Enderal - Total Conversion Mod for Skyrim
This time we're having a look at Enderal: Stories Forgotten, a total conversion mod for Skyrim. We discuss the major gameplay changes the mod team made, and the Skyrim modding scene in general, and St0rm complains about the amount of talking in it. This week's topics include Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, how to go about making a Dark Souls tabletop RPG, and our impressions of the animated horror series 'The Kirlian Frequency'.
Game Description
Enderal is a free total conversion mod for Skyrim that adds a new map, story, quests, NPCs, and monsters. It also has tweaks to increase the difficulty, such as hunger mechanics and spoiling food.
Enderal is touted as having a darker and more psychological story than Skyrim. Just a few minutes into the game, we are introduced to a sinister father character. The walls of your family home are plastered with disturbing images like diagrams of the human body and a replica of Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya.
This mod is a bit slower in pace than the original game. However, if you loved Skyrim, this is your chance to experience playing it for the first time again.
Episode Topics
Andy: "I think Enderal does a decent job establishing a darker tone. I mean, if you can make a bright, sunny day seem creepy, you're doing something right. I think some of these horror scenes fall a little flat due to the voice acting and the limitations of the Skyrim engine, but I like it when people take an existing system and adapt it to a different genre--like when people make games in RPG Maker that aren't RPGs."
St0rm: "I can appreciate what they are trying to do, but it does come off a little silly at times. I'd guess that the imagery has more of an impact when you're playing it alone rather than talking shit over it with a friend."
Mechanical Differences Between Enderal and Skyrim(08:59 - 12:45)
St0rm: "What are the differences between Enderal and Skyrim?"
Andy: "I want to give a blanket disclaimer: All of the criticisms I am going to give this game are not me saying 'this game is bad' but rather me giving a caveat emptor. In my opinion, they made some changes to the gameplay that some people will love and some people will hate:
- Health no longer regenerates over time. You have to eat food and use healing items.
- There is a new mechanic called 'Mana Sickness' where healing magic and potions will build up mana sickness over time.
- You no longer gain skill points by using them. You have to find skill books and trainers.
The skill point change is the biggest issue for me. My favorite thing about Skyrim is that any time you want to try a new build, you just do it. You grow your character organically by playing the game. This new system forces you to search every nook and cranny because you can't risk missing a book."
St0rm: "Skyrim knew how to start. You wake up on the cart, you create your character, then people start getting executed and a dragon attacks. By contrast, Enderal seems to be taking a very long time to get started. Even with the portions that you edited out, it's almost 30 minutes into the video before we get to gameplay. I can appreciate ambiance and world-building, but that may be a little too slow for me."
Andy: "Enderal is a slow burn. I think it was an odd choice to tutorialize the game again. Ostensibly, anyone playing Enderal is already familiar with the Skyrim controls, so it seems like a waste to bog down an already slow opener with a tutorial section."
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - First Impressions (29:53 - 38:00)
Andy: "I'm excited for Sekiro. I've always said the From Software is great at what they do, and it would be nice to see them try something else. It's still a 3rd-person combat focused game, but it's definitely not just 'Weeb Souls'."
St0rm: "To me, the biggest changes in Sekiro are related to the combat. You now have a grappling hooked used for movement and to close in on enemies. They have also updated the dodge mechanics: There are 3 dodges--a parry, a dodge, and a jump for low, sweeping attacks. Gone are the days of idly pressing 'dodge' right as the enemie's attack is about to connect."
Culture Corner: 'The Kirlian Frequency'