What can change the nature of a Man?
...
That ragged wheeze that was my first breath was no way to start a day.
My body was numb when I awoke, my skin cold and clammy, and my muscles were stiff like that of a corpse. It was a terrible way to wake up: wholly unnatural... a wombless birth.
Those twitchings of my fingers and shifts of my legs told some addled part of my brain that I was, in fact, alive in a way. My eyelids flickered, and slowly a warmth spread into my limbs. I felt the first dull beatings in my chest as my heart kicked into gear.
I gave a soft moan and rolled over. My back ached from the cold metal slab I had been laid on, and that first breath I spoke of did its work to jump-start my senses. The smell of metal, the stink of preserving fluid and formaldehyde, and the scent of blood and flesh were like a cheese grater against my senses. The lighting was dim and my vision blurry, but here and there I could hear the shuffling of feet and the creak of dry joints.
And that's when that slow horror began to grip me.
Zombies. I was surrounded by the walking dead. My breath froze in my lungs and I could taste the rotting flesh on the air. I froze, hoping they didn't see me.
"Hey, chief. You okay? You playing corpse or you putting the blinds on the Dusties? I thought you were a deader for sure."
I looked up to the voice, and gaped as I came face-to-face with a floating skull, gray-green eyes rolling in their dry sockets. I took a moment to sit up and slide off of the slab. His voice was strangely comforting, and his crooked grin, which he somehow managed without lips, took away the tension...Like all good stories, yours begins where it ends.
Curious? I invite you to enter the World of Planescape which...
-At core, is a metaphysical journey that will challenge your perceptions at every turn.
-Turns the standard notions of a PC game on its head. First: You cannot die. You are
immortal. In Sigil, armor is sparse;
tattoos of
great power are not. No familiar shapes here - nix the elves, dwaves, and hobbits. Mordron cubes-within-cubes, Dodecahedrons, and
spheres that unfold unto themselves exist, however... all while strange shadows haunt your dreams...
-According to
[legendary] lead designer and
comic book writer Chris
Avellone, Planescape: Torment was inspired by books, comics, and games, including Archie Comics, [especially by!]
The Chronicles of Amber, The Elementals and Shadowrun
[Fans of Zelazny's work will find MUCH to like here!]-Holds the record for the most amounts of written dialogue contained within a game. Widely perceived as the best written story RPG of all time.
- The “world” of Planescape is actually a misnomer…the Planescape setting is composed of a series of “planes” (other dimensions) that rotate around a central city, Sigil, like spokes on a wheel.
[Sound familiar, Nexians?]-Further.. The city of Sigil is the central fixture of the Planescape universe. Also called the “Cage” or the “City of Doors,” its unique in that scattered throughout its labyrinth of city streets are
portals (some hidden, some obvious)
that lead to anywhere in existence, provided you have the proper key.-includes voice actors
Michael T. Weiss,
Sheena Easton,
Rob Paulsen,
Mitch Pileggi,
Dan Castellaneta, and
Tony Jay.
-Has received worldwide accolades and a cult following even long after its publish date...
-Features a pregnant
ALLEYWAY.
And you have to help it give birth.
Quote: ... we were swept away by Planescape: Torment. It wasn't the effective engine, demented characters, or lavish lands that won us. It was the rich storyline. This tale is more a reflection of your true self than any game ever made.
—Darren Gladstone and Nikki Douglas
Quote:[Planescape Torment's] limits are elusive. [...] Even small choices have multiple and unpredictable results, leading players to incidents, to confrontations or to nothing much. The game resists resolution or even comprehension. A rambling text like Planescape Torment bounces when you try and nail it down, it resists totalisation. It has its moments of "rush" and of confrontation, but it wants to be savoured, wandered through, in the company of armed companions.
—Diane Carr
Quote:The New York Times noted that "The game's level of detail and its emotional impact have prompted some players to cast about for literary peers."
-Profoundly moving at times, dark and visceral in its delivery, intelligent, full of emotion and wit, humor and sadness...There are, strewn about, bits and pieces of information contained within the game's characters and resulting dialogue ranging from Cognizance of Machinery, Parallel Planes, Infinite Consciousness, Slave/Master Dialectic, Slaking Intellectual Lusts, Morality of the Soul, Death and Rebirth, Fragmented [but coinciding] Realities, Immortality, Recurring Amnesia, Ancient Chinese Philosophy and Poetry...and of course... Love & Sorrow.
In short, fellow Nexians,
this game is art. Just as you may one day read a book, view a painting or performance, watch a movie that stays with you throughout life, so too, this game transcends its definition as simply "a game" and in result becomes something more.
Oh, and the game features amazing sound/music composed by Mr.
Mark Morgan. I don't want to spoil too much, but check out the clip below.
*KNOW* Denizens of the Nexus, that from whatever anthill you descend, Upper Planes or The Cage alike, be you berk or bubber, addle-coved spellslinger or plane-touched proxy, Mercykiller or Godsmen, whatever harlot infested kip you rattle yer hard-earned jink at, this game will NOT give you the yawn! So what'll it be, cutter? The high road, or the low?
[TRUTH:] "I don't have the copper." [BLUFF:] "I don't have the copper." Welcome to Sigil, Nexians...
The Pillar of Skulls