重返克朗多

Return to Krondor

在《叛变克朗多（Betrayal at Krondor）》的原续作《梦之贼（Thief of Dreams）》被取消之后，PyroTechnix 工作室得到了美凯米亚^[1] （Midkemia）的授权并与其原作者 Raymond E. Feist 合作开发一款新游戏——《重返克朗多（Return to Krondor）》。

但讽刺的是，Pyrotechnix 的母公司将工作室卖给了 Sierra，后者将这款游戏当做《叛变克朗多》的续作发售了。而这家公司则刚好在不到一年前发售了《叛变克朗多》的“精神续作”《叛变安塔拉（Betrayal in Antara）》。

而更让人困惑的是，除了背景设定以外《重返克朗多》与《叛变克朗多》相差甚远。这是一款全程配音的第三人称 3D 指向点击式游戏，而且游戏故事的主要背景也是一座城市，像是把角色扮演和冒险两个类型混合在了一起。游戏内包含一些多种解决方式的调查任务和一些有趣的谜题。但是游戏整体流程是严格线性的，而且支线任务、可选择区域和角色定制内容也非常少。

作为有着乡绅和从良盗贼双重身份的“快手”吉米（Jimmy “the Hand”，《叛变克朗多》的回归角色）^[2] ，你必须调查一个为了寻找失落遗物而袭击了克朗多城的危险人物。游戏的故事分为长短不一的 11 个章节，故事中包含着 5 位英雄人物，他们会随着剧情出现或者离开。

游戏中的战斗系统依然是回合制战斗，但是加了一些（没有任何说明的）新功能像是战斗姿态、全/半动作、快速施法、攻击破绽、重量惩罚以及每轮游戏的随机“命运”奖励。大多数角色挨打两三次就会死亡，这就意味着开局时往往就已经注定结局了。

游戏图像模仿了《生化危机》（Resident Evil）式的固定摄像头视角的预渲染背景模式。但是很可惜的是，游戏经常运用迷惑性的镜头和远镜头，这让人很难看清楚到底发生了什么。UI 设计也非常糟糕。视觉效果设计得华而不实，这些缺点在战斗时尤为凸显。

After the cancellation of the original sequel to Betrayal at Krondor – Thief of Dreams – the PyroTechnix studio acquired the Midkemia setting's licence and began working with its author, Raymond E. Feist, on a new game – Return to Krondor.

In an ironic twist of fate, PyroTechnix's parent company sold the studio to Sierra, who then published the game as the official sequel to Betrayal at Krondor, less than a year after publishing their own “spiritual successor” to that game, Betrayal in Antara.

To add to the confusion, Return to Krondor has little in common with Betrayal besides the setting. A fully voiced third-person 3D point-and-click game mostly set inside a single city, it feels like an Adventure/ RPG hybrid. It offers some investigative quests with multiple solutions and a few fun puzzles, but the overall gameplay is linear and strict, with rare side-quests, optional areas or character customisation options.

As the squire/reformed thief Jimmy “the Hand” (a returning character from Betrayal at Krondor), you must investigate a dangerous man who's been raiding the city of Krondor in search of a lost artefact. The story spans 11 chapters of varying length, with a cast of five heroes that come and go with the plot.

The combat is still turn-based, but was expanded with (poorly explained) features such as battle stances, full/half actions, quick casting, attacks of opportunity, weight penalties and random “fate” bonus each round. Most characters die in 2-3 hits, meaning having the initiative often decides the outcome of the battle.

The graphics follow the Resident Evil formula of pre-rendered backgrounds with fixed camera angles. Unfortunately, it often uses disorienting or distant cameras that make it difficult to see what's happening. The UI is also disappointing, featuring overdesigned visuals but poor usability, especially in combat.

Raymond E. Feist 把《重返克朗多》的剧情写到了小说里并且起名为《克朗多：诸神之泪（Krondor: Tear of the Gods）》。结局给续集做了铺垫，但是 Sierra 在 1999 年遭遇了经济危机，最终这一想法未能实现。

Raymond E. Feist adapted Return to Krondor's plot into a novel, named Krondor: Tear of the Gods. The ending teases a sequel, but Sierra had economical difficulties in 1999 and never made it.

你若是要把《重返克朗多》当成是《叛变克朗多》的续作来玩，那你一定会很失望。Raymond E. Feist 写的故事非常棒，但也像这游戏一样，除了一小部分亮点之外，非常短小、线性而且平庸。

尽管如此，若是能够抛开成见，把《重返克朗多》单纯当成是一个有短小精干的剧情、和出色战斗系统的故事驱动型 RPG 的话，那么这款游戏还算得上是佳作。

If you come to Return to Krondor expecting a sequel to Betrayal at Krondor, you will be greatly disappointed. The story penned by Raymond E. Feist is good, but – like the game itself – it's also short, linear and unambitious, save for a few highlights.

Still, those willing to set the game's heritage aside and take Return to Krondor for what it is – a simple yet charming story-driven RPG with a great combat system on top – will likely have a good time.