IndianNoob looks back at Anachronox:

Retro Saturdays Episode 24 :: Anachronox

I have never been a fan of Japanese Role Playing Games. Its not that I despise them, but something about the character aesthetics, and stories always turns me off. The only JRPGs I’ve played from start to finish are Final Fantasy VI, VII and Chrono Trigger. That doesn’t mean I don’t acknowledge their presence however. I can see why people love them. I’ve always been a sucker for Western RPGs though. When I came to know that there was this RPG called Anachrnox that had the best of both world’s, I was intrigued and cautious at the same time. I wanted to try it out badly, but I knew that if I went in with my prejudice towards JRPGs, it’d not be enjoyable. Yet here I am, talking about Anachronox like its one of my favorite games ever. How did that happen? Well, let me fill you in.

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GamesTM takes a look behind the scenes of Anachronox:

Behind the scenes of Anachronox

The minds behind Ion Storm Dallas take us through their most ambitious project, Anachronox. Unique, grand in scope and ahead of its time, it’s the best western RPG you’ve never played

In May 2001 Ion Storm Dallas closed its doors. Founded in 1995 by id Software giants John Romero and Tom A. Hall, the gaming world watched Ion Storm’s every move with great interest. After all, these were the guys who created Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Commander Keen, so nothing short of a masterpiece was unfairly expected from them with each passing game. However, with hype reaching fever pitch during the development for Daikatana, culminating with that infamous magazine ad which read “John Romero’s about to make you his bitch”, the gaming world was shattered when Daikatana didn’t exactly turn out to be quite so revolutionary.

After a lengthy development cycle and a PR campaign that almost painted it like the second coming of the First-Person Shooter genre itself, John Romero’s Daikatana was, in many respects, deemed a failure. Ion Storm Dallas has largely been remembered as the company that brought us Daikatana, but the other game that was in development in tandem with Romero’s time travel FPS was Anachronox, a game that was more ambitious and inventive than Daikatana could have ever dreamed of being.

When starting Ion Storm, Tom had the opportunity to make any game he wanted, as to did Romero, which led to Diakatana. So, with a deep love for the likes of the Final Fantasy series as well as Chrono Trigger, Tom’s aim was to create a “Western-translated” JRPG . Pepper in an additional appreciation for classic adventure games and you have Anachronox; Ion Storm Dallas’ most impressive outing. The name Anachronox came to Tom’s mind while, out of all places, he was in the bathroom.

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Jeff let us know he has posted a retrospective on Ion Storm's RPG classic Anachronox on his gaming blog The Armchair Empire Infinite. It seems his blog is the re-invention of the well-known similarly named gaming site.

Really, Anachronox was a breath of fresh air when so many other RPGs coming out on PC were being so serious, and singularly focused in what kind of gameplay they wanted. Granted a lot of those games were great, but with Ion Storm's project it got people thinking, "Hey, this works too!" Unfortunately, we didn't see others trying to follow suit here. As such, Anachronox will go down as an unique and largely successful attempt at combining a large cast of characters and a vast array of gameplay elements that one might think would never work together, then actually succeeds in bringing them all together. It was a great game when it came out, still is now, and should be applauded for how ambitious it is.

Steam annouces that Anachronox is now avaiable for purchase. Don't forget it's also available on GOG for those that hate DRM.

Anachronox is Now Available on Steam!

Join Sylvester "Sly" Boots and Stiletto Anyway as they trek across six bizarre planets investigating a galaxy-crushing mystery, searching for artefacts from an extinct alien race and unlocking the secrets of a powerful, advanced technology. It's your turn. PICK YOUR POISON.