Pascals Wager Definitive Edition

Pascal's Wager is an RPG that belongs to the soulslike subgenre, initiated by the Dark Souls series. This means that we are dealing with an extremely demanding title that constantly challenges us. It is worth noting that the creators enriched this formula with their own solutions. This is the debut project of TipsWorks, an independent studio. The publisher of the game is Giant Games.

Plot

The action of Pascal's Wager takes place in a dark fantasy universe, somewhat reminiscent of the well-known setting of Ravenloft. The world is plunged in eternal darkness and impenetrable fog, which causes a dangerous disease. According to legends, the sun went out a long, long time ago, and soon after that event, Colossi appeared in the world - extremely dangerous, sinister creatures, appearing in different shapes and types, which over time began to be worshipped by people as gods.

The game has four main characters. They are: Terrence (a mercenary, once a servant of the Church, now an exile who accidentally discovered clues about a disease linked to the Colossi - he is currently trying to find his wife, Teresa), Viola (a mysterious woman who does not reveal her identity), Norwood (a one-armed man who hides his face behind a mask) and Benita (Terrence's friend, a blind nun).

Mechanics

In Pascal's Wager we observe the action from the third person perspective (TPP). In terms of gameplay, the title does not stand out especially against the background of similar games. Our task is to explore large locations and fight with opponents, thanks to which we gain currency (in this game these are... finger bones), which allows both the development of the character and the purchase of equipment (and strengthening of the existing items). There are also various tasks and side activities.

The fight is quite difficult, but it is governed by clear rules - we have to learn the behavior patterns of enemies and take care of our stamina level (important in the context of launching attacks and dodging). The biggest challenge are powerful bosses, which can require many approaches to defeat. What's important, after each death we lose the accumulated (but not spent) experience and we have only one chance to get it back (we have to get to the same place, again defeating or avoiding all enemies that stand in our way). We also can not freely save the game - to do this, we have to get to one of the places that allow it (saving also resets the enemies on the map).

In the work of TipsWorks studio the formula known from Dark Souls was enriched with a few interesting solutions. First of all, we control more than one character in the game - we can't control several characters at once, but from a certain point on there is a possibility to switch between them (some parts of the campaign, however, must be passed by a particular character). Each of the protagonists has different skills and specializes in using different weapons. It also makes the game a bit simpler than a typical soulslike game - the final death occurs only when all our characters die (after the defeat of one hero we switch to another).

In Pascal's Wager we also have an adrenaline bar, which - when charged - allows us to perform extremely powerful special attacks.

The last interesting mechanic is madness - when we fight against exceptionally hideous monsters, our hero gradually goes out of his mind. This causes that the game world begins to change before our eyes, and the fight becomes more difficult - enemies become stronger and more aggressive, and even use completely new attacks. In addition, on the last level of madness the hero is subjected to a weakening curse. However, the mechanics also gives benefits, because by defeating enemies under the influence of madness, we get more rewards.

Game modes

In Pascal's Wager we can play only alone. The basis of the gameplay is an extensive story campaign.

Technical issues

Pascal's Wager offers three-dimensional graphic design, which - for a mobile production - presents a pretty high level. The game environment and characters are characterized by a high level of detail, and the engine copes well with lighting and shading. It is worth noting that the whole thing is maintained in a dark, gloomy atmosphere, characteristic of the dark fantasy convention.