A Decade of Torment

Article Sourced from my Blog at GameSpot. Original Post date: 30th November 2009.

Exactly 10 years ago, in times when the word 'gamer' conjured up images of creepy guys staying in their parent's basement (well, it still does, but not quite THAT often), Black Isle Studios and Interplay gave the world something special. For all practical purposes, the commodity that went on sale that day was but a Video Game. But to some of the people who were attributed with the glowing 'gamer' tag at the time, that particular Video Game became something much, MUCH more.

I am, of course, referring to Planescape: Torment.

For the uninitiated (I just love using that phrase), PS: T is an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons based RPG set in the Planscape universe. You play the game as The Nameless One, who, after waking up in a mortuary with no memories of his past, must now undertake a journey of rediscovery. Typical RPG fare you say? Well, no. The catch here is that the guy you're playing is Immortal (you can't just 'wake up' in a mortuary just like that now can you?). So apart from the re-discovery fare, he also needs to find the reason behind his immortality. Pretty unique premise for a game now isn't it?

Anyway, I managed to get my hands on that game only about a year after its release. Being only 13 at the time, my mind was not wizened enough to comprehend the true intricacies of the plot and the depth of the characters that I interacted with. Nonetheless, I continued to play the game and finally beat it. But for probably the very first time since I had started referring to myself as a gamer, I completed a game... to finish the story.

Upon revisiting the game a month back, I noticed that although my teen-self had not managed to fully grasp the sheer wit behind the dark humor, the cleverly disguised puns, the beautifully crafted alignment system or the reason why a floating-skull would want to have intercourse with a Tiefling (I understand now... completely), he did realize that what he had just beat was not your run-of-the-mill RPG.

Even now, when I read the beautifully chosen words that describe, in precise detail, the areas, objects and characters that make up the world of PS: T, the magic reworks itself into my system. There are more than a few occasions when I feel a shiver run down my spine when I read a particularly well-written piece of conversation or gape in utter amazement when I see the consequences of a previously-unknown bit of information revealed to my character.

It is rare to see a game made with such love and passion in nearly every minute detail. Even though the 2-D isotropic view in which you play the game is dated, the game still manages to convey the beauty, the wretchedness, the squalor or the gloom of a place very effectively. The music and sounds strike a perfect mood for exploration. And it still amazes me how the same track can seem delightfully relaxing at one instance and yet goose-bump-inducing-ly spectacular at another.

I have played a lot of RPGs in my life as a gamer. Games like Oblivion, Fallout and KotOR to name a few are all right up there in the list of my all time favorites. But the very way in which this game conveys its philosophy and unveils the true nature of the characters you interact with is especially astounding. The revelation about Morte and his Baatorian smell, the unraveling of the Circle of Zerthimon and the episode in Ravel's maze are all experiences that one must have for oneself (unless, of course, one has a Sensorium).

For me, it was a privilege to have played (and re-played) this gem of a game. If you have not managed to get your hands on this thus far, I strongly suggest you do so. For those who have already had their Immortality woes sorted before, I suggest you give it another go.

After all, in the words of the Nameless One himself, "I wonder what it was I said that made death reject me."