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Warriors become powerhouses competent with blade and bow, being able to make use of the more advanced physical weaponry (swords/shields etc) while stealth characters (probably the most disappointing class) can sneak around quietly behind an enemy, and plunge their daggers right into their heart! While classes arent as specific or well developed as in many true RPGs, they do add another dimension to the game, and definite balance of advantages vs disadvantages depending on how you choose to play. It also provides some replay ability, in the sense that there is not enough skill points in a single play through to become good at or have access to everything.
Of course one of the other things moved over from the RPG world is your inventory, and a whole host of items and weapons to occupy it. While it is relatively generous in size, you can only keep a limited amount within your inventory, so you will have to make some choices. The range of objects you can collect is wide enough, you can pickup health, and Manna potions as well as antidotes in case you find yourself poisoned (which happens surprisingly often), and will find various different swords/shields/bows of different capabilities as well as scrolls (one off spells) for the magically less capable. Some items can only be used by certain character classes, or players with a certain skill. While on the subject of weapons, its appropriate to note that the majority feel fantastic, and really develop that sense of being in the thick of it. Swords have the appropriate power, bows are fantastically accurate, especially once you have higher marksmanship skills and there are some nice twists with shields such as the lightening shield that shocks an opponent whenever he touches it. There are a couple of disappointments however. Staffs, while useful for keeping larger enemies at a distance lack a sense of weight, or killer blow, while in general daggers lack the bite you would expect.
One thing that did surprise me was the variety of opponents you will meet along your journey. Ranging from different types of soldiers/guards, to goblins, who on their own arent particularly powerful, but when there are a few after you, you certainly feel it. When you first come up against an Orc you really feel how strong these beasts are, taking quite a beating even on their own, although as you progress up the skill levels they become easier to deal with. There are mutant dog type animals, which are very quick and athletic and will hunt you down in packs. These can be tricky to dispatch, especially when coming at you in a group. Mages have the usual array of spells and powers, and Zombies while typically dumb have the ability to poison you which rapidly depletes your life to almost nothing. There are also several boss type characters, such as giant Cyclops, and dragon type creatures called Po-Kai. These generally cant be harmed by normal means, and require a bit of thought, and use of the surrounding environment and physics to overcome.
Overall, Dark Messiah is a compelling and satisfying journey that will keep you well occupied. However, I feel it just stops short of becoming a truly great game. Some may find the game play, as good as it is, gets repetitive after 8 hours of slicing and dicing enemies in relatively similar fashion, and the whole story could have been laid out a bit more intricately. Generally its pretty easy to guess what is going to happen, due to too many obvious clues being hinted out prior to a major part of the plot unfolding. I also feel, particularly in the first half of the game, that it tends to hold your hand a bit too much with either Xana, or Leanna often pointing out resolutions to puzzles, or problems (even telling you how to kill a boss in one instance!) that would be a whole lot more satisfying if you were left to work these things out for yourself.
