Vega Legacy

Vega Legacy - Episode 1 - Beneath a Thin Veil

I'll confess that I play-tested this game with the express purpose of breaking it and pointing out errors to pianotm. It's okay because he asked me to. The joke was on me however, as I was only able to find a mapping error or two. Everything else in the game works perfectly and there was no game-stopping issues to complain about. Vega Legacy - Episode one, contains at least an hour's worth of gameplay and story dialogue, with some exploration and monster killing on the map. I am most impressed with the mapping of the forests, and the story thus far is very detailed and thought out. I'm looking forward to future episodes to see the larger story unfold and lead to it's ultimate conclusion. This episode will leave a lasting impression, I guarantee it.

The Story:
Humanity's population has exploded beyond measure, and now humans live on three planets plus 37 moons. Earth and Mars are the only food producing planets, and it's pretty clear that it will be unable to sustain the population much longer. That was the issue until the development of Terra 6, a nutritional supplement that curbs the appetite and slows aging, came onto the scene and could save humanity altogether, but at what cost?

You play as Tayla Woodson, a young girl who becomes stranded on the planet Terra 2 after taking an escape pod just before her space cruise-ship explodes. What she finds is a rich world full of resources, creatures, Oozes, and... humans?

What is it about the Oozes and their ability to speak... and why doesn't anybody believe her when she tries to convince others about their intelligence. Something sinister must be going on and Tayla intends to find out.



Gameplay:
Throughout Episode 1, you'll be exploring a large forest, caves, and the CDIA compound inhabited by the first human settlers on Terra 2. Talk to everyone and anyone. Touch everything and use the action button repeatedly to interact with all of your surroundings. The more you explore, the more you discover about what these humans are doing here. Pay particular attention to the archives room, there's information there you may not want to know.

In the forest you'll encounter less intelligent monsters with really sharp claws and teeth. You don't have much choice but to avoid them or beat them to death with a club using an spinning technique. The battles don't appear to be necessary, and I don't think you gain any xp for killing monsters, so in essence you're really just defending yourself. This game is all about the story, and it's a joy to watch it unfold.

Graphics:
The graphics are not the standard RTP, so it was a nice and welcome change to see different tilesets and other pixelated drawings. At computer terminals you can bring up a map of the compound, complete with a "you are here" indicator. Nice!

Overall:
This is a great story - hands down. Once you play Episode 1 all the way through, you'll be waiting right alongside me for the next one. I won't spoil it for you, just play it for an hour and you'll see what I mean.