Ecstatica and Ecstatica II are back on PC, and this is the first time either game has been sold digitally. Publisher SNEG released both on October 26 on GOG and Steam, with full controller support, switchable graphics modes, and a renderer that runs on your CPU alone. Both were built from ellipsoids instead of polygons, which still makes them look like nothing else from the 90s.
Why they look like that
Most 3D games of the era were built from polygons. Andrew Spencer’s games were built from ellipsoids, so every character, wall, and monster is made of rounded blobs. It gives both games a soft, almost clay-like look that nothing else really copied.
The first Ecstatica came out in 1994. You stop in the medieval village of Tirich for water and find that everything there wants you dead, including demons, goblins, a minotaur, and a werewolf that keeps getting back up. It plays from fixed camera angles, it’s driven by puzzles more than combat, and there’s no health bar, map, or quest log. The horror comes with a lot of absurd British humour, and you can play as a man or a woman.
What the re-release adds
The first game gets three graphics modes. DOS matches the original 1994 release, Windows 95 is based on the 1997 re-release, and Software renders the scenes live at high resolution. You can switch between them while playing to compare. Two optional settings bring back DOS quirks on purpose: Shaking Legs restores the leg jitter from the original, and DOS Ceilings puts back the lower door frames and ceilings. There are also three versions of the soundtrack.
Two free DLCs round it out. One adds the original DOS version running in DOSBox. The other swaps the live Software renderer for backgrounds pre-rendered at 8K, which looks its best and leaves your CPU mostly idle, but SNEG warns those files take up a lot of space.
Ecstatica II is a different kind of game
The 1997 sequel moves from puzzle horror to dark fantasy action. You come home with the sorceress Ecstatica to find demons in your castle, the Archmage on your throne, and Ecstatica gone. It’s bigger and bloodier, with physical melee combat, spells, potions with unpredictable effects, and randomized enemies so runs play out differently. It gets the same controller support and switchable graphics modes as the first game.
Where to buy them
Buy them on GOG first, where they’re DRM-free and stay yours. Both stores have launch discounts.
| Store | Product | Launch price | Regular |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOG | Ecstatica I + Ecstatica II | $19.95 | $29.98 |
| GOG | Ecstatica Deluxe | $14.95 | $19.98 |
| GOG | Ecstatica | $13.49 | $14.99 |
| GOG | Ecstatica II | $13.49 | $14.99 |
| Steam | Ecstatica Series (both) | $19.96 | n/a |
The two-game bundle is the easy pick at about $10 a game. If you only want the first one, the GOG Deluxe edition costs $1.46 more than the base game and adds the soundtrack. Prices were checked on October 27.