPG that's like a combination of Diablo and its sequel, but with better graphics. It's got a storybook, family-friendly look and feel to it, and it's shamelessly derivative of Blizzard's definitive action RPG series. But these qualities--along with its budget price--turn out to be a big part of the draw.

As for the differences between Fate and Diablo, for one thing, Fate doesn't let you choose between different character classes. Instead, you're free to develop your character however you see fit, by bolstering his or her armed combat or magic skills or by whatever combination you like. This system is perhaps a little intimidating for what's otherwise a breezy game, since right off the bat, there are so many places where you could be spending the small number of skill points you gain per level. And as tempting as it may be to spread your skill points across all the different skills that sound interesting, you're probably better off specializing in a small number of compatible abilities--for example, swordfighting and critical strike or spellcasting and attack magic. If you spread your points too far and wide, you'll probably just end up feeling like you're stuck with a weak character. Still, this open-ended system ultimately works well, and the experience of playing a fighter-type character is indeed quite different from playing as a caster. For what it's worth, magic-oriented characters are probably the most interesting, since you can have up to a dozen different spells mapped to your function keys. So you can be summoning creatures to aid you while raining fire and lighting down on your foes. Meanwhile, a fighter character is limited to whaling on his opponents with a weapon.

Then there's your pet, which serves as your faithful companion throughout the adventure. It's possible to buy or catch fish (via a simple little minigame) that can transform your little doggy or kitty into something more powerful, but either way, your pet will travel by your side, helping you to attack foes and sometimes drawing their fire. Perhaps more importantly, your pet has its own inventory, so it effectively serves as a pack mule. At the touch of a button, you can even make it automatically run back to town to sell everything in its stash, saving you the trip. Again, you'll still need to go back to town to resupply, or at least to cash in your quests and get new ones, but this pet trick turns out to be a smart way to alleviate one of the more cumbersome aspects of games like this.

Fate pretty much goes on and on like this, with you and your foes growing more and more powerful. There are an unlimited number of randomly generated items in the game, in addition to the ability to customize equipment by augmenting it with magically imbued gems. Some of the magic items can have what seems like an absurd number of different, sometimes contradictory, enchantments on them, which betrays the random nature of the game design but also admittedly helps keep things interesting. Additionally, you have a fame level that's independent of your experience level. Fame is gained from completing quests and slaying boss monsters. Gaining fame levels gives you more skill points, and the best equipment also has fame levels as part of the prerequisites. It's another arc to follow, but it's not that big of a deal.

The game features four levels of difficulty, the open-ended character building system, and what feels like quite a lot of different monsters, items, and spells. As a result, it can easily keep you busy for a while. Still, the random nature of Fate eventually begins to yield diminishing returns (especially once you get to higher levels and the leveling up slows down a lot), the monsters and levels start to look the same, and the combat gets a lot tougher. And the loading times between dungeon floors don't get any shorter. When you run out of health in Fate, you're given several choices, such as getting bumped back up three dungeon levels or restarting from the point you fell, but at a significant cost to your fame and experience. This death system is interesting, but it can feel surprisingly punitive in a game that's otherwise so easy on the senses.

Fate sure does look pretty, though, with its nicely lit and colorful, fully 3D caverns and catacombs. Some of the monsters are surprisingly big, which makes it satisfying to see their bodies pile up after a big skirmish. The game not only looks great but also runs smoothly, even on relatively modest systems. A few nice touches are in there to help make the graphics as functional as they are attractive, too. For example, if a wall is ever obscuring you or a monster, you'll still see a colored icon so you won't get blindsided. The highlight of the game's audio is its soft-spoken narrator, who has a few different phrases for moments like when you gain an experience level or when you run out of health. The rest of the audio is good, though the Renaissance Faire-style town music can start to get a little grating, as can some of the sound effects. We heartily recommend choosing the dog instead of the cat as your pet, since the cat's incessant meowing will likely cause you to send your furry companion back to town more often than necessary.

Fate is available for download from its , which includes a free trial version. Overall, this is a high-quality game that delivers well on a concept that isn't ambitious but is well known for being fun and addictive. You may be surprised to learn that Fate was made by just a small number of individuals, since many much larger projects don't come together nearly this well. However, this is a game that clearly benefited from having a singular focus, and in turn, you'll likely appreciate what it has to offer if you give it a shot.

Gamespot