Ecstatica
| Ečstatica | |
|---|---|
1994
NA: Single-player |
Ečstatica is a
Gameplay
The gameplay is from a
Plot
The setting is in Northern Europe in 928 AD. A traveler (the player) comes upon a town named Tirich hoping to find food and shelter. However, the town appears to be invaded by demons. The traveler must help the townspeople and lift the curse from the town by freeing the young sorceress Ečstatica from her possession.
Development
Initially developer Andrew Spencer Studios consisted of just Andrew Spencer himself, who spent years single-handedly creating the game engine used by Ecstatica.[1] The team expanded to two people for the remainder of development: Spencer and film animation expert Alain Maindron.[1]
The game uses a unique type of ellipsoid graphics to display characters. Each character is made of ellipsoids approximating different parts of the body. The environments, such as the trees and the shrubs, are also constructed in ellipsoids. This gave the game a unique aesthetic, as it looked much less angular than other more conventional polygon-based games at the time.[2] Andrew Spencer explained, "The main advantage is the organic-looking characters. Triangles tend to make hard, robotic-looking figures, whereas ellipsoids can be used to create more rounded, human alternatives. Ellipsoids can also be more efficient because you can make a much better looking character out of fewer shapes."[1]
The game has been improved during Ecstatica II development, with some important fixes like better tank controls and high resolution pre-render backgrounds at 640x480. This version also introduced some graphical glitches in some pre-render background and software rendering.
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World |   [3] |
| Edge | 8/10[4] |
Computer Gaming World nominated Ecstatica as its 1994 "Adventure of the Year", although it lost to
Reviews
- White Wolf Inphobia #55 (May, 1995)
References
- ^ Imagine Media. December 1996. pp. 183–6.
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (2011-08-02). "Horror Comes In Many Forms (Including Tiny Ellipsoid Cocks)". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- ^ Allen L. Greenberg (February 1995). "Computer Gaming World - Issue 127" (127): 102–104. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
ECSTATICA'S Ellipsoid Technology Takes The Edge Off ALONE IN THE DARK
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Ecstatica". Edge. No. 15. December 1994. pp. 74–76. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ Staff (May 1995). "The Computer Gaming World 1995 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World. No. 130. pp. 35, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44.
- ^ "Top 100 Games of All Time" (PDF). GamesMaster (44): 76. July 1996.