For me...the most poignant moment about Deonarra is when you finish telling the Practical Incarnation why it wasn't necessary to enslave her for eternity... and then there is no way out of the room without her help.

Endure, and in enduring, grow strong.

Gained Experience: 2000000 "I *AM* Steve."

I love all the effort the devs made to ensure that the dialogue that you pick actually matters and kept it up throughout the game.

One of my favorite moments in this game is "the brothel of intellectual lusts" the music inside it...the many tales of Yves...the intellectual conversation that you must have with Fall-From-Grace to convince her to accompany you...it is one of those moments that really give sense to Planescape being "the best game you'll ever read" ; the brothel is basically a single screen, with thousands and thousands of lines of dialogue to have (if i remember correctly it took me more than 2 hours to fully talk to everyone) and yet it is one of my favorite moments in all gaming right next to -The final conversation with the master (Fallout 1) -Exploring Virgil's past (Arcanum: of steamworks and magick obscura) -Getting Imoen back from Irenicus and the following dream sequence (Baldur's gate 2) -Reaching the cave of "false" Nerevarine incarnations (The elder scrolls 3: Morrowind) -Priscilla's song (Witcher 3) -Reaching Gwyn's chamber after traversing the Kiln of the first flame (Dark souls 1) / finding the original workshop (Bloodborne) and people ask me why Rpgs are my favorite genre PS: it may not be a RPG...but the moment "Lisa the nurse" (Silent Hill 1) realizes that she, in reality, had been dead all along...that is another moment i'll never forget She begs you to stay with her, she needs some life near her in that moment of realization but, as her skin starts to decay and the blood surfaces, you have no other choice other than run away in horror, lock the door behind you and hear her sobbing as she cries until her body completely decays and she simply stops existing...with that music playing in the background. I will never, ever, ever forget it.

Morte's tale, that he tells after being asked to tell any story. “All right,” said the man. “I don’t believe this; but there’s no harm in wishing. I wish to know who I am.” “Funny,” said the old woman as she granted his wish and disappeared forever. “That was your first wish.” A joke never stabbed so hard.

When Deionarra tells you how your immortality works in the fortress, that was unbearable to me, after all the times I've died training and telling to myself "who cares, I'm immortal", I felt like shit in that exact moment, maybe the fact that Deionarra was telling me about it made it even worse, I felt the guilt all at once.

There's one specific moment, really. It's roughly from when you start the game until you beat the game. That moment is amazing.

Updated my journal

Great video. I absolutely agree, this game is a masterpiece and my all-time favorite. Hell, I only have one tattoo on my body. It's the Sensates sigil. I did it to see what getting a tattoo is like.

Oh god, the sensate stone scene just killed me the first time I went through it. In fact, as you go along, learning all the utterly evil and manipulative things your past lives had done to some of your companions and to others is just gut punching.

Best fucking game ever made.

I have to say, this has been one of my favorite games ever. I haven't beaten it yet... mostly because I keep going back and trying new things. I'm just enjoying the journey. It's nice to know that someone else enjoys it as much as I do.

My first play through I beat the game by getting the dagger that could kill an immortal from the siege tower and threatening to commit suicide to convince my mortality to merge with me. Now that’s an ending you don’t get from any old video game.

4:42 - The thing about this game is you can play it as a noble hero, or a depraved gibbering madman. And though I'm one of those people that tends to try and play my characters as heroes, believe it or not, it's kind of worth trying it as a gibbering madman, because it gives some later scenes in the game a different kind of impact.

When returning to Sigil after Ravel's death, if you visit the places where you met the 3 separate incarnation of her, 2 are gone and one is dieing. She passes after a short conversation with her where she explains she didn't realize what she was. But in Icewind Dale 2 you meat another incarnation of her. So I wonder if she's actually dead. P.S. one of my favorite quotes "I think, there for I am... I think." Nordom is so cool.

Missed out on this game for PC because I'm a console gamer, but I always had interest in it. (Especially after playing Tides of Numenera) I picked it up in the double release enhanced edition and finally finished it last night. What a game! Sparked so many emotions, especially with the ending I got. (Ended up resurrecting everyone) I was genuinely upset that I held a Lawful Good alignment for so long, just to have it switch to a Neutral Good alignment at some point. I really got upset that I'd done something somewhere along the line that wasn't lawful. The ending of being condemned and sent to the Lower Planes to fight in the Blood War for eternity was really depressing. The only thing missing was a chance to visit Celestia to try to plead for your soul. I felt maybe the sacrifice of accepting your fate may have given that chance and a shot at redemption. I went back and tried many variations of conversation with TTO, but was always given the same end result. Why aren't there more games this deep?? Why aren't these more popular?

