[The following is a reader review by Aidan Randle-Conde, used with permission. Want to submit your own review for a game we haven't covered? Use our submission form!]
91 (free log-in required to save) is a community funded turn-based RPG adventure game that is still in Beta. You wake up in an alley to find that you've been mugged and the ID from your wallet has been taken. Strangely enough your money has not been touched. As you stagger to your feet and try to get your ID back you find that there are much deeper mysteries to solve and much bigger problems to face. You're in the city of Flauston in 1991 and the outlook is bleak. It's been years since the "ascent" where huge columns rose out of the ground in major cities across the world, and the psychological damage they have caused is evident everywhere. Cities are abandoned, left to the criminal underworld, and the police forces struggle to keep control. The further you venture into Flauston the more unsavory characters you encounter and realise that there's a lot more happening than just someone taking your ID.
You move about the world using the [arrow] keys, and interact using other keys... numbers [1] to [9] for different skills, [F] to fight, [V] to wait, the [spacebar] to reload, and [Tab] to choose an enemy. Once you reach a save point, you'll be able to name your character and decide whether you're male or female. Saving is important, since Flauston is dangerous, but if you defeat enough enemies, you'll level up and gain points to spend in your various statistics, like strength, intelligence, and more. Just keep an eye on your hitpoints whether you're fighting or exploring, since you don't want your adventure to end prematurely...
There is a fascinating narrative, some dubious moral choices to make, and some novel game mechanics. Spending too long in a cold environment? That'll cost you some health. An enemy is standing next to a flammable barrel... do you shoot it and burn him to death, or get closer to take him out with a head shot? Don't venture too far from the ammo store without enough bullets or you may find yourself trapped behind enemy lines without an escape plan. In almost all cases you can evade the enemy if you don't mind taking a longer route, but if you do disturb just one NPC expect trouble... they tell each other where you are and one NPC can soon turn into a whole gang!
The controls take a while to work out, but are very easy once you get used to them. The overall ambiance is gritty urban, but it's missing a soundtrack. There is some background reading on the site to help you out, but the game is missing a bit of polish that would make this more obvious. These reservations aside, the game is very rewarding, and quite addictive. With many areas, items, characters and side quests, 91 is a game that benefits all the more from community input. There are many different strategies and the storyline quickly becomes non-linear. So grab a drink, sink into your favourite chair and immerse yourself in the world of Flauston for a few hours.
Interesting looking roguelike. I think it could do with some in-game mechanic explanations, but I managed to get most of what I needed from the website. There are a couple things I'm still not sure about, though. Does strength influence projectile weapon damage? If so, that's odd. Can you sell things, and if so, how?
My biggest comment is that roguelikes generally benefit from 8-way numpad control. 4-way arrow control is bad enough, but when you're trying to play on a non-maximized screen, every time you move you also scroll the window. This was pretty annoying.
On Chrome, the kerning is super wide and text gets cut off: "Or just use the arrow keys to start explori". Looks better in IE.
I've figured out both of my questions. It does appear that strength affects projectile weapon damage. Also, you can sell things at the right store. I also had the text cutoff problem.
Some issue with the scrolling of speech options led me to spend $10 on a hotel room I didn't want, and a map would be a huge bonus, but otherwise this is fun. (It was my own dumb self who
staggered into the sewer pipe without a light and got hopelessly lost
so I can't blame that on the game.
I got lost so often wandering aorund that I put some maps together on my personal website: 91 map. I might also stitch them together into a single very large map, although that would be huge!
Map is awesome, many thanks aidansean. Only comment is that a legend would be awesome (if you had the time to put it together). I'm having a hell of a time finding Wesley Farrow in Glass Bay.
To find Wesley:
You need to go to the Ocean Cave. This is in the water to the East of Glass Bay. Look for the "a" on the map, foolow that transition to the Ocean Cave map, and good luck!
I've been enjoying this game so far, but it's kind of frustrating having such a limited inventory and not knowing where to use certain random items.
I picked up a "tiny bent key" a while ago. I realize now that the key probably unlocked a door nearby, but I don't remember where I found it, and I don't want to throw it away.
Also I sold a couple magazines a while back, and just recently I learned that you have to "use" the magazines after you learn certain skills to upgrade them.
Right now I'm carrying around a bottle of medicine. It might be a unique item that's used in a sidequest, but it's probably just used to cure poison one-time. Poison isn't that big of a deal, but I don't want to trash it just in case.
It would be nice if this game had a "stash" option: You could drop off stuff somewhere and retrieve it later.
I just beat a boss:
Miles Holdon. I shoved him away and ran to the save point in the previous room. The save point restores you to 50% health, even during combat.
It's a cheat, but it's better to have the cheat than to be able to save in an unwinnable situation.
I noticed a spooky bug later on in the game:
If you shoot a flammable barrel and burn an enemy, they sometimes run towards you. If they die as they try to attack then they will follow you around as a "ghost" (inflicting no damage or other effects) until you transition into another map. Spooky!
I didn't receive the email to make an account & save the game, so I can't really make much progress..
