Introduction

Developer: Gremlin
Publisher: Interplay
Soulbringer official page: http://www.gremlin.co.uk/games/soulbringer

Is it an RPG or an Adventure?

Genre lines in PC Gaming have become so blurry that it's difficult to pigeonhole games these days. Is System Shock 2 an RPG, a horror game, a first person shooter, or an adventure game? Is Battlezone a strategy or an action game? The confusion becomes most apparent when it comes to role playing games. Diablo seemed to be the one game that confused everyone - by all appearances it was an action game, but Blizzard insists it's an RPG. You'll find yourself scratching your head with Soulbringer as well. Its close up 3D views resemble an RTS like Myth, its character buildup and interaction suggest RPG, while its story is rather adventure-like. Whatever you want to label it, Soulbringer looks like it could be a worthwhile alternative to those who think there's too much clicking and not enough plot in Diablo-type games.

Hanging out at the inn

Inventory screen

So what is the story?

Soulbringer's plot has all the elements of a classic fantasy story. Thousands of years before, a sextet of demons (called the Revenants) ruled the world of men. As you can imagine, having a bunch of demons in charge is generally not a good thing; humans lived in fear and were persecuted by these supernatural beings. Only a great hero, the warlock named Harbinger, could stand up and then beat down these nasty demons. But as with all similar stories, he couldn't just kill them - they could only be imprisoned, so Harbinger cast them all into the "Well of Souls." Unfortunately that meant that the demons were still around. Fast forward a few thousand years - you are a young orphan in search of your uncle during a terrible winter. You'll begin an adventure to learn your fate and destiny as the new "soulbringer," the one true hero who can get rid of the Revenants once and for all.

Moving the camera around the inn

Getting outside