I revisit this video now and again. You made the best tribute to the best written game of all time. Thanks for writing this.

1: the first half 2: the second half

I love PS:T. I first played it when I was 12 and I learned so many things from it. It contains many real life religions under different names, philosophy paths and so on. The most important thing is the main element of the story - it's about Nameless One personally and about his quest. It's not about saving the world, it's just an adventure of a deeply troubled immortal man. The party members are connected to him, making him immensely interesting and through him, the characters are unforgetable. I don't have that same feeling from the new Torment. It might be simply because of nostalgia factor, but it just doesn't strike the same chord. I don't feel that invested in the Castoff, he / she just doesn't seem that interesting to me.

I have played PS:T 17 times since it came out, and am currently doing a leisurely 18th tour. It is the best game I ever played. The philosophies and moralities you encounter, you get to live are amazing. My favourite bit - which actually had quite an impact on how I live my life - is when you encounter Ravel in her Maze. When she asks you THE QUESTION, and you have to choose out of the many many possibilities. Made me think, a lot. Particularly when upon replay you realise that there isn't a "correct" or "incorrect" answer. All is your choice, and meaningful maybe only for you - but meaningful nonetheless. And to echo others in the comments - learning what you did to your companions is just... horrible. On a lighter note the Modron Maze is the kind of Planescape specific levity that also made the game special. Laughter, tears, sudden realisations about the nature of existence, and making trees grow. What an experience.

Sacrificing companions wasn't just for "shits and giggles", it was in the face of the other alternative - to reduce your own HP. I did the noble thing and sacrificed my HP, and I had so few HP left that I almost couldn't finish the game, especially when it separated you from your companions. I had to make my character into a thief so he could sneak because he couldn't stand up to battle anymore.

One of the best RPG ever made, for the plot, the dialogues, the settings, the characters, the idea behind the whole story, and some other reasons... Very very nice, unique experience of playing. I suggest to increase much as possible Wisdom and Intelligence. Anyhow the game must be repeated two or three times to see all the possibilities of the plot.

Having someone explain adoration for a videogame (or movie or book...) is almost always interesting if one shares such feelings for any game. This was interesting! I did start a playthrough of the game after it came out but was totally distracted by Fallout and Fallout 2 which I first played '99 to such a degree that I never got into this.

The things i've done to Dak'kon trough multiple playtroughs. It haunts me to this day almost 15 years after my first playtrough. I feel an undismissable shame.

1:13 - Yes. Yes he is. Rob Paulsen who voiced Yakko.

I cried during this video. God damn, this game is just pure brilliance.

So my first time playing through, I missed the early portion where you gain the power to resurrect fallen companions. Since this is unlike most RPGs where a potion or temple is around every corner to raise the dead, they stayed dead. Near the end when you had to list your regrets, my fallen companions were woven into the choices, and I **legitimately** felt regret that I had lost them. It's one of the very few times a game had me shook, it was almost like a break in the fourth wall.

"Assigning such an extreme experience score turns something as simple as your name into the most sought-after thing in the entire game." Earthbound does something very similar within Ness's subconscious when you defeat the Mani Mani statue symbolizing his potential for evil. He gains a ridiculous number of experience points and goes up multiple levels after that battle. I've always been impressed by this powerful co-opting of a game system to convey a narrative event-or, to look at it the other way around, the imbuing of a game system with narrative power. For many years I've clung to that moment as one of the core reasons why I care about video games.

I occasionally revisit this video for a simple reason: i don't have the time to re-re-replay Planescape every couple of weeks, but this video very much manages to pack the same type of "punch" that playing the game would. The choice of moments to talk about, the background music and the explanation alone is enough to, to some extent, make me relive those moments and sensations. Someone should really pick back this setting and do something special with it..it pains me to think about the amount of potential that could be harvested from it. While i have an inclination toward settings like "the forgotten realms" or "ravenloft", there is something about Planescape that you literally can't get anywhere else. Many have tried to create weird/abstractlike/philosophical settings, but in the end they always seem so random that, paradoxically, they end up all feeling the same. Planescape is special; there simply isn't anything like it.

Best moment for me was during the quest to become a mage, when you're told about rituals that mean nothing, after having completed all these chores. This moment shaped the way I see life.

