Perfectly average. Dungeon Siege III is an exercise machine. This is half-heartedly figurative; the game is pitting the player constantly against unending waves of enemies, questioning only if the player has the patience to work through all the junk to get to something worthwhile. There’s nothing particularly expert about any of the experience, just a lot of open space, a lot of flashiness, and a substance about the consistency of chewing gum. Though it knocks the craving any might have for a dungeon crawler, the experience is flawed and the taste goes away with little satisfaction. But, it’s difficult to not keep chewing.
Dungeon Siege III is interesting because of its story, yet the execution of the story is quite amateurish, living almost entirely in scripted cutscenes where things are retold as much as they are told to the player. The questions asked oftentimes yield surprisingly human responses from many of the characters, which is refreshing from the typical dungeon crawler “mission mission mission” line of thinking. Unfortunately the questions asked can also be surprisingly stupid, and though likely used as a device to expand upon the world within the game, the conversations with enemies before many fights even begin are far too drawn out.
Perhaps what is most nonsensical about the game are the story elements, which interrupt the gameplay. Despite these interruptions, they seem to add more personality to the game than the game rightfully deserves. If all the discussions were not simply linear dialogue wheels (boy that’s a weird statement), these could actually be characters, all of whom have their own concerns and reservations about politics and war. What is particularly interesting about the game is the way in which you play a character who is actually a unique arbiter. Key characters often live and die by your actions, and their contributions are unique to the experience.
As such, the game raises a number of questions about racism, sexism, and even misinterpretations thereof. But unlike most games, the game asks the player to perform judgment in relation to many of these roles, and questions less the main character’s “character” and instead challenges the player-as-arbiter to make decisions about pressing issues. Though they are sadly all obvious good/bad questions, both sides are at least represented in a way which gives each argument a voice that is unique. The situation of medieval slavery is particularly interesting.
Dungeon Siege III is mired in inadequacies and failures to launch, but the intention behind the game is genuine and the questions raised are, while not exactly unique, they are portrayed in a more interesting manner than most games manage. As a dungeon crawler, the game is passable and not overtly offensive, but never manages to be anything more. As an analysis of human judgment towards political issues faced often in wars of attrition, there are many interesting experiences waiting within.
Recommended: No