Planescape Torment is an RPG developed for the PC by Black Isle studios, who had previously worked on the 2 ‘Fallout’ games, and ‘Baldurs Gate’. It is also one of the most richly plotted and involving RPG’s ever made. Many people have described it as more of an interactive novel than a real game, and for the most part I would agree. The game is very heavily dialogue and story driven, as opposed to being mainly combat oriented (as many PC RPG’s are). However, instead of being a weakness as might be expected, this turns out to be the games’ greatest strength as the narrative and plot draw you into this strange and alien universe, and make you care for the plight of the main characters.

The game begins with a character called the ‘Nameless one’. He awakes in a mortuary with no recollection of who he is, or why he is there. His body is covered in a mass of scars and tattoos. His hair is matted into locks. Countless bodies lie on slabs surrounding him, and the air is thick with the coppery stench of blood. However, one fact soon becomes apparent. The Nameless one is immortal, he cannot die.

Planescape: Torment is set in the AD& D campaign setting known as Planescape (which is now discontinued). It centres on the city of Sigil, ruled by the enigmatic Lady of Pain, and is also known as the ‘city of doors’. It is called such because it has portals within that can lead you to anywhere in existence. These ‘planes’ of existence can be thought of as alternate dimensions, ranging from the prime material planes of earth, water, fire and air, to the chaos planes of limbo, and everything in between.
The Planescape universe is primarily a fantasy setting, but not in the typical sense. Those used to playing AD&D will probably be more familiar with the ‘Forgotten Realms’ campaign setting, which in itself is an approximation of the fantasy worlds of J R R Tolkiens ‘Lord of the Rings’ Saga.
The Planescape universe is a much darker and more alien place. The city of Sigil is a good example. It is essentially a city on the inside of a wheel, on top of an infinitely tall spire. Tall, bladed buildings pierce the sky, covered in dust and grime. Thugs lurk in alleyways waiting to ambush unwary travellers. Throngs of people walk the streets, ranging from harlots and thugs, to collectors, to wealthy aristocrats, to demons and other denizens of the planes. While in most other RPG’s barging into someone’s home and asking questions will get you a happy reply, here it will get you threatened and possibly killed. To some this may seem off-putting, but to others, the more mature setting is a welcome breath of fresh air.

When the game begins, you are immediately set a task to accomplish, given to you by yourself no less. Tattooed into your back are instructions for you to find your journal, and to find a man named Pharod, who may be able to shed some light on your situation. First of course, you’re going to have to get out of the mortuary you find yourself in.
Having no journal upon waking up, the Nameless one starts another journal. This is probably one of the most useful features within the game, as it allows you to not only keep track of any significant events and pieces of information you acquire, but also keeps track of quests (finished or unfinished), and has a fully fledged bestiary, which gives a picture and a description of any significant NPCs, and any beasts you run across.
In the game you can choose to play as either a warrior, a mage, or a thief, switching between the three at will. You start the game as a fighter, and then if you want, you can track down people that will teach you to be either a thief and /or a mage. You can then change between these three at will by finding such an instructor (or asking a relevant party member). You can only gain experience points in the field you are currently in, and you cannot multiclass (e.g. no thief-mages) as in other AD&D games. Therefore, spending more time as a thief will make you a better thief. In reality you will probably choose a class and stick to it as a play style so that you can truly develop your skills in that area. My advice is to play as a mage all the way through the first time you play the game (higher intelligence gives more dialogue options, and you get cool spell effects). For the sake of new players, Mebbeth can teach you magic, and Ratbone can teach you thievery. They can both be found in Ragpickers Square (north from the north-west section of the hive). There, I’ve done my good deed for the day.

Sigil is a very alien place, and this is very well represented by the in game graphics. The graphics are much larger than can be found in Baldurs Gate, and this has allowed the designers to really go to town on the detail. As the Planescape universe is a very unique place, the look of the game has been designed to reflect the abject strangeness of the world around you. Here, they have managed to succeed with flying colours. The Planescape universe is bleak, with diverse settings and places to visit. The colouring is usually subdued with few bright colours, giving the game a darker and dirtier look than most games. The artistry itself is ranges from mechanical, to organic, to man-made, without ever really breaking flow or looking out of place.
The character animation is smooth with a nice display of creativity in the design, as various humanoids and creatures walk or crawl across the screen. Some of the character designs are truly original (Modrons anyone?), and the close up view of the world helps you to enjoy them even more. However, with the resolution of the graphics stuck firmly at 600 x 480, many people may find the graphics a bit blocky when compared to more recent games. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to adjust
A note on the cut scenes. They look very good , but are mainly used only when visiting a new plane, or for spell effects, very rarely for story elements. If you look at one of the earlier trailers for the game, you’ll see lots of cut scenes that aren’t in the game. This is likely because there wasn’t enough space on the discs for them all. Unavoidable? Probably, but it’s still a shame more weren’t used, especially when you consider that many of them were already made.