This is for me best video game ever. The depth of its story is deeper than many books. It's not about fighting, learning new spells, getting better gear (nothing wrong with it!) but getting into a world where anything is possible, where human faith and regrets can literally shape the reality. I really love DnD notion that gods need faith of their worshipers, here we have something more subtle. We are immortal with amnesia, a men who achieve impossible but this had its price.

my best two moments were 1. the sign that says "dont trust the skull", 2. where it asks you what you regret the most. this completely turns the standard paradigm of playing video games upside down: usually you do what yields the best outcome, sometimes you save, load, save,. etc until you figured out the best. but then for this, you actually need to have done something "wrong".

Wow! Great game and amazing review, you brought back the memories of why this was such an amazing experience. ..kudos.

Marth found a ring inside your gut. [Ask Martha to search your head] -Everything goes black - ** Journal Entry ** Today i asked martha to search my head for items. But there was nothing . Legendary dry black humour

"Lost One", "immortal One", "Incarnation's End", Man of a Thousand Deaths, The One Doomed to Life", Restless One, One of Many, The One who Life holds Prisoner, Bringer of shadows, The Wounded One, Broken One, Misery Bringer, Yemeth

Awakening to my ascension in 2016, this game played a large part so many decades before then.

One hundred hundred hundred percent agree. Loved this game so much. Never came across anything so imaginative or compelling in a PC game.

Read the, read it *literally* - the Avellone's docs, say whatever you wish about this author, but this is beyond amazing. The Mebbet/Ravela dialogues, are...simply *just* 200-pages long. Every moment and chance, you can talk to her is simply overhelming and maximize pleasure from game, just read it. I tell you. Simply great.

This game was incredibly diverse and well ahead of it's time. There really is no other RPG like it. More importantly choices always mattered. It's also one of those games where you want to know the best options but part of the experience is not knowing and going purely on what we think is best. There were things I regretted not doing (I never figured out the Bronze Sphere) but I'm glad I remained ignorant throughout the first playthrough as the choices really do feel like our own.

what sucks for me is that deionarra will forever remain unhappy, waiting for you while you fight the blood war

Keep up these videos Heather. I appreciate the thought and care you put into them very much.

i have played and finished this game like 10x.. and bought the new enhanced.. and am still playing it 10 years later.. Even have the original 7 cd Set.... One of the best games ever!!!!! So i ask u @Kotaku.... "What can change the nature of a Man?"""

For me THE moment was "Don't trust the skull". I stood up, went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face and around my neck. I thought I was going to faint. This game doesn't fuck around with its plot twists.

Easily in my top 5 RPGs of all time, if not the number 1 spot. I got the enhanced edition and really need to revisit this masterpiece since I haven't played in 7 years. I remember back in '99 seeing a trailer and shrugging it off as some Myst looking game since it was just a bunch of cgi cutscenes (I believe the trailer was on one of the Fallout discs). Boy was I soo very wrong.

Absolutely agree! By far, this was my favorite computer game of all time. My only complaint is that certain bugs prevented the best gameplay experience possible. I am anxious to try out the enhanced version to see if those bugs have been fixed. Thanks for reminding me that this is out there!

Thank you for doing this video. Planescape : Torment is the greatest game ever. It showed everyone what a game could be. From that we have an entire industry. TSR was truly revolutionary in their vision. Gygax also had another game besides D&D, Gamma world which became Fallout Series. Both have Mark V and Mark VII blasters, so Gygax created 2 mega sensations , D&D and Fallout.

4:05 That's a demon though. Born of the evil plane of existence, by definition evil. What you did to Dak'kon though.. Asked to pledge himself to you till you die... 5:14 You didn't create Dak'kon's religion. Hell, you encounter another Zerth right there in Sigil. The problem is the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon which was either alerted or created by the Practical Incarnation to insert some stories that will force Dak'kon to accept Zerthimon's betrayal; the Pronouncement of Two Skies. While TNO is beyond old, beyond ancient even. He isn't old enough to have created this religion. If only for the fact that Dak'kon loses his faith *before* he meets TNO and only met him because of it.

An excellently presented and exhaustive review for a game that certainly deserves it. It's still amazing to me that they could pack so much story content and so many details into PS:T. Thanks for putting this together.

Anyone noticed that the two friends in the snoldering corpse already tell you the truth about Pharod and Morte? Just struck me when I played it again after a long time.

I still play this game about once a year. Its easily the best CRPG ever made, beause it doesnt go full on "black and white". It goes "Gray". And that is where the really interesting part of roleplaying lies.