I just beat the game. It was very well done. There's still a lot of stuff I haven't explored or unlocked; I'd like to replay the game once there's a guide detailing the requirements for unlocking each skill and dialogue option, finding the best items, and finishing the sidequests.
Also it'd be nice if the keys counted as key items and/or explained where they were found in the descriptions. That one tiny bent key was in my inventory til the end of the game.
I'm having an ANSI flashback to ZZT! Great fun!
I'm stuck! I'm on the mission to find the three First Watch Lieutenants. So far I've found two:
The one in the meat packing plant...
and...
The one in the East Side Underground, with the night-vision goggles.
Any help on the last one?
I'm really obsessed with this game. Such great atmosphere (although I agree a soundtrack would have been the icing on the cake). And thanks to aidansean for the great maps!
Also, any tips on how I can go to the university district?
Hi Fritz! Here are some hints:
One of the First Watch Lieutenants (FWL) is in the University, and another is on Colchester, to the South. To get ito the Colcheser FWL you need to speak to some people across the highway to get the name of the FWL. I don't think I found the fifth FWL in the end.
To get in the university:
You can buy a Student ID in Eastside to get into the University.
Good game. However, I see that it's been in Beta since 2013. I wonder if the developer stopped working on it.
I am stuck fairly early on.
I can find Studdock's keys on Bacalhau Island. I've killed a tortoise and an alligators, and got an old bottle of whisky, but that's it. Scoured the place, I think.
Any tips?
Did you
take the keys back to Studdock? When you do that you get access to the bridge across the river.
No, I
can't even find the keys on the island.
Ah okay, I think there's a typo in your comment :)
Here's what you need to do:
On the East side of the island is a locked building. From here go through caves system to the North, avoiding/killing turtles and alligators as you do. When you reach the water you can wade through the shallow water to go around the edge of the island and access the lcoked building from the East side. Kill the three guys there and one of them will drop the keys. You can see the map for this area on the map page. The guy you need to kill is marked with an "S".
Yes, cursed typos! Well, thanks for the tip I was looking for and one on the next stage, too.
This is a pretty interesting game, I'm liking it so far. Although I am having so much trouble
getting past the last alligator on the island. I got past it once because it glitched or something and didn't try to follow me, but I died later on before the next save and I can't get around it now. I've tried tricking it with the little islands, running all the way, and fighting it but I just can't get away. Anyone have any tips for that guy?
@ccruf3
There is a fishing harpoon somewhere on the island. Forgot where exactly. It has a range of 2. With it you can attack the alligator one square further in the land where he can't attack back. Use that to kill it.
You can also
lure that alligator to the north side of the hermit's peninsula, and he'll lose track of you. The harpoon is beyond that alligator, so you could only come back and kill him out of spite.
Thanks! I hadn't thought of
Luring him up there, for some reason. I did go back once I got the harpoon and kill him for giving me so much trouble :D
I've updated the maps page and put a spoilerific big map together.
A winning tactic against Miles Holden:
Shove (thanks, BlueMoose), smoke grenade, scram to savepoint, heal, then frag grenade him.
Question in re: the magazines and, later, books:
What stats do you need to be able to learn them? I'd like to kick down obstacles, but can't use the books yet -- or any of the magazines, for that matter.
In Flauston Common Underground, how do you deal with the
nasty diseased giant rats who poison you? The medicine doesn't help much, and I can kill them fast enough even with the assault rifle.
Here's how I did it:
Get to a bottleneck/doorway so that only one rat can attack you and the rest pile up behind it. Charm that rat so it turns pink and pick off the rest (including the diseased rats) one by one.
Thanks! I totally forgot about that skill.
Here we go. I looked through the JS code and extracted some useful information.
All skills and the stats required to unlock:
-----
Charm -- Makes an enemy unable to attack you for a few turns, unless you attack first.
Charisma:8
Hide -- Be unseen by enemies until you move.
Intelligence:8
Shove -- Push the enemy away.
Will:8
Haggle -- Reduces prices in stores based on your charisma.
Charisma:12
Sneak -- Allows you to move while hidden.
Intelligence:12
War Cry -- Immobilize nearby enemies.
Will:12
Provoke -- Makes an enemy run toward you. They'll only attack if adjacent to you.
Charisma:16
Appraise -- Shows additional information about some items when you view their details.
Intelligence:16
Persevere -- Fatal attacks expend stamina instead of health, unless you're out of stamina.
Will:16
Truce -- Attempt to convince an enemy to stop fighting.
Charisma:20
Quick Reload -- Reload and attack in one turn.
Intelligence:20
Power Attack -- A powerful attack. With ranged weapons, the attack has a better chance to strike an enemy behind cover.
Will:20
Intimidate -- You receive a damage bonus against intimidated targets.
Charisma:25
Crushing Blow -- Does incredible damage, but only with short-range weapons.
Will:25
Snipe -- Does incredible damage, but only at long range.
Intelligence:25
-----
Health/stamina/stat-point gains per level:
No randomness here (as you might expect). Maximum level is 30.
