AN IMPRESSIVE FIRST EFFORT

Harbinger is the impressive first effort by developer Silverback Entertainment and published by DreamCatcher Games. It clearly demonstrates what can be accomplished when a team believes in what they are creating. It would be easy to dismiss this game if you gave it but a momentary glance. Only when you take the time to look under the surface can you discover the qualities that make Harbinger an interesting sci-fi action-rpg. The ability to choose from three different characters with their own history and powers, plus a world that impresses with its visuals and story are some of Harbinger's finer points.

THE STORY OF HARBINGER/QUESTS

Harbinger, the powerful and terrifying warship under the command of the cruel and vile Overlord, leaves devastation and destruction wherever it goes. Needing workers to run the many vast functions of the warship, the Overlord has enslaved the species found on the planets that he has conquered. We have the Scintilla, a race of beings that can manipulate energy, the Vantir who are engineering masters and founders of the Ontis Corporation, the bug like Cimicidae who experiment on others to perfect themselves and finally a remnant of humans and other creatures that have banded together in the hope of being free one day. The remaining few who still have the heart to fight, which includes you, must be wary of not only the Overlord but of the Vantir, Scintilla and Cimicidae, all in a power struggle that threatens to destroy them all.

Enter Torvus Junction, the secret area on the warship of those few who still fight against the Overlord’s oppression, and those fighting for the opportunity to escape Harbinger and begin a new life. You will get to meet Torvus, Leisha, Ona, Wik and Silus, all of them working along with you for the single goal of escaping the madness aboard Harbinger and finding the paradise that has been denied to them for so long. Hope may come in the form of planet Aegis 9 that Harbinger is currently orbiting, or will the Overlord use Harbinger to destroy it like so many others before it? Solomon Torvus leads the group at Torvus Junction and he will often give you vital quests and will pay you Uan, the currency used in Harbinger, for their completion. Leisha and Wik will also offer you quests and advice that you will need as well. Ona is a merchant that will sell you valuable armor, weapons, health items, and other equipment your character will need. If Ona does not have what you need you may be able to obtain these and other items in chests and lockers scattered throughout the warship or on the bodies of your slain enemies.

Since your inventory can’t hold everything you will find on your mission, you need to utilize the EZ Stash terminals scattered throughout the game which allow you to store your extra items. In the game you will need to travel in what are referred to as Umbilicals, which are stations that transport you to other areas through special codes that must be entered. Most of the game will take place aboard the warship while some quests will have you going to the planet Aegis 9 below. Some of the interesting quests that you will undertake will involve collecting special items such as data cards, defeating a certain boss that holds valuable information to helping someone that has fallen ill. Wik, the particularly funny creature that you will see in the intro cutscene will send you on a specific quest to obtain a narcotic drug known as Lothosypherine that allows him to see visions that may help you. But will this harmful and addictive drug be the end of Wik?

CHARACTER SELECTION/ EXPERIENCE SYSTEM

You can play Harbinger as one of three different and diverse characters, each with their own personality and special abilities. I am impressed that the developer has provided each of the three characters with a unique interface. For instance the interface of the Gladiator has more of a mechanized look to its buttons and icons while the interface for the Culibine has a more natural look to it. You can choose to be a mercenary Human who can use various weapons or mines to quickly dispatch your enemies. You can also play as a Gladiator, a mechanized warrior of destruction that can wield deadly blades, cannons or use gadgets such as cameras. Finally you can choose to play as the Culibine, the character I played as, which can unleash the energy around her in focused blasts or as a ring of energy that radiates out from her and can destroy several enemies at once. The Culibine when fully upgraded can also have up to six spheres orbiting around her that can defend her or can be unleashed to attack your enemies.

These spheres come in many strengths and abilities and consume your AMP energy. Once it is used you must wait a little while for your energy to recharge so that you can use them again. The Culibine also has the special ability to gradually refill her energy without the need for health items, although she can use those as well. One thing I especially liked from my favorite character is that the Culibine can also draw energy from being around radiation pillars. In most of your battles with enemies and bosses, using any nearby radiation pillars would be the wisest course of action when using the Culibine. The Culibine is the last of her kind and as you play through the game you may eventually find out her origins as well as the reason for her creation.

Leveling up is simple and easy to understand. Each time you gain enough experience you are allowed to distribute three points between four different skill areas. For the Culibine, you have the ranged category which reflects the damage she inflicts when attacking at range. There is the radial skill which determines the length of the ring of energy that she unleashes as well as the amount of damage it inflicts. She also has the focus skill which determines how many slots are available for equipping the various spheres as well as how much energy you have to use them. Finally each of the three characters has the life skill which determines their total amount of health points.

