We tested the promising inXile RPG for a few hours to learn about its new features and facets
We live in difficult times. The crisis is changing the release schedule, and Wasteland 3 has been one of the first affected, delaying its release until August 28. While the date arrives, we have been able to taste for a few hours what our ranger life will be like away from the desert. Take warm clothes that we left the hot Arizona to move to the cold lands of Colorado. The future of the Rangers depends on us.
Your people in Arizona are experiencing difficulties and urgently need resources. A Colorado boss named "Patriarch" promises to end our hardships if we help him out with his three children, who have succumbed to the dark side and are causing chaos in the region. Unfortunately, it is not the only setback on the horizon, since, after setting foot in the state, the Rangers suffer a brutal attack that ends almost the entire expedition. That armed group is sadistic and numerous, and wants to see us in the hole. There are many open conflicts we will encounter in our new home, and only our extensive combat experience is able to clear Colorado of weeds.
The introduction put us in the new world. After that, it was time to choose the rangers who will accompany us on our adventures. The game featured several predefined pairs with balanced abilities, but we leaned towards the option of creating our characters from scratch. Various menus to choose name, genre, voice and background. Then, a few points to distribute between skills and attributes. If the Interplay / Inxile titles have taught us anything, it is that skills connected to persuasion, locksmithing, repair and computing will take chestnuts out of the fire.
After completing this step, we went back to the moment after the prologue. The player, as a tutorial, must face an enemy group. Wasteland 3 maintains turn-based combat with Action Points (APs), that means any move will spend a specific number of APs. The novelty introduced here is that when we have few points left, instead of ending the turn and losing them, we have three alternatives: choose to save them for the next turn, prepare an ambush or take a defense action. The combat zone grid provides relevant information so you don't waste AP. The blue spaces show how far a ranger with enough AP can move to make an attack, the oranges cover his range, and the red ones are the enemy's range. Rangers can fall in combat, but in this installment we will have a limited time to raise them. Another significant change compared to Wasteland 2 is that there is now complete freedom to choose which member of the group will execute an action, in other words: the system is no longer governed by an attribute to decide shifts. For example, we advance with a ranger to close cover, then switch to another partner and attack from his position, and return to the previous one to spend his remaining points. This can give a lot of play in tougher matches.
In Wasteland 3 any false movement is paid dearly, for that reason it is important to use partial or total coverage. The enemies are positioned between them and are making their approach to take a good angle. Ideally, study the stage and wisely choose the path to flank them. The better our position the greater the percentage of damage will be marked on the screen. In the combat zone, we observe beneficial objects to carry out area damage, such as the typical fuel tanks that when exploding exploded, decreasing enemy HP and also applying fire damage. Our grenades were also deadly. Also, our boys' unique abilities worked wonders, but require a slow load time.
However, before entering combat, it is advisable to check our quick access boxes (bombs and first aid kits cannot be missing) and the ammunition from our inventory. Once the saint went to heaven and we went to fight without assault rifle ammunition, so a ranger was useless during that fight. Regarding inventory, it is important to note that in Wasteland 3 we will have a single inventory for all members. And one more thing, there is no weight limit, you can carry all the Colorado trash.
Our team can have a maximum of 6 members. The limit is 4 rangers and the rest of the spaces are for "comrades", that is, characters from the world who want to join the group. These individuals have their own personality and actively participate in the dialogues. They will not agree with all the decisions we make, and they will not hesitate to make negative comments about our actions. Team member management is available at all times in our base of operations.
Wasteland 3 is a narrative RPG, that means that we will enjoy deep stories during our stay in Colorado. Our newspaper was nourished by main and secondary missions with their respective moral decisions. One of great magnitude shook us at the end of the beta, when the life of a traitor was debated in our hand. Kill him right there or guard him to the city for trial? And if we prefer to sentence him right there, fast or slow and painful? We made several consecutive decisions that ended with the guy slowly dying at the hands of a comrade who had suffered from the traitor's actions. Next, a group of civilians attacked us, so we had no choice but to neutralize them. At the end of the mission, a disturbing message appeared on the screen: some factions will not forgive what you have done. Remember: every action will have consequences in the plot.
The dungeon is still present in this third installment with mysterious facilities full of mutant bugs. The base of the rangers was a small snack with doors to force and damn computers that needed some small adjustments. Also traps everywhere, crazy robots and suspicious subjects. Among the remains of garbage from another era, we stumbled upon dusty tapes that remembered the bombs falling. A multitude of forgotten stories await in this type of support.
In the visual section we observe moderate changes. The interface now offers a simplified and clean look, getting rid of those classic worn metal elements that permanently occupied the lower area of the screen. However, excessive simplification affects the dialogues, since it eliminates the portrait of the characters. Sometimes an NPC was on his back and we couldn't identify his face in the middle of a conversation. Graphics have generally gone up a little step; more polished and better details. The first-person view stands out in the dialogues with important characters, where animations and quite well-made models are shown.
Wasteland 3 becomes more accessible in its mechanics as well as its appearance. Add more dynamic and less cumbersome turn-based combat, but without losing the strategic spirit. The story is starker and points to darker issues in terms of decisions. Compared to previous installments, that line that connected us with paper and pencil games is slightly blurred in order to make it more friendly for newcomers. Very good impressions in general, we can only wait until August 28 to enjoy the full game.
