Faery is an RPG that had some real potential and it showed in some places but ultimately doesn't follow through. It's not a terrible game and I wish I had better than a Yes/No option to rate it but, out of the two, I can't recommend it.

The plot of the game is fairly simple. You are a fairy and have been awoken from stasis where you slept for centuries only to find that the land of the fae has shrunk and changed for the worse. The effects of man, various fairy creatures moving away to new realms and more threaten the lands. So the fairy king sets you off on a mission to explore the remaining accessible fairy worlds and find out what's up. You run a few quests to gain a couple companions and you're off.

For the most part game play is very simple. Each world map is extremely small and so being asked to retrieve an object (90% of the missions are fetch quests) just has you cruising the small map looking for the sparkling object you need. There are few non-essential opponents on the map so once you clear them -- and they guard chests so you'll want to clear them -- there's little barrier between you and your objectives. Some quests may be solved in multiple ways such as a horn that you can either gain as a reward for doing a deed or else steal by creating a distraction. But ultimately all your choices lead you to the same place.

Combat is turn based and uses an action point system. More powerful attacks use more points and, as well, more powerful are of effect style attacks (and your heals) have timers so they can't be used until the second or third turn of combat. In general I found the combat to be extremely simple. Playing on the default setting (I don't remember if there's harder settings) I never once wiped and rarely had even a single companion go unconscious. Supposedly, if you wipe, you all respawn at the mirrors, your entrance from zone to zone, to try again.

As you level up, you gain new abilities and this was one of the sticking points for me: new abilities are tied to physical changes to your character. So a poison strike attack requires you to have a scorpion tail and a power buff requires goat horns. Either you stick with a few abilities and just level those up or else you become a patchwork menagerie of animal parts and tattoos. I opted for the former. As well, you can gain equipment to enhance your elemental powers.

Aside from all this, there's a collection of companions you'll gain along the way which are fairly inventive and each has their own strengths. One companion is a pistol firing pirate, another summons a raccoon to fight for him and another is a young dragon among others. There is something of an approval system for your companions although I never had anyone refuse to travel with me. I did have one fellow pledge his love to me but that didn't seem to go anywhere past the declaration of our affections. Bioware quality companions this was not but perhaps they'd have been fleshed out in the sequels that aren't meant to be.

Ultimately the game just felt shallow and unresolved even allowing for the fact that it was intended to be the first chapter of a trilogy. The worlds are inventive but small and the quests are linear and obvious. The characters are interesting but the approval system feels pointless. Combat was different from today's norm but was also extremely easy and the character customization issues could leave you feeling handicapped. Because the game is fairly brief (even my 12 hour playtime includes a few lengthy breaks from the keyboard) I was able to complete but I only felt just invested enough to keep going but not enough to really care. If you have this in a bundle it may be worth playing just to see if you like it but I can't recommend it as a purchase.

Faery is an RPG that had some real potential and it showed in some places but ultimately doesn't follow through. It's not a terrible game and I wish I had better than a Yes/No option to rate it but, out of the two, I can't recommend it. The plot of the game is fairly simple. You are a fairy and have been awoken from stasis where you slept for centuries only to find that the land of the fae has shrunk and changed for the worse. The effects of man, various fairy creatures moving away to new realms and more threaten the lands. So the fairy king sets you off on a mission to explore the remaining accessible fairy worlds and find out what's up. You run a few quests to gain a couple companions and you're off. For the most part game play is very simple. Each world map is extremely small and so being asked to retrieve an object (90% of the missions are fetch quests) just has you cruising the small map looking for the sparkling object you need. There are few non-essential opponents on the map so once you clear them -- and they guard chests so you'll want to clear them -- there's little barrier between you and your objectives. Some quests may be solved in multiple ways such as a horn that you can either gain as a reward for doing a deed or else steal by creating a distraction. But ultimately all your choices lead you to the same place. Combat is turn based and uses an action point system. More powerful attacks use more points and, as well, more powerful are of effect style attacks (and your heals) have timers so they can't be used until the second or third turn of combat. In general I found the combat to be extremely simple. Playing on the default setting (I don't remember if there's harder settings) I never once wiped and rarely had even a single companion go unconscious. Supposedly, if you wipe, you all respawn at the mirrors, your entrance from zone to zone, to try again. As you level up, you gain new abilities and this was one of the sticking points for me: new abilities are tied to physical changes to your character. So a poison strike attack requires you to have a scorpion tail and a power buff requires goat horns. Either you stick with a few abilities and just level those up or else you become a patchwork menagerie of animal parts and tattoos. I opted for the former. As well, you can gain equipment to enhance your elemental powers. Aside from all this, there's a collection of companions you'll gain along the way which are fairly inventive and each has their own strengths. One companion is a pistol firing pirate, another summons a raccoon to fight for him and another is a young dragon among others. There is something of an approval system for your companions although I never had anyone refuse to travel with me. I did have one fellow pledge his love to me but that didn't seem to go anywhere past the declaration of our affections. Bioware quality companions this was not but perhaps they'd have been fleshed out in the sequels that aren't meant to be. Ultimately the game just felt shallow and unresolved even allowing for the fact that it was intended to be the first chapter of a trilogy. The worlds are inventive but small and the quests are linear and obvious. The characters are interesting but the approval system feels pointless. Combat was different from today's norm but was also extremely easy and the character customization issues could leave you feeling handicapped. Because the game is fairly brief (even my 12 hour playtime includes a few lengthy breaks from the keyboard) I was able to complete but I only felt just invested enough to keep going but not enough to really care. If you have this in a bundle it may be worth playing just to see if you like it but I can't recommend it as a purchase.