Betrayal at Krondor

The Good
The last ten years of the 20th century were, in my opinion, the Golden Age of video games - and role-playing ones in particular. Even though many people would only go as far back in their memory trips as the "RPG Renaissance" heralded in the second half of the decade by games like Diablo and Fallout, it is important to remember that the so-called "Middle Ages" - the years following the decline of Gold Box and gradual disintegration of Ultima - were blessed by some of the best and most interesting RPGs in history. The revolution of Ultima Underworld, the crystallization of Wizardry and Might and Magic, the future foundation of Elder Scrolls and King's Field, the peak of German RPG design at Thalion and Attic - all these great games, and many others, were released during those supposedly "dark" times. One of the most important ones is Betrayal at Krondor.

Betrayal at Krondor was developed by Dynamix. To my knowledge, this is the only RPG they have ever made. It is therefore particularly astonishing that a company with no experience in the genre managed to created one of its most fondly remembered representatives. Talent truly triumphs over everything else: even though it may seem at times that Betrayal at Krondor lacks some of the genre-related know-how of the established franchises, it conquers the hearts of the players with its wonderful personality and an intangible sixth sense for true role-playing that transcends the most meticulous and cleverly constructed gameplay mechanics of other games.

Betrayal at Krondor is not a "hardcore" role-playing game. It is a far cry not only from the mystically mathematical Wizardry, but even from the trigger-happy Might and Magic. It is not one of those games that overwhelm the player with sheer numbers and possibilities. It is a clear adherent of the late Ultima design school, in many ways similar to the monumental Serpent Isle, which was released around the same time. It also takes cues from the Underworld series with its implementation of real 3D and from older RPGs with its old-fashioned tactical turn-based combat. You can see that the game doesn't really care for whatever system it chooses; it liberally puts together some familiar elements of the genre to create something unique - but the uniqueness is achieved with its general design philosophy rather than with any developed and coherent gameplay concept.

Ever since Ultima started to focus more on the plot, and Japanese RPGs began raising their heads with their cinematic treatment of the material that was largely absent in the West, RPG designers have been preoccupied with the problem of balance between exploration and scripting. Everyone loves exploring, but more and more people developed a taste for dramatic scenes and meaningful questing instead of the formulaic "go to eight dungeons, find eight magical thingies, defeat the big bad guy" structure prevalent in most games of the type. People wanted better writing, more scripted events to spice up the plot, and controllable characters that would be more than generic half-orc barbarians - all that without falling into the trap of contrived linearity and lack of significant choices most Japanese RPG could never avoid.

Betrayal at Krondor is such a game. If you value writing, drama, and interesting characters in a believable world while rejecting the hand-holding of Eastern RPGs (or many later Western ones, for that matter), this is the perfect game for you. No other RPG I know dedicated so much care and effort to balancing those two extremes - the freedom to go wherever you want and the dominance of a tight plot. Right from the beginning of the game you can just rush to Krondor and complete the first chapter - or you can explore the vast wilderness on the way, visit half a dozen cities, and undertake sub-quests. The game opens with a strong scene that sets the tone for further events, complete with a conflicted tragic character, an urgent mission, and hints for a rich world with its own lore waiting to be discovered. You immediately feel that you are "in the plot", that the characters you control live their own lives and have their own agendas - and yet you can just wander around and enjoy the bliss of RPG freedom.

The game does more than that: it fortifies exploration, embellishes it with scripting. If you have taken the road opposite to your destination, you won't be simply put in a static world with treasure chests and enemies. You'll meet people, you'll chat with them, you'll visit towns and become involved in local affairs. People would suddenly confront you in the middle of the road, ask questions, force you to make decisions. Yet the freedom is so well-preserved that you can literally play for hours within the first chapter alone - and even if some of the later chapters can be a bit more demanding and restricting with their more detailed objectives, you never feel you are just being obstinately guided to your destination without the possibility to look around. Such is the genius of Betrayal at Krondor that you can equally enjoy both cardinal aspects of game design, witnessing them in a rare harmonious union.

This design philosophy further manifests itself in the remarkable blend of writing and gameplay features. The most mundane aspects of the gameplay are elevated to a spiritual dimension thanks to that. To illustrate, note how the game comments on everything you do in its own personal way. What other game delivers a short dramatic dialogue every time one of its characters' hit points reach zero? What other game allows us to read the actual thoughts of a protagonist when he is going through the unpleasant task of searching a dead body to procure a much-needed food ration? We've done those things countless times before in RPGs, but which one actually made us think about them? This is not just a pretentious attempt to overload a game with needless chunks of text: this is a way to build up atmosphere, to enhance immersion. You feel more connected to the game because it reacts to everything you do. Of course, after a while this astonishing novelty wears off, since you'll run out of new things to do and will be reading the same lines over and over again. And yet it doesn't get old; it keeps giving you the cozy feeling of belonging to the world you are exploring in a game, an almost odd sensation of identification with it. This is a step to gaming realism that was sadly ignored by most games to come.