A skill can be maxed out when you have distributed fifty points in any category. You will need to use these skills wisely as well as the items that you will equip upon your character. Just wait until you come across many of the enemies such as the Vantir Chancellor or bosses such as the Vantir Inquisitor, the Cimicidae boss named Tarsus to even the Overlord himself. Many of your weapons and powers can unleash damage in the forms of plasma, EMP, electricity and disruption. Plasma shots can inflict some damage to most enemies, EMP to mechanized enemies, electricity to insect enemies and disruption to the Scintilla.

HARBINGERS FINER POINTS

I had a blast playing this game in three days of intense and exciting gaming. Harbinger is a small single player only action-rpg with close to 25 hours of gameplay. Many will appreciate this game for its simplistic nature and how easy it is to get into the game. While you may think the amount of gameplay hours is small compared to other RPG’s, you could decide to replay the game as a different character for more hours of enjoyment. When you play as a different character, part of the game remains similar in order to tell a focused story but you will find that there may be some new quests as well as seeing quests appear in a different order. You will find a different experience playing as a Gladiator as opposed to a Human character or vice versa. I also liked that the developers added cutscenes throughout the game in which your characters voice their reactions to a particular scene or event. This essentially moved the story forward and allowed you to care for your character and what lay ahead.

I appreciated being able to understand what my character was feeling and thinking at a particular moment. The developers wanted us to understand the characters motivations through the game and to understand how they perceived the world around them. If you choose to replay the game as a different character you will get a different experience because each character has their own way of attacking enemies, their own personal history and reason for what they are doing. The Culibine desires a holiday in a paradise away from Harbinger more than anything but will she find it in the end? The Gladiator means to find some substance, some purpose in the world, but will it be found? The Human, a lone mercenary in a world where survival is only for the strong and determined, but will this human be strong and brave enough against the might of the Overlord?

That the game causes one to ponder these questions and situations is a testament to the story in Harbinger. I was simply amazed at what I was reading in many instances which demonstrates the genuine talents of the writers on the team. You may even find yourself caring for your character and those that you are trying to help, such as Torvus, Leisha, Ona, Wik and Silus. You will come to see them as a family that cares for each other, and that will do anything to ensure their freedom and escape from Harbinger. Although something near the end may tear this family apart for the Overlord is always watching and ready.

While not as complex as other stories from other RPG games, the game will surprise you with its own special touches as you discover some twists and turns you may never have expected the story to take. Just wait until you discover the identity of a character you name Smiley that only responds to you on computer consoles and then you shall see that much thought has gone into this story. There is also a special letter that I came across in one area that details a father's struggle against the Cimicidae and the hopes that through his death he will save his son. You will enjoy these impressive little details.

Just as much attention went into the visuals of this game as into the story. Harbinger treats you to some excellent 2D graphics that can be displayed in either 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768 resolution. Harbingers graphics are very beautiful to look at and greatly help to complement the story being told. Everything from interesting character and enemy animations, to detailed environments and weapon effects were done very well and help the player to become immersed in the story and the environment. Level design in this game was also done well and you will enjoy how some bosses can be defeated by using the environment around you, such as with the boss referred to as Ballastre.

Some of the boss scenes were especially impressive like when you first encounter the Vantir Inquisitor and see him emerge from a huge machine. Another memorable scene is when you must end the suffering of a friend on Harbinger by killing them even though you do not want to do this, but it is the only option available. Who that may be, you will have to discover for yourself. Finally, you may enjoy how the game ends as you find out what happens to Harbinger and those who sought to escape its madness.

COMPLIMENTING THE DEVELOPER

I must give my compliments to first time developer Silverback Entertainment. The artists, designers, writers, and all other departments spent many years laboring on Harbinger, their first project, and their dedicated effort shows. A small development team of ten people created Harbinger and their desire to create a memorable world shows in the story, graphics and all other facets within the game. While the game was released with a few bugs and glitches, none of them took away from the excitement that I had in playing this game as the Culibine character. Currently, Silverback Entertainment is working on a patch to fix these problems as well as helping customers on the game's official forum.

It is nice to see a developer that views customer support as an integral part of the success of a game. There are many areas that obviously could have used improvement, such as more environments to play in, a more epic and detailed story, and a bigger selection of weapons, armor and other items for each character. Yet, as a small developer it is remarkable to see all that they accomplished with Harbinger. I look forward to a sequel to Harbinger or other projects that Silverback Entertainment may release in the future, for they have shown that they can release a quality game. Harbinger is a fun RPG to play if you give it the chance to show you what it can do!

Final Grade: B+ (86%)
Just RPG Suggested Game

Official Harbinger website

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