Poor, lonely, Ravel. :'(

I just played this for the first time despite me being such a huge fan of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series. I truly loved the story and writing but I feel it has little replay value. I would rate the story 10/10, and it really was enjoyable and worth the price just to experience it, but I can't say it's the best game ever made. The game extremely lacks mechanically and has many design flaws, making it a chore to play at times.

Every moment, one of few games that doesn't waste a minute.

my favourite game of all time. Baldur's gate is a close second

You're right. This is the fucking best game of all time. Played this in 99 and so far, nothing comes quite close

I've only really been gaming for around 2 years on a more "hobbyist" level, books are my usual go to and I mostly play modern games because they seem more accessible to a noob like me. Of course that doesn't mean I haven't heard about great games from the past but I'm always hesitant to play these games because I usually end up disliking them because I can't help but get too hyped up and then feel letdown. Playing this game, honestly at first I was in two minds. First was that for a game the writing is just eons beyond anything I've encountered even considering my limited gaming experience. The other was that this is a great game no doubt but I'm not really feeling it as much as I did some great books I've read. I mean the fact that it was being mentioned in that company didn't occur to me at the time because I'd been sold "the game best evar moniker". It was a fantastic game but, I mean life changing, something you get emotional talking about, thoughts running around in your head mercilessly, thinking about it on nights you can't sleep, aching to play it again despite the fact that you know how depressing it can be? I feel like the meeting with Ravel and everything that takes place after that elevated this game from an indisputable "10" to that little perch that doesn't seem that much higher than the vaunted "10" but it's just hard to put into words why such a small leap is so significant. I'm honestly not even sure what plaudits to throw at this game and I generally consider time to be the greatest test for anything, I don't know how I will feel about this game in say ten years. Right now though? This game is just something special. It's kind of a shame but after playing this game I went out there to try and find more of the same and it seems like there really isn't much like this out there. I mean I can easily see a game based on Lovecraft's mythology with some of the dark brooding elements of Torment, some sort of adventure-RPG type thing with more exploration than interaction. Maybe a game based on Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, damn adapt anything written by any Russian author in the 19th century, thats like the holy grail of bleakness. I mean a game like Planescape: Torment would do much more justice to many of the works of Harlan Ellison and/or Philip K Dick than most movies ever will. I hope the video game industry wakes up to the potential of book and comic book adaptations, if GabeN is reading this, please buy Image comics and adapt EVERYTHING, thanks.

Top 3 game for me, if not simply the top. So many quotes I still think of from time to time even today. I always chose 'Regret' as what could change the nature of a man.

This is what has been pushing me to explore and research games for years now. Not this game particularly,since although PS: T is high in my list of "must-play"s, I haven't yet played it. By this I rather mean the fact that games have so much potential to be an excellent medium of storytelling. They aren't just about spectacles and short term gratification. Nor are they merely means of skill-based competition. They are an experience, a fact that players, developers and producers seem to need reminding every now and then with entries such as these.

"I AM IRON GIVEN PURPOSE"

I would add in this video the moment when you finally meet Ravel Puzzlewell. To me it was one of the best moments of the game.

I love the scene when you talk with your mortality and how you can shos him many things... from how realy fragile he is because he always attack from distance like coward, how YOUR fortress is more like his prison then home, how he suffers without you and show him what can change the nature or man...

The version of PS:T used in the video can be bought where exactly, please? It seems to have very beautiful graphics and somewhat improved interface and also nice resolution... Please answer. Thanks.

Dang, I have got to play this again...

Before playing it, I wasn't too keen on Torment's gameplay initially by how it looked. It seemed stiff and dated compared to something like Bloodborne. But trying the remastered version via a rental made me realize just how much I loved the presentation. It's so morbid and gritty, very much living up to its name. And even though I feel the combat is straightforward compared to other RPGs that I played, it is quite satisfying to take on this dark world in whatever way you wish alongside party members like the comic relief Morty. (Called Morte in game, but I call him Morty because it matches his absurdity) But getting the most out of this game is less a matter of life and death as it is listening and learning. This is a Role Playing Game unlike any other. The atmosphere is great, the story attention grabbing and making progress is always satisfying given how much your fate, and the fate of others, is altered. I personally try to keep my character true neutral since it suits him the most.

For me this is the greatest game of all time :) Also for me the best moments were, when you tell Ignus that you are willing to learn and he asks you honestly: What will You sacrifice?!?!

That satisfying feeling when your "like" makes it tick over to another number, and you can toy around clicking it and unclicking it to see 100 likes go up and down. "I CAN FORGE PLANES WITH MY POWER!"

