Wedding Speeches and The Order of High Human
At a recent wedding I attended, there was a guest who gave a speech that seemed unprepared and unrelated, just fulfilling an obligation. That’s exactly how I felt while playing Testament: The Order of High Human. This fantasy adventure game is filled with poorly executed ideas that make it seem like someone tried to create their own version of Skyrim with no knowledge of video games. The story is convoluted and cliché, the combat is frustrating and repetitive, and the game is riddled with bugs. After spending 40 hours playing through the campaign, I can say that it was a truly agonizing experience.
Missed Opportunities in Setting and Story
The first missed opportunity in Testament is its setting. Taking place in a fantasy land called Tessara, the game includes all the usual elements like halflings, dragons, and people with magical abilities. You play as Aran, an immortal god-king who has been overthrown by his evil brother. The story begins with Aran already dethroned and betrayed, with no explanation of how it happened. This lack of background information removes any sense of stakes or engagement with the story. The game then becomes a predictable revenge quest, with no interesting twists or surprises. It feels like the developers just wanted to jump straight into killing monsters without any meaningful context or narrative.
Cliché Dialogue and Lackluster Characters
As you explore Tessara, you’ll encounter a lot of dialogue filled with clichés about light, darkness, and truth. The story bombards you with a large cast of characters, extensive history, and lore that ultimately adds up to nothing. You’re constantly being told about various high-fantasy concepts that have no relevance to the gameplay, accompanied by long, repetitive monologues. The protagonist, Aran, constantly talks to himself about irrelevant ancient events, further highlighting the game’s failing of “telling not showing.” The characters lack charisma and gravitas, with Aran’s voice sounding oddly similar to The Room’s Tommy Wiseau. Even the villain’s cringe-inducing monologues lack impact.
Painful and Repetitive Combat
The combat in Testament is the most painful aspect of the game. Armed with a sword, bow, and magic, you’ll fight waves of enemies in frustrating encounters. The battles become repetitive and identical, with a few variables that make them even worse. Enemies swarm you as you dash around trying to survive, making it more about evasion than strategic offense. There’s no blocking, parrying, or timing involved, just mindless button-mashing. The archery mechanics are unoriginal and limited, often leaving you with a scarce number of arrows and too many enemies to deal with. The spellcasting is equally mundane, offering little variety or surprises. As you progress through the game, combat becomes more annoying and difficult, especially when faced with shielded enemies who are virtually invulnerable.
An Agonizing Experience
Overall, Testament: The Order of High Human is a game full of missed opportunities and poor execution. The uninteresting story, lackluster characters, and frustrating combat make it an agonizing experience to play. It’s a game that fails to deliver on its potential and leaves players feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.