Enclave, a cross between Tomb Raider and Quake, its sounds like a good combination, but does it work?
Well, yes and no - Let me explain. Enclave is a 3rd person combat adventure game, set in Medieval times - the people of Light and Dark are fighting and its your job to sort it out, so, hop to it then.
The game consists of 2 campaigns, you can either be on the Light side or the Dark side, but either way it plays the same, just with a few small variations in the plot, NPCs and missions. These usually have something to do with collecting something or rescuing someone, typical game fare, but there's also gold scattered throughout the level to make you explore every nook and cranny. This gold goes towards buying new equipment for your character, which is a nice addition to the game and lets you customise your character to suit your needs.
Enclave's graphics are impressive, there's practically no slowdown, the characters look good and the animation isn't bad. The levels are varied enough to keep you interested and there are some nice textures and lighting effects, though again, there's nothing to really wow you.
On to its bad points; One major problem I have with this game is the lack of checkpoints, some of the levels are huge, and there's nothing more frustrating than getting right to the end and falling from a high ledge or into the sea and having to start over, I would hope that this is something the developer would sort out in the inevitable sequel.
Enclave has a very familiar feel to a veteran of Tomb Raiding such as myself, and it plays very smoothly, with only a few noticeable glitches. The targeting system is easy enough to get the hang of and the 12 playable characters are varied and appealing, each with very different strengths and weaknesses.
Challenging enough to get very frustrating later in the game, but if you stick with it it'll last you for weeks, it's a good solid adventure that'll bridge the gap until you get to play with Lara again in Angel of Darkness, Enclave is a worthy purchase.
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