I still have my original game, still works. But it's graphically glitchy with spells and tends to crash. Finished the game back in the day though, still one of my all time favorites

There is no other story in videogames that can top Torment. It is also my favourite game of all time. The world itself is more than graphics...it's a story unfurled!

Thanks for making this video, I agree it's the best story in gaming ever made. I have many fond memories of playing and then replaying this game, the enhanced edition is absolutely worth it.

Can anyone tell me the music theme's NAME in the video? Please I really love it.

Don't trust the skull

Can you do this but like for another 45+ minutes? After just finishing PS:T, I would love an in depth breakdown of its game design philosophy and genius moments etc. This video really updated my journal.

Literally just beat this game with a Chaotic Evil asshat of a character. I want to play it for the first time all over again :- )

I just finished this game today, for me it’s in top 3 games of all time.

BIS, the greatest studio ever.

This may be the most profound video ever made for Kotaku. I was not expecting this. Keep it up, Heather. Video game journalism needs more people like you.

It's hard to argue because Planescape Torment has probably the best storyline I've ever seen in a PC game. Also it's one of the best visual portrayals of that setting that you'll likely ever get. Especially since Planescape is hard to run, speaking from personal experience. Meaning you have to be kind of skilled to get it right.

I just liked the video when you said you believe it's the best game ever.

I love this game so much! I would kill to be able to discover this masterpiece again, but like over decade ago, freshly - for the first time. Of course - I adore to revisit P:T story from time to time, but that first time magic and excitement is gone. Now my every replay from beginning is full of sad realisation that game has end... And Tides of Numerablablabla is pretensions turd made by complete berks.

I agree. Torment is the best game ever made. It started the Gaming boom! Gary Gygax and Bethesda( Black Isle, TSR ) created an epic that I feel inspired Fallout 4, their next epic.

Annahs reaction when she realises ravel fell in love with you…, (a night hag falling in love imagine that.) when she pauses and mumbles to herself yeh love him ye did…. Learning the truth of zerthimon, realising the practical one is not really evil, fucking ignus, being humbled by morte the game has so many moments it makes modern story writing look like a kindergarden writers workshop.

this was a good game. i played it in 2009.

Great video. 100% agree with the statement about the best game

I had walkthough in paper form soon after the game came out in a magazine. I tried to do it but the grind for that extra stats that were required was too much for my youung self - as one would need to kill a respawning demon in between rests for exp grind. I just watched the whole game played on YT by someone showing different options to end the game, but not all - like just becoming rat king.

Are you using a voice morpher???

That 2 million exp is when you reached Buddhist enlightenment

So far I got these list Planescape Divinity original sin 2 Spellforce wildhunt 3 Baldurs gate Pillars of eternity Show less REPLY What the diffrence? Like one of the pros of palescape is the story, while the others is less lore and story but great gameplay..??? like the less lore, story stelling is good for fun if you just one to relax and dont get stress by emotional story or if you have good time and want to dig deep into long story stelling then planescape is for you? Just found out these game just now but i've seen original sin 2 from yongyea and spellforce somewhere else and thought I'll just collect them just in case.

I approve this video.

Excellent

Planescape is certainly a masterpiece, and while I don’t think planescape is the best game ever made, Dieonarra’s emotions in the sensation crystal is the best moment in any game I’ve ever played

For me, it was this stupid question: "What can change the nature of a man?" and that there's no answer. I remember the first time I played the game and how hard I cried at the ending. I agree with you 100%, best game ever made. Also: Ignus is an asshole,

What can change the nature of a man? (was another one that I'll remember forever) Also the first time hearing Keith David as Vhailor.

This game is almost psychotherapeutic.

Agree strongly, best game ever!

It's not only best game ever but also most underrated game

Yay! Finally, someone who feels it's the best game ever too! It's a shame that the ending doesn't have a way to redeem the Nameless One.

Deionarras sensory stone was such a gutwrenching moment, seeing the nameless one take the role of both the deceptive and evil incarnation, the lovestruck and naive Deionarra, but also the distant, powerless, observer, filled with regret and fear over what he has done, and his inability to change what has already happened.

What can change the nature of a man? Playing Planescape fucking Torment, that's what! If anyone ever dares to profess that video games cannot be a perfectly valid art form, they should be shackled to their pc and forced to play this masterpiece from beginning to end. Can't possibly praise it enough

i think, when he meets Q, it's a joke referring to the star trek's Q race.