Review: Lords of Xulima

Today, nobody is surprised by the hardcore role-playing game of the "old school". However, in general we see low-budget projects in the genre of roguelike or endless "Japanese" variations on the free RPG Maker engine. But in order to do something "old-school" in spirit, but at the same time pleasant to the eye, really powerful, epic, at the level of the best representatives of the genre, as a rule, rich publishers (like in the case of Might and Magic X ) or millions of dollars , collected through Kickstarter. 

Lords of Xulima is a very pleasant exception to this rule. Spaniards from Numantian Games scraped together a total of $ 50,000 (on Kickstarter and Indiegogo), but the result was just a million.

Before us is the most that neither is a classic computer RPG, where the plot serves only as a background, and the main emphasis is on research, battles, "pumping" and survival. Our hero, the traveler Golen, is given the task to come to the distant continent of Xulima, where people and gods live side by side, and try to restore the disturbed balance, without which his homeland will perish in the internecine war. On arrival, it is found that the temples of the gods are closed and defiled, local rulers, princes, turned into demonic despots, and the inhabitants suffer from the invasion of all kinds of monsters and aggressive fly agarics. In general, we only dream of peace ...

It is better to forget about contemporary directing, commercials and dynamic plot events. Fight, fight and fight again - this is your leisure for the coming weeks, held behind this game. Exit the first locations and at least somehow advance on the plot will, probably, only a day later, when you more or less "pumped through", get stronger and will be able to give the troops to one of the local princes. Until then, you need to clean out the surrounding forests and fields from different monsters, collect mushrooms and herbs, regularly visit the merchants in the village and perform quests in the spirit of "collect twenty fungal spores." 

There will still be a lot of such tasks, but there are no conversational skills, complex moral choice, throwing and non-linearity. 

However Lords of Xulima really addictive. There is no modern direction and dynamics, but you can feel the spirit of the RPG in the spirit of Might and Magic and Wizardry : a large elaborate world challenges you, it's hard to survive, you have to fight constantly, but you accept this challenge because you both survive and fight interestingly. And the world beckons with unexplored locations, some temples and ruins, caves, cities, rivers and snowy peaks, where we are faced with new difficult adventures and exploits.


The very system of battles reminds just about Might and Magic and Wizardry . Golen - the main character, it is displayed on the screen in the classical isometric perspective, when we run through forests, fields and rivers and communicate with someone. But in fact Lords Of Xulima is a party game, along with Golen travel five more characters of different classes. At the start, we can create a lot from scratch or rely on the help of a computer. The choice is given to nine classes (bard, paladin, cleric, thief, barbarian and so on, everything is quite customary), and the absence of racial differences between them (all in the party will be people) is compensated by religious ones: everyone chooses the patronage of one of the nine gods that gives unique bonuses.

So, the fights themselves take place in the usual for Might and Magic and Wizardry style: first-person view, step-by-step mode, their own and others' strikes in turn, and we decide what each of the six fighters will do - attack, defend, use the class skill, "cast" magic or drink healing potions.

It's not easy to fight. Who exactly to strike first, who will take what position on the battlefield, what items, scrolls and skills when to use - all this is very important. Especially considering that even not the most dangerous enemies at the beginning of the game cause your wards injuries and injuries, and their attacks can cause blood loss and paralysis. Having left all the same alive from such alterations, it is necessary to break camp and to be arranged for the lodging - after resting for eight hours, you will restore health and take off the consequences of usual injuries, and after a day, revive the dead and cure the most serious injuries. 
The problem is that during the usual research of locations, and during the rest, the characters want to eat. And the starving heroes receive penalties to the characteristics. Something, of course, can be found in the forest or on a table in some palace or temple, but basically still have to buy provisions from the merchants - and for a lot of money.
eanwhile, money is always needed in the Lords Of Xulima , and they are always lacking. Because of this, your fighters will have to do without decent equipment for a long time, and the protagonist, the messenger of the gods, will even have to repeatedly harvest on the farm to get at least 50 gold from its owner. 

In addition, one must remember the traps, the torches, without which nothing is visible in the forest and in a dark cave at night, that curses, poisonings and illnesses are treated only in special temples, and the enemies adore ambushes, even where one day your foot has already set foot.

In general, every sortie out of the safe city or village turns into a very expensive and long-lasting pleasure. But otherwise there is nothing. Each such trip gives experience in the literal and figurative sense of the word, allowing you to become a little stronger and a couple of steps closer to the coveted goal - to defeat at last here that great evil to move on the plot or just move to a new region. 

"Pumping" in Lords Of Xulima very important. The role system here is quite clear, simple and at the same time deep. At each new level, we improve the parameters and skills of the patients. On the one hand, it is known in advance which class will receive the skills next time. On the other hand, we decide what to "pump out" from, what to bet on. At the same time, it is necessary to develop skills that help you survive outside the battle: one of your heroes should be able to receive discounts from traders, effectively collect herbs, identify magic items, evade unwanted encounters, find hidden treasures, deactivate traps and break locks.

Rate:6/10