Ruined Temple

Ruined Temple

This game is exactly what I'd expect from an Alex Crossley game based on the last two. A straightforward fantasy game that promises complex and interesting mechanics but mostly has one main path worked out and is generally underimplemented and under-hinted.

I enjoy DnD quite a bit, and spent years as a kid collecting books for 2nd and 3rd edition and even earlier reading 1st edition in bed late at night. I remember getting the Epic levels book for 3rd edition the same day I rode in a convertible for the first time, and the epic book was the coolest thing that had happened to me for a long time.

This game has all the outward signs of the things I love in DnD, but few of the inward things. I enjoy characters with compelling stories. I love ambient storytelling. There is some of that in this game but it is all kind of generic. There's no personaltiy, no big boss, no spell list. As a parser game, there are many special interactions but none are documented.

I do appreciate having the walkthrough, and the 4 characters having their own rules and roles. The game does have several in-game hints that are quite useful, and the mechanic of 'here is an obstacle, figure out which of these four characters is most likely able to solve it' is fun. I would have enjoyed more plot and more story, more character conversation and expression.