But don't think Betrayal at Krondor is just some fancy scripted scenes superimposed on poor RPG gameplay. Even though it's by far not as complex as some of its contemporary genre brethren it still has enough "meat" to satisfy our role-playing cravings. You'll have to manage a party that needs to eat and sleep, pay attention to weapon and armor degradation, light torches in dark areas, get scrolls to teach your mages powerful spells, amass money for better gear, find and buy all sorts of cool items, and "focus" on skills of your choice for character development. Tactical combat is simple to understand, interesting, challenging, yet not impossibly hard or obscure; the absence of levels means you need to practice by repetition, which is a system I happen to particularly like. Sub-questing doesn't only add layers to the plot, but also provides you with various gameplay-related benefits which will certainly affect the future state of your party.

Speaking of plot - it might not be as twisted and dramatic as in the best Eastern RPGs, but it certainly has its moments, and overall it is a clear improvement even over late Ultimas, let alone the schematic stories most Western games were happy to have at the time. In this respect Betrayal at Krondor foreshadows the RPG Renaissance. If my memory serves me right, the guys at BioWare respectfully named it as a direct influence on their Baldur's Gate, and it certainly shows. Betrayal at Krondor teaches many lessons, and one of the most important ones is showing how a strong story and memorable characters can co-exist with flexibility of gameplay. Many games tried to follow this school of thought - some succeeded more than others, but few could emulate the great teacher with the same natural elegance.

Finally, while some people may wince at the game's blocky 3D, it is important to remember that at the time few RPGs dared to use that new technology in the first place. First-person 3D is more immersive than any other perspective, and Betrayal at Krondor chose it to make wilderness exploration more involving. And I loved the slightly goofy photos of real people used for the game's characters. This is one nostalgic visual style seemingly buried forever in the depths of early multimedia technology, and I welcome it as a proudly endearing symbol of the era.

The Bad
In order to enjoy this game to the full you'll have to accept the fact that Betrayal at Krondor is more of an experience than a methodical implementation of genre-related concepts. In other words, it surely feels like a marvelous role-playing game, but if you try to coldly analyze it you'll come to the conclusion it doesn't do that many things better than other RPGs, and doesn't even have some of their most commonly accepted features. There is no character creation, only two basic classes, and character development is pretty much limited to the same set of skills for everyone. Weapon and armor choices are fairly restricted as well: for example, all pieces of armor are lumped together as pre-made sets. It is a wonder the game manages to perfectly convey the feeling of growth, customization, and achievement under such limitations.

There is one downside to the game's heavy scripting: lack of choice in party management. Here Betrayal at Krondor behaves like a Japanese RPG, where you suddenly find yourself stuck with an obligatory character you never wanted to have in your party in the first place. In fact, the game is even less flexible than some of its Eastern cousins, as it always forces a prescribed party on you. I'd have no problem either hanging with the same three guys from the beginning to the end or at least get some cool and colorful companions later on in exchange for the less interesting ones; however, in this case you must give up one fairly generic nobleman for another, and then a reasonably powerful wizard for a much weaker one. It feels frustrating to build up a character only to have him taken away from you in the next chapter.

I can't say I loved the menu navigation in the cities. Only smaller towns can be physically explored, while the big ones are presented as still pictures with clickable separate locations. I'd definitely prefer to explore every location physically, no matter the limitations of the early 3D engine. An appropriately large 3D city with poorly textured buildings would still convey the feeling of actually being in it much better than the most splendid drawing. It's a good thing the game's spiritual successor avoided that kind of graphical presentation except for a few cases.

The Bottom Line
The perfectionists among us will surely find some small-to-medium flaws in Betrayal at Krondor, but even they will have a hard time resisting this game's sweeping charisma. You may find other RPGs with deeper and more refined gameplay, but very few of them would match the sheer amount of love and thought poured into Betrayal at Krondor, its brilliant balancing of exploration and plot, and its high level of immersion. Even if your mind tries to tell you otherwise, your heart will surely confirm that Betrayal at Krondor is one of the greatest role-playing games of all times.