Ecstatica

Did You Know?

• The setting is in Northern Europe in 928 AD, in a town named Tirich.
• The player character must free the young sorceress Ecstatica from possession.

Gameplay

The game uses a third-person perspective with automatic camera angle changes. Players can choose a male or female character and can sneak, walk, or run in different directions. The character can carry one item in each hand. Constant demon threats require fighting using various moves, incorporating fighting game elements. The game also includes black and crude humor.

Development

Andrew Spencer Studios initially consisted solely of Andrew Spencer, who spent years creating the game engine alone. The team later expanded to two people, adding film animation expert Alain Maindron. Characters are built from ellipsoids approximating body parts, with some environmental elements also using ellipsoids. This gave a less angular look than polygon-based games. Spencer noted that ellipsoids create more organic-looking characters than triangles, and can be more efficient with fewer shapes. The sequel Ecstatica II improved tank controls and introduced high-resolution pre-rendered backgrounds at 640x480, but also added some graphical glitches.

Reception

James V. Trunzo reviewed Ecstatica in White Wolf Inphobia #55 (May, 1995), rating it 2 out of 5, stating the world is surrealistic but the interface is unplayable. Computer Gaming World nominated it as 1994 Adventure of the Year, losing to Relentless: Twinsen's Adventure, praising its offbeat characters and unusual storyline. In 1996, GamesMaster ranked it 69th on their Top 100 Games of All Time.