Too Human observations, part Two

Too Human allocates about 90% of the Action/RPG game type to fast paced hack and slash with the remainder reluctantly to story and roleplay. Most "quests" are just killing X number of Y with Z ability. These quests are associated with a charm item; which is obtained from obelisks. The obelisks are generally found throughout the game by passing through a portal called a well. At most you may only have two charms quests active. In addition to the quest, you must find and insert the proper runes it requires. Once the quest is completed you will receive the ability that the charm grants.

Runes, armors, and weapons are obtained as loot from fallen enemies or purchased in the city. Inserting a rune into armor and weapons with an available slot can improve your skills and attributes. The best runes are dropped from Bosses and Elite enemies. You may receive armor and weapons as blueprints that need to be manufactured in the appropriate city store for large sums of money. Money is obtained as loot or from salvaging useless items.

The city Aesir looks a bit like Mass Effect's Citadel but the people that roam it are non-interactive. They'll make conversation with each other as you pass by but that's about all they do. In single-player, you'll end up just using the city to get from one cut scene to the next. Other than that Too Human and Mass Effect have nothing in common.

When I compare it to Diablo, I'm thinking more in terms of the massive amount of enemies you face and large number of dropped loot items to be sifted through. Also, it is to a large extent like Diablo, where you spend a good deal of time keeping away from the horde of baddies until you have whittled them down and are ready to push through. But unlike Diablo, the actual design of a level never changes upon subsequent playthroughs.

More than any other game that I can think of, Too Human is like Marvel Ultimate Alliance; another game that I really like. You purchase the skills when they become available and try to master how to make them the most effective as you progress. It borders on being a simple button masher like 99 Nights, but because the primary attack is handled by the right analog stick, buttons rarely get to be pushed.

Single-player introduces you to the game slowly, giving you a chance to get used to the controls but don't expect too much from the story. It's pretty thin and I found it confusing at times. However, I suspect there's a great deal of backstory, not in the game, that would have made it much more interesting.

Multi-player ramps things up a bit and throws a horde of gremlins and a troll at you right from the start. Each playthrough online will be slightly different but generally you'll know what to expect once you've played the levels a few times. Playing multi-player is significantly better than single. You'll be able to use teamwork to avoid repeatedly dying. It's possible to progress doing your own thing but not working together will often make it more difficult. Of course, if you know what your doing, you can pretty much solo multi-player.

I highly recommend checking out the demo before making a purchase, because the game isn't for everyone. People that hate the game, tend to REALLY hate it. But that goes both ways. I enjoy it enough to keep going back even after having played it for hundreds of hours.

This video does a pretty good job of demonstrating what to expect throughout most of the single-player game: