Have you ever bought a game from a computer auction? You know, how the CDs or disks come in blank boxes with a large sticker plastered over it stating the lot number? I used to get games just on random hunches from those places. Many turned out to be terrible demos or DOS-based 'score builders'.
With a few exceptions. Entomorph was one of them.
At the time, all us nerds were wowing over the graphics of Command and Conquer and such like. Pixels were still 'in', but at least they weren't as blocky as they used to be.
Imagine, then, a game where graphics were used to the extent for not just showing detail but showing it in all its gruesome glory.
Yes, Entomorph is not a game for your Christian aunt with a bladder problem; it gets a little icky as the game progresses. It seems that to save the invaded island, you have to become one of the creatures. And it doesn't happen quickly either.
The game itself: island invaded by monsters, villagers afraid, you the only hope etc, etc. (for this, I can understand why I was buying at an auction and not off a shelf). It starts off pretty much like many RPGs - you wandering around talking to people to glean as much info
as you can. There are few stats and menus aren't a chore to go through. In fact, it seems to be almost coincidental that it's an RPG. Almost like an adventure game. Well, that's true (sort of). Don't go expecting D&D style stat-o-holism here.
So you go around and you come across your first enemy. It's pretty wimpy but now you're beginning to get the idea; it's one of those action/ RPGs, not quite Zelda, not quite Castlevania. Sure, you get spells later on, stats DO change as your body mutates, but Entomorph never really decides which camp it wants to stay in.
But who cares! It would be another game on the heap of cliches if it weren't for the graphics and the intriguing storyline. The action elements takes precedence later on, but this comes with bizarre new environments and creatures that David Cronenberg would admire.
Sure, there are a few points where I found myself wandering back and forth between screens, swearing I'd already covered everything. There were crashes at times (but then, that could have been my old P90). Don't expect your world to get rocked but, as diversions go, this fits the bill quite nicely.
Graphics - 8
Gameplay - 7/8
Originality - 8
Overall - 8
