In many ways, The Chosen: Well of Souls is a return to a simpler time. But the question begs to be asked that whether in the more modern era of computer technology, is a step backwards – without a lot of innovation in other areas – a wise move.

That is the weak point of The Chosen: Well of Souls, an attempt to recapture the glory of a Diablo II gaming generation with a point-and-click role-playing title that just falters in several areas, including the tired storyline and stereotypical characters.

Yes, The Chosen tries to allow for flexibility with an open character advancement system, but the game looks like it was built five or more years ago and plays the same way. The game is locked into a basic formula – you venture into an area, get quests, run around and kill the monsters, Break up environmental objects for drops (coin, potions, weapons and armor) and then move forward, along the storyline.

Meridian4 is the publisher and Rebelmind is the developer, and while credit should be given for the vision, points are taken away for the lack of originality. Two titles have been released that follow the Diablo formula – The Chosen and Loki: Heroes of Mythology. The latter embraces a slightly more modern look, operating off the same formula. Both are linear in design, in regards to the story arc, and both have solid skill trees that players can advance through as they level.

In The Chosen, you begin by picking one of three classes – mage, ranged attacker and fighter. There are three skill trees and you can pick your skills, regardless of the class you choose, from any of the trees. So you could start with a ranged fighter that combines the missile attacks with magical attacks. The game is a point-and-click, so you click on a ground location or enemy and the character moves there. In this regard, the pathing is generally pretty good.

Adding a bit more to the equation is that you can, once you gain the appropriate level, summon a couple of minions (one for offense and one for defense) to aid your fight.

As you begin the game, you are in the wilderness entering a town for the first time. It seems that the town is overrun with demons and the terrified watchman is ready to try to add you to the list of the dead and dying. It’s a simple misunderstanding and soon you will enlist the aid of one of the townsfolk to guide you to the Society of Alchemists – a place that will serve as your home base for the remainder of the game. Hit the hot key and you will travel there instantly from anywhere in the world – while this is a handy little feature, it spoils the immersive nature of being one warrior against the evil invading the world. Out of potions? No worries, if you have the coin, the Society will refit you.

The initial levels of the game are a bit of a grind, seemingly intended to get your skills high enough to take on the monsters that will appear throughout your journey.

The drops you encounter are vital to your success. There is a lack of urgency in this game – after all, you are working up to an encounter with the evil sorcerer and trying to make certain that a portal to hell, the Well of Souls, is closed.

The game does have a decent range of monsters to battle, many that are stereotypical, as RPGs go – zombies, werewolves and so on. The towns are graphically fine, but do not expect this game to challenge your machine. The sound features some over-the-top performances as well.

Ok, all that said, The Chosen is not a bad game. It is not up to current standards but it is a pleasant little diversion, and one that will consume several hours of game time. Unfortunately, the game itself, if you drive through it, can be a little on the short side. The game does suffer from too many stereotypes, and there is an overall lack of immersion that makes this game feel less than urgent. You know, one of those – ‘oh, there is a bad guy opening a portal to hell? Well, Ok, I’ll get around to him eventually’ feelings. That is not a good thing, simply because it creates the feeling that once you have the game, you do not need to work into it. It can sit there and you’ll get around to it eventually.

Gameplay: 7.0
Three character classes, three skill trees and the ability to jump around the world at whim tends to spoil the immersive nature of the game. Still, this point-and-click adventure is easy to play and once you get the pets, it will have you thinking a bit about what you are doing.

Graphics: 7.0
They are decent and serviceable. The game uses an isometric viewpoint.  

Sound: 5.0
Over-the-top voice work that isn’t that good to begin with. It is unconvincing and tired.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 5.0
This is the RPG genre of at least five years ago, simplified. The game does try, but comes up short in terms of innovation.

Overall: 5.5
The game has some good elements and some bad elements. It is short and simple, without making you feel that you need to hurry to close the portal to hell. One the plus side, it is a sedate experience that players can work through at their leisure and is reminiscent of the RPG games of the past. Not much, though, is new and different and that link to the past might be one that players do not wish to make. Titan Quest did the Diablo imitation well. Loki is also decent. The Chosen pales in comparison to both of those. A nice attempt, and perhaps for its next outing, Rebelmind will take the foundation of this game and step it up a notch.