Generation XX
Hype can either ruin or enhance your experience with a game, so anticipate with care.
When PC Powerplay #254 arrived in my mailbox and I screamed, “Civilization VI,” loudly enough for a passing neighbour to turn her head captiously, I realised that game hype has largely lost its feeling of pressing concern in my life. And this is coming from the gal who once got out of bed at 2am to download The Sims 2 Pets expansion pack. (And again at 4am to play it before work.)
I still love games devoutly, as I hope is obvious when you read the indie pages. It’s just that the anticipation for any particular thing has been crowded out by one of every other thing, not to mention endless Kickstarter updates for the addition of a new cup into the tavern, or whatever. I’ve even lost track of Shroud of the Avatar, which is being made by the person who created Ultima and went to space. I did, however, see one game at PAX Australia last year which sparked a quiet fervour of impatient waiting. I was invited to play the full game this month.
“Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire,” is the game’s title and I remember describing this as “flash fiction” in last year’s indie special. It’s like being given a tiny bite of the outside of something already delicious, that also promises to be full of cream. The story exceeded my expectations, gradually unfolding as unpretentious, intriguing and very sad. The only thing I cared about more than the small host of colourful characters was the wonderful turn-based combat. Consider both of my primary game itches scratched.
You begin, simply, in conversation with your horse. The affectionate banter introduces Tahira, a lightly
Initially inscrutable, the people you’re fighting soon make a worrying kind of sense
rebellious and reluctant hero. She then chats with the ghost of her father, gains a legendary artifact/weapon that noone is quite sure how to use and is thus tasked with defending her homeland from the Astral Empire. She has the support of a few military factions and makes friends within them. People she cares about are brutally murdered, alongside people she has never met, including the most vulnerable, seemingly without mercy.
Gentle, minimalist art is provided for important conversations between here and there. Your slow journey across the map provides quiet segues between genuinely scary and brutal moments. Near the beginning of the game, you watch a city being bombarded by a cannon. The sound effect is dull and frightening. Later in the game, you hear that precise sound again and you know what is going to happen. Initially inscrutable and evil, the people you are fighting against soon make a worrying kind of sense.
The first thing I noticed about the combat was the music. It’s very intense, with drums and horns, but not in the way you’d usually expect, because the content is used sparingly. It serves to provide pressure in a way that is calming rather than engaging. This expertly sets the tone for a slow and thoughtful system of turn based strategy. Most impressively, the combat begins relatively simply, then adds a new feature that is relevant to the location or story in each battle, all the way to the end of the game.
At the outset, you’re managing the position of your units, as well as their hit points, armour, willpower and special abilities, while ensuring you are aware of flanking bonuses and avoiding Area of Denial. In an early battle, you can choose to split your forces, running to save civilians, then adding them to your army mid-battle. I also love that the game outnumbers you, with waves of forty enemies apiece to your ragtag bunch of ten or so.
One of your allies, The Claw, can decimate a target with his special ability and if it results in death, he is allowed extra attacks until his movement runs out. It’s paramount to learn what each of your units can do, as well as how to use terrain features to your advantage against ranged and melee opponents. Sometimes, your best efforts will result in an imperfect outcome, by design. Is it frustrating not to be able to win conclusively? No, this is a hopeless kind of war.
I’m usually pretty careful to emphasise that, when I like a game, you should make your own decision about whether to buy it. If you’re into story and turn based strategy, I honestly can’t imagine what there is to dislike about Tahira: Echoes of the Empire. I’m writing about this prerelease, but I give you permission to be excited in advance. It’s a very coherent experience and I truly loved it. From the horse’s “cautiously optimistic whinny” and “deeply offended snort” to genuinely desperate combat moments, this is a game I wish I’d looked forward to harder.