Strange creatures with guns
Fate Master is a top-down RPG released by Animal Soft in 1992 and programmed by Floris Muller (remember Color Clash and the Gobblin & Piggy games?). We are Tsin-Fei on planet Tafoi, which is at war with the Swocki who have killed many Galluks. Weird names, but it's the usual storyline with puzzles and payback.
As Tsin-Fei, we have 20 hit points, plus stats for strength, speed, and defence. Our inventory includes a pistol, two grenades, and a V-potion (health). We begin in town looking for information and items that may help our quest for justice. Explore, but beware, some places have bizarre monsters whizzing about...
Contact with them results in an automatic battle that begins with two options: Attack & Escape (that rarely works). These battles are turn-based and conclude once someone dies. Successfully killing the enemy provides a cash reward you can use with traders to purchase better weapons and V-potions. The more cash you have, the better the weapons you can afford. I particularly like the very effective grenades and rockets.
Along the way, there are clues, hidden games, items (mostly pointless), and characters with information. Some might provide a hint to nudge in the right direction. You're unlikely to get lost as the levels aren't large and the puzzles are easy to suss. Just make sure you have a stockpile of V-Potions and a decent weapon.
Right then, I'm getting bored with all this chit-chat. Let's see a couple of screenshots...
I accidentally bumped into a spider and had to fight it to the death!
Most enemies appear to have (ahem) similar strengths.
The red splodge is a dead enemy and you can see my HP, stats/etc.
Killing enemies increases stats, but you will run out of HP (and cash) doing so.
Something's not quite right
It's time for a whinge. Have you ever played a game, but felt let down because something didn’t feel right? Something that makes you wonder what was going through the developer's mind. Well, I wasn't long into the first level before I noticed that "something". The concept of Fate Master is superb but spoilt by unfair mechanics. The idea is to battle/earn money, buy weapons, and progress deeper into the adventure. Simple.
However, the money earned by defeating monsters should be better when compared to the expensive shop prices. That difference is way off balance. So you're left deciding whether to buy a better weapon and hope you don't lose too much HP, or buy V-Potions. Rarely can you do both. It's a catch-22.
Not only that, but avoiding battles isn't always possible. Many rooms have no way to safely pass, so you are thrown into an unnecessary conflict. To make matters worse, the defeated won't stay dead and respawn fresh and healthy to do battle again! Yup, you're forced into (yet) another fight on your way back!
Also, I'm not sure this is an "RPG" as there is no sense of progression and my stats never seemed to affect performance. Basic character interaction is, well, very basic!! Also, all weapons -more or less- perform the same. Perhaps a lite RPG but I feel it's more of an action/adventure and its "RPG" aspects can be ignored.
Okay, I barely scraped through level one, but the unfair design made the second impossible - without cheating! Sigh, the cash rewards don't work, but maybe it would if monsters didn’t respawn? Anyhow, this mix of unfair rewards and endlessly respawning enemies kills the game’s potential. Disappointing.
I'm shocked Animalsoft made such an unfair game! Let's console ourselves with screenshots...
The rockets are great but expensive! He respawned so I had to fight him again :(
And yes, my HP is maxed at 20 because I am cheating!! I had no choice O_o
The stats for strength/etc don't appear to have any effect. Kinda odd, right?
The "escape" option rarely works. In fact, it only ever worked once or twice for me!
Aesthetics
Floris' visual styles use a cartoon design we all recognise. This design stands out a mile and looks great with its strange-looking characters. I loved the extra attention to detail, especially the blood! Each location is rather basic, but I liked the unnecessary clutter which is clean and functional using a quirky perspective.
The audio is lame because there isn't chip music to help keep us engrossed. In fact, we only have a few spot effects when something gets shot, blown up, or dies. Yeah, it desperately needed a chiptune.
This game isn't exactly impressing me, right? Let's wipe away my tears with more screenshots...
Blood and dead bodies were everywhere. Wait, I see a survivor hiding!
One of the more gruesome screens in the entire game.
The second stage is good but would have been better with more shops.
It's impossible to play, without a decent gun and lots of V-Potions in stock!
The CryptO'pinion
I absolutely loved the simplicity Fate Master presented when I began playing. It's easy to get around using smooth controls, the locations are no-frills but work well, the storyline is predictable yet interesting, and the monsters are humorously weird. I was hooked, so much so, that I began mapping it with vigour.
Sadly, my passion waned halfway through the first level. I simply didn't have many opportunities to upgrade both weaponry and V-Potions to compensate for the loss of my HP. Not to mention the fact I was pointlessly fighting some of the monsters for a second time. Hence, even more HP loss which made the game impossible. Now, add suspect collision detection and Houston, we have a problem. A misquote, but it applies!
At its heart, this could have been a great action/adventure. However, the cash situation is off balance by a mile, and the respawning enemies killed any chance the game had to redeem itself. Never have I been so disappointed by a game for many years. I shall rate Fate Master a depressing 25% which kills me to type.
- Atari Legend has the floppies and I recommend Neon Lights #15.
- Carry on scrolling for the hi-res level maps (others here).
Perhaps the most impressive room? Access to information, dynamite, and a freebie weapon.
However, try to exit this screen without coming into contact with an enemy. If you can!
Hidden games exist that provide a humorous and welcome break from the game!
You can find them all using the maps. Just keep on scrolling...
Level 1-3 Mapped
Firstly, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to Peter Putnik for helping me with my gruesome project to map Fate Master. Sadly, the game appears to crash when fighting the "last" monster, as it cannot die. However, after playing and mapping three levels, I lost interest. Perhaps there is a fourth level; who knows/cares?
As always, these images are thumbnails so click here to download the high-res originals!
For the most part, level one was a hoot to play!
The second level is tiny, difficult, and without much-needed rewards.
The third level is possibly the "easiest" but without decent options to restock.