The orchestral score of Planescape: Torment is exotic and powerful. The tone is very alien, but suits the game world perfectly. At times subtle and sweeping, at others, bold and epic, the music manages to avoid being intrusive while at the same time having a marked effect on the whole experience. Music is also dynamic, so when combat starts, an alternate battle theme (different depending on the location) starts, and manages to fade out when the action finishes without sounding disjointed or artificial.
The sound effects help to add a sense of life to the surroundings. Whether the setting is a bar full of boisterous drinkers, a crowded marketplace, or a decaying dungeon, the ambient succeeds in adding it’s own flair to the situation. The voice acting is some of the best heard in any game, and looking at the credits, you will probably recognise 1 or 2 famous names (Dan Castellaneta, for example, does the voice of Nordom, and also plays Homer on ‘The Simpsons’ ). The only gripe with is that there is little voice-acted dialogue; most of it is written on screen. This seems almost like a waste considering how good the voice acting is.

As was mentioned earlier, the game is very plot and dialogue centric, but what is most significant is the array of choices you are given in the game. In other RPG’s based around AD&D rules, you often have to choose your alignment at the beginning of the game, along with your stats. This would limit you in that if you did something ‘evil’ when your alignment said ‘good’, you would be punished for it. In Planescape, because your character essentially starts out as a blank slate, your alignment is dynamic, and therefore derived from your actions. Within this world, you are free to choose who you want to be, good or evil, chaotic or lawful. What makes this system so fascinating is that the characters around you will react and respond to you in different ways according to the type of person you choose to be. You can threaten that person for the information you want, but you could also choose to trick them into giving it to you, or sweet talk them until they think you’re a friend and willingly give you the information. Others will like or dislike you more depending on choices you may have made earlier, and how you treat them, to the extent that they may openly attack you if you offend them enough. All through this the narrative is sharp, gritty, and always realistic. You’d be hard pressed to find a character acting uncharacteristically to your responses, and this in turn helps to build the atmosphere of the game. The people that you converse with range from average people, to angelic succubae, to talking corpses, and yet no matter how strange the situation may become (and it gets bloody weird sometimes), you can’t help but feel these are real people living in worlds that are as real to them as any other. This is novel quality writing (and a very good novel at that).

That isn’t to say that Planescape: Torment is all dialogue. Sometimes, it’s going to come down to who has the bigger hammer. And who can use it better.
Combat in Planescape is essentially real-time, but can be paused at any time, during which you can give instructions to each party member to fight, move, use an item, or cast a spell. Standard AD&D style rules apply to armour class, weapon damage, and spell casting time, and any other features of combat. Generally, because you are given as much time as you want to set up your attack or defence, the system works quite well. Special mention also has to be given to the spell effects, which are amazing to look at (at least 4 of them have their own cutscenes), and very creatively done.
There are however some gripes. Because the view of the world is quite close to the characters, most of the combat ends up being melee as opposed to long range, especially when you factor in spell casting times (which allow the enemy to close in whilst you are preparing the spell). Also, don’t expect combat to be anything like Diablo or other similar hack and slash RPGs. Planescapes’ combat system makes combat a slightly more strategic affair, and as a result may not be to everyone’s liking. Most of your experience points will probably come from the decisions you make rather than the monsters you kill.

If there is one thing that can completely destroy a story, in a book, film, or game, it’s how the story ends. Is the ending satisfying, does it tie up the loose ends, and does it seem fitting to the rest of the story. Personal opinion would be that it is, does, and does. The ending, when taken as a whole (from the moment you reach the last plane that you’re going to visit in game, and you’ll know which one that is when you get there) manages to convey all the information, and the emotion, needed without seeming forced or rushed. The ending cinematic itself may be relatively short, but it is subtle, and still has a lot of impact as a result.

Planescape: Torment isn’t the most beautiful RPG made. It isn’t the longest, it isn’t the most action packed. The strength of this game lies in its epic storyline, and it’s ability to draw the player into an alien and yet totally believable world. The storyline is wholly epic and original, with a strong use of dialogue and character interaction that draws you into the intricate plot and makes you want to continue on. Unlike so many other games, Planescape manages to emotionally involve you in the plight of the Nameless One and those around him, and by the end you will genuinely care about what will happen to him. This is Torment’s real strength, and why it will stay in your mind long after you have finished playing it. Notice that I’ve told you almost nothing about the plot? Play the game and you’ll see why.

FAQ / Walkthrough: I recommend Dan Simpsons Planescape: Torment walkthrough. This can be found at http://www.gamefaqs.com

Community: Black Isles planescape BBS appears to be the most active one on the net, found at http://www.blackisle.com

Mods: Platters website has a very good listing of mods, and also contains a complete soundtrack download (including the elusive credits music). http://www.accesswave.ca/~cthorpe/.


Also try Sorcerer’s Palace at http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/Torment/index_editors.htm/

Other downloads / resources: http://www.bootstrike.com, has an entire section devoted to Planescape: Torment.