1: ...
2: health:5, stamina:3, stats:5
3: health:5, stamina:2, stats:3
4: health:5, stamina:3, stats:3
5: health:5, stamina:2, stats:3
6: health:5, stamina:3, stats:3
7: health:10, stamina:5, stats:3
8: health:15, stamina:7, stats:5
9: health:10, stamina:5, stats:3
10: health:10, stamina:5, stats:3
11: health:15, stamina:5, stats:2
12: health:15, stamina:3, stats:2
13: health:15, stamina:5, stats:2
14: health:15, stamina:6, stats:2
15: health:20, stamina:6, stats:2
16: health:20, stamina:6, stats:2
17: health:20, stamina:6, stats:2
18: health:20, stamina:6, stats:2
19: health:20, stamina:6, stats:2
20: health:20, stamina:6, stats:1
21: health:20, stamina:7, stats:1
22: health:20, stamina:7, stats:1
23: health:20, stamina:7, stats:1
24: health:20, stamina:8, stats:1
25: health:20, stamina:8, stats:1
26: health:20, stamina:9, stats:1
27: health:20, stamina:9, stats:1
28: health:20, stamina:10, stats:1
29: health:20, stamina:10, stats:1
30: health:20, stamina:10, stats:1
Thanks, MasterBlaster.
Nuts. I was hoping
the books in the university district would give you skills, as they suggest they will. The skills they offer aren't in that list, though.
Books and magazines enhance existing skills.
For the books in the university district...
...they are for the highest tier of skills.
To figure out what a specific book does...
...get the Appraise skill (intelligence 16).
...or just guess, of course. :-)
Now I'm stuck at
The very end:
So I "kill" the Keeper. He blows up the boat. There's no way off the wreckage that I can see, but I can find him and fight him again -- at which point we sink. Then I have to fight him off and drown.
I tried setting off the explosives early, no good. I tried Truce, no go; I tried going down into the hold after the Keeper's first defeat, but then the defeated Keeper just vanishes and I'm stuck. I tried waiting a while in the wreckage to see if I'd sink before I met the Keeper the second time. I tried kiting him to the far western side of the wreckage so as to (maybe) be closer to shore when we capsized. I tried dropping everything I carry to see if I'd float to the surface at the end. I tried repeated Charm to keep him friendly while I tread water to see if you don't die if you stay in place. Of course, I've escaped him in the water -- Charm, Shove, then Hide 'til I'm far away, but I can't make it to any shore. (I'm not even sure if you can, as once or twice I stopped drowning when trying to move and I think it's because I couldn't go farther that way. The hacked map also shows just a big square of water with no way out.) I tried "a" to use something, "t" to talk to him in the deep water. Nothing.
I must be missing something obvious. The only thing I can think is that I'm not level 30 -- I'm 29 and have the two non-Intimidate top-level skills. Or maybe I need to super-kill the Keeper, as in really nail him so he dies for real? I'm hoping posting will give me an "oh, duh" moment of insight.
I'm not ashamed to admit that after I buffed up quite a bit
I returned to Bacalhau Island and exterminated all those damned tortoises and alligators. With my sledgehammer. Call the World Wildlife Federation!
Oh, man, did I ever miss the obvious solution.
Never try to wrap up a game at midnight or later. Well, okay, do, but be prepared to feel pretty stupid later.
What's the use of the
shiny silver key? I think I've been everywhere, but it's still in my inventory.
Uh, any tips? I'm completely stuck there.
By hacking the map it looks like the shiny silver key
opens a door in Colchester.
Any tips on the endgame? I'm stuck at
the Keeper, too, and have tried everything, though Tulia spared me some of the crazier ones.
So, does it really pay off to deliberately pump points into specific attributes to obtain all the skills, or are there other ways of obtaining the skills?
To beat the keeper I
used charm continually. Charm. Heal. Eat. Attack. Charm. Etc. It wasn't easy, but it got the job done.
Thank you! I'll give it a shot.
Just wondering what the following items do:
1. "ivory-white conch shell" - "A lovely spiraling shell about three inches long", Appraisal: $25.00. Trashable: Yes.
2. "steel and green plastic key" - "Has a serial number on it: 009588", Appraisal: $1.00. Trashable: Yes.
3. "a game-kid cartridge" - "A puzzle/platformer for a recent handheld video game system", Appraisal: $15.00. Trashable: Yes.
I'm a bit scared about tossing these away, or selling them. Could someone provide some info?
Silent George:
What aidansean said. Charm him, smack him, heal as necessary while you chain-charm him. Before you approach him after each defeat and before the next round, of course heal up.
As for the very end:
You can't run from him. You need to kill him a third time. He's much weaker this round, so don't bother healing; go in with full health and kill him hard, blowing any special smacking skills you have.
One final note:
Make sure you have more than enough everything for him, because there are a few dudes during the denouement.
Saviour-V teleports in...
Saving the non-important keys will eventually unlock some secrets in the Flauston Common Underground area.
Be prepared for the rats.
Saviour-V bows, before teleporting out...
Update