When it comes to movies, I typically prefer dramas: something serious that makes me think. Video games, on average, are no different. I like serious adventures with dark settings, political intrigue, and characters steeped in flaws and problems, which they grow out of (Final Fantasy Tactics is a great example). Unepic, on the other hand, is a laugh-riot, birthed from geek culture, with some fun gameplay. Here’s my breakdown of this little known indie-game.



Unepic follows Daniel who, on the way to the bathroom during a table-top gaming session, stumbles upon an ancient castle. There, an apparition named Zeratul by Daniel, based on the Starcraft Dark Templar by the same name, tries to steal his soul, but due to Daniel’s lack of one, Zera (as he is affectionately called) ends up stuck in Daniel’s body. The game revolves around Daniel trying to escape the castle and return to his world while Zera attempts to kill Daniel with bad advice whenever possible.

The plot is original, and the dialog is sharp, funny, and always aware of the 4th wall, breaking through it with allusions ranging from Doctor Who to Star Wars to Legend of Zelda, and many more.

Many of the quests, especially the final one, are written with a strong sense of self-awareness about the history of video games–it’s like the game is written by your gaming pal, and together, you’re joking about the hilarious stuff video games make you do. Other quests, such as Bureaucracy, critique the real world through the language of video games, which is a welcome surprise.

Overall, the writing and story are the selling point of the game: if you’re a gamer, especially an RPG gamer, you should play this game for the writing alone.

That being said, let’s talk gameplay. Unepic is a Metroidvania, RPG mix. You move across platforms, need to time attacks, and have stats to level up. The game provides a wonderful sense of diversity in terms of style, but it comes with some drawbacks.

For reference, I played on Hard because I like a little challenge, and the game rewards players for playing on harder difficulties (you’re awarded more skill points per level on harder difficulties).

To start, Unepic ain’t no casual, shovelware experience–it is an unforgiving, diet Dark Souls. You will fall on to unexpected spikes when you miss that jump; you will turn into sliced meat as suits of armor chop you up like prosciutto; you will die.

However, the game makes it very easy to save and stay alive. There are numerous items that allow you to teleport that come with no limits on usage or drawbacks, besides taking the figurative walk-of-shame back. As long as you play smart, you shouldn’t die too often.

As you play through the game, slay monsters, and complete quests, you’ll gain levels which give you skill points. You can invest these skill points into various attributes, such as different specializing in particular weapon types, schools of magic, more health, alchemy knowledge, or your ability to equip stronger armor, and depending on your choices, different styles of gameplay emerge. Want to be a paladin? Choose to level up armor, constitution, maces and light magic. Want to be a sorcerer? There are 8 schools of magic and equipment to match your elemental style. Want to be a rogue or thief? Put points in bow and dagger and stay aware of the enemy pathing for backstab opportunities.

Picking a playstyle is as hard as playing. Each kind of enemy has its own specific weaknesses: some resist certain elements; some are strong against certain types of weaponry; some are invulnerable to projectiles (wait for the Mage Tower on this one–Trust me…). The game constantly pushes you to play one way or another, typically based on the castle environment you’re in. Sometimes, putting all your points into your Bow skill pays off; other times, you might as well be unarmed. Because your skill point choices are semi-permanent–you can acquire an item that lets you re-specialize once midway through the game–it becomes very difficult to plan your next move. The choice you make now could screw you over in an hour.

The great thing about this system is that when you do acquire the re-spec item, you will have played a sizable chunk of the game, enough to know what’s been more handy than not. When I re-spec’d, I decided to go a mixed approach, focusing in swords, bows, and a few schools of magic, along with my constitution and armor skills. This allowed me to take a lot of abuse while trying to figure out the best solution for the situation. Because I like paladins, I wanted to specialize as one, but logistically, I couldn’t because holy magic doesn’t affect all creatures. If my enemy were farther than a swing of my mace, I’d be more or less screwed. I’m sure there are numerous ways to play, and different styles shine in different situations. But, I wouldn’t specialize in any one thing; always have a back-up plan (Bows are your friend).

While traveling along in your adventure, you’ll run into numerous quests, many of which contain situational rewards based on the current area. For example, in the Halls, there are numerous suits of armor which can soak up strikes without flinching whereas most enemies hesitate after being struck. To combat this, deep within the Halls, you can find a pet which paralyzes enemies, allowing you to attack the suits without much threat.

I think this example, and others like it, shows that the one-man creator of Unepic, Francisco Téllez de Meneses, is clearly aware that people will play Unepic in various ways, and the player shouldn’t be punished for picking this way or that; you just won’t be super successful everywhere with one style (and you really shouldn’t be, in all fairness–this isn’t Halo). Some might see this as a balancing problem, but the flipside is that the game manages to be a challenge throughout. I prefer that over a walk in the park.

The production, all made by de Meneses, is quality stuff. Enemies look detailed. The music is reminiscent of older games, especially the Garden stage (Give it a listen here; it really reminds me of one of my favorite tracks, Vampire Killer, from Castlevania). Each environment has a distinct character and visual style that matches the prominent element of the chapter. Mad scientists, Tesla coils, Bunsen burners, and stone golems come to life fill the Laboratory, invoking thoughts of Frankenstein. Cloaked necromancers, skeletons warriors, purple flames, and arcane symbols mark the Catacombs. And tentacles, slimes, and leach-filled canals cover the sewers. There are 10 unique areas, each with their own musical theme, horde of enemies, and powers to gain. I wish there would have been more platforming based powers to gain (there’s only one I know of with a 99% completion rating), which are usually common for Metroidvania’s, but Unepic‘s RPG elements make up for that.

Overall, Unepic, as a one-man work that costs 10 dollars, is worth your time, if only for the writing. The gameplay is solid with no major issues, although it is unforgiving at times. Don’t expect to mindlessly go through the game; you need to think to succeed. I see that as a pro, though, not a con.

[Pictures courtesy of IndieDB.]