"This one," you say without hesitation, reaching out to grab Legends of the Shattered Empire from the shelf. The other games had their own appeal, but RPGs had always been more your forte. Plus, the promise of over six hundred character classes and such a vast world to explore is too good to pass up.
The self-proclaimed wizard smiles in a knowing way, and nods kindly.
"That should be perfect for you, Elliot," he says, slipping the money into one pocket of his frayed bathrobe, "Just make sure you read the instruction booklet before you start playing."
You thank him and exit the strange shop, prize in hand. Although you still haven't made any significant progress on your goal of job-hunting, you decide to return home early. The mental strain of speaking to a mind-reading old man has left you feeling fatigued, and you're eager to install and play the new game.
Exiting the shopping center, you curse under your breath as you realize that spending all of your money in 'Spells R Us' has left you with no cash for the bus ride home. Fortunately, it's only a few miles from the mall to your house, so you decide to walk the rest of the distance. Quickly growing bored of the repetitive scenery, you fish around for the game and unwrap it, casually tossing the plastic into a waste bin as you pass. Popping the case open, you pull out the thin instruction booklet and begin to leaf through it as you walk.
The first few pages are an overview of the world the RPG is set in, Telluris. True to the game's name, the continent of Telluris was once a mighty empire that ruled justly over the known world. With the death of the Emperor, however, the various noble families ruling the Empire's fiefdom broke off and began vying among themselves for power and, ultimately, the throne, paying no heed to the late Emperor's young son, legitimate heir to the Empire. These wars have become more and more brutal, with some lords even enlisting the aid of the foul monsters that dwell outside the Empire's borders, and much of the once-bountiful land of Telluris has been reduced to a battle-scarred wasteland. You, as the hero, take on the role of the leader of a group of knights and mercenaries loyal to the former Emperor, and now to his son. It is your quest to unite the land of Telluris and restore it to its former glory.
Following the overview is a listing of the classes available at the beginning of the game. To start out, there are only eight basic choices, but as the player progresses, they will unlock more options, up to a maximum of the six hundred advertised on the game's case. The first classes are standard fantasy fare. Barbarian, Knight, Rogue, and Archer make up the weapon-based jobs, while Mage, Priest, Warlock, and Bard are available for the magically-inclined.
The back of the instruction booklet is a page thick with small text warning the user to play only a certain amount, take breaks as necessary, and other standard fare for video games. One item catches your eye as you scan the page. A line notes that the game must be completed in a single playthrough, and if the hero dies, the player has the option to start over as a different class, but with some of the items or skills they obtained in their last try. A game without a save option is unheard of in the modern day, but the system used seems interesting, so you're willing to accept it.
As you finish reading, skipping over the rest of the small print, you consider that the instruction booklet is very small for such a large amount of proclaimed content. Also odd is the complete lack of any images, art, or explanations of the game's menus or HUD in the booklet. Presumably, there will be some sort of tutorial when you start, but you have to wonder why the old man from the shop was so insistent you read the thin pamphlet.
Slipping the booklet back into its case and pocketing, you realize that you've reached your destination. The sun is just setting as you enter through the back door and slip upstairs to your room. You don't want to encounter your dad on the way there, and explain to him why you bought a computer game rather than making any progress on finding a job.
The door to your bedroom locks behind you with a reassuring click, and you slide off your jacket, throwing it on the bed before making your way to your desktop computer on the other side of the room. Smiling in pleasant anticipation of playing a new RPG, you pop the disc out of the game's case and place it carefully into the disc tray before allowing it to slide back in. Oddly, the game doesn't appear to need any installation, simply coming up with an autorun menu, then launching the program directly.
"Welcome, Hero, to the shattered Empire!" the bold golden text on the screen reads, then fades into a small menu. Only one option, 'New Game', is available over a view of a rolling plain with a castle in the background, above which hovers the title of the game in the same bold, golden letters.
Immediately, you are shocked by the quality of the graphics. The plain before you looks completely realistic, down to the individual waving blades of grass and the reflection of sunlight off a nearby stream. Your computer is an earlier model, and shouldn't even be capable of rendering such a beautiful environment. The gorgeous landscape, with its towering mountains in the distance and roiling clouds, is a stark contrast to the rather blocky polygons featured on the front of the case.
Almost in a trance, you click on the 'New Game' button, and the screen fades to black, before bringing up another menu. This screen features a long, dungeon-like hallway with a pair of blazing torches on either side. Just as with the sunlight, the fire looks incredibly realistic. In the center is a box featuring the legend 'Choose your class!' with two options. Just as the instruction booklet said, the starting jobs are separated into Physical and Magical options. Which do you choose?
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