Planescape: Torment, initially released in 1999 and developed by Black Isle Studios, later re-released in 2017 by Beamdog is a role-playing adventure game. The game is presented in an isometric view, where the player controls a crew of up to 6 characters at a time by simply clicking on the desired destination, object to interact, or character to talk.

The enhanced version presents a few additions, on the “alter senses” tab in the main menu, where they are marked with an asterisk. From gameplay adjustments to sound, many aspects can be tuned to better suit each player experience.

Starting the game, and after company logos, an introductory cutscene is presented, one that shows the main protagonist of the story, Nameless one, being pushed on a slab in a dark structure. Strange visions flash before your eyes, disconnected at first, as the Nameless one regains consciousness.

Gaining control of the game the player is introduced to a floating skull named Morte, and another crucial factor of the game, there are but a few spoken lines and the majority of the game is presented by text. Although it may be strange today a game not being fully voiced, there is an immersion that can be presented to the player as the characters are introduced but the interpretations of the lines are made by the player. Another possibility is the storage limitations of the initial release and the amount of dialog present in the game. Regardless of the way they are presented, all the spoken dialog is well acted and the dialog, alongside the great amount of lore presented create an intriguing universe ready to be explored.

Another mechanic presented soon after the start of the game is the choice of action. Different from most role-playing games, conflict can be almost completely avoided, which leads to interesting situations and character interactions. These interactions are, in fact, what really differentiate this game from most others. Each crew member you can encounter has development arches directly connected to the Nameless one and the player choices do influence the outcome of every situation.

As traditional role-playing games, there are character classes with specific equipment, but there aren’t many choices on this aspect, that is compared to other games.

An important part of the game, spread throughout all the interactions is the rediscovery of the character. In the beginning of the story, the Nameless one wakes up from death with no memory other than words recorded onto his skin, but as the player progresses through the story much can be learned from the setting of the game, the forgotten past of the Nameless one, and what he can become.

With its unique nature, this game is truly a classic that I highly recommend. Allow yourself to be immersed in the beautifully designed maps, seek all the forgotten memories and secrets hidden in Planescape: Torment.

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