When Creative Concepts Collide: The Unexpected Journey of Planescape: Torment
Enduring as arguably some of the greatest RPGs ever produced, Planescape: Torment achieved success for various reasons – surprisingly, much of Shaded Isle Studios became entirely new to the Dungeons & Dragons campaign backdrop that initiated it all.
In a recent edition of PC Gamer, lead artist Tim Donley shared his reaction to the announcement by Shaded Isle Studios founder Feargus Urquhart that their next project would be a Planescape title. He recounted that “one day the boss came in and said ‘we’re going to do a Planescape game'” to the rest of the team, leaving several developers taken aback – particularly since they had no idea what Planescape was.
“In my mind,” says Donley, “I’m going ‘what the heck is that?’ At that moment it felt so unusual, I thought ‘Is this something steampunk, or space, or sci-fi?'” Donley was not the only one puzzled by the enigmatic Planescape campaign – lead programmer Dan Spitzley concurs. “Planescape was not a well-known property,” he acknowledges. There certainly weren’t many Planescape games available for them to explore at the time, either.
“Indeed,” the lead continues, “there weren’t a multitude of games previously made, so we had plenty of opportunities to experiment with ideas that other teams might not have considered” – and it appears that’s exactly the pathway Shaded Isle Studios pursued. The developers’ game shone brightly alongside major titles of the era such as the original Baldur’s Gate and the first two Fallout games because Torment effectively made companions “feel like essential elements of the narrative.”
As studio founder Urquhart himself articulated, “You had companions in Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Baldur’s Gate for instance, but they had no substantial dialogue.” This was most definitely not the case with Planescape: Torment, which continues to be recognized as one of the best RPGs ever crafted. With countless hours spent in the 1999 classic, I can personally vouch for this. Even after experiencing newer classics like Baldur’s Gate 3, I find myself revisiting Planescape.
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After spending years immersed in various fantastical realms’ fantasies, Anna pursued English Literature and later Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, eventually specializing in narrative creation and video game journalism as a writer. She has contributed to numerous publications since her postgraduate education, such as Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When not feverishly attempting to transform thoughts into coherent expressions, she may be daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and connecting with every creature, or she might be investing countless hours exploring the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you manage to pry her away from her computer, you will likely find Anna with a fantasy novel, a handheld gaming console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two nearby.