HOLY SHIT THIS GAME ACTUALLY HAS A BACKLOGGD ENTRY???? WHAT THE FUCK???
Okay, so I'm literally the third person on this website to have admitted to playing this, and the first person to review it. If you've never heard of this game, then no surprise there, and here's why. First, it was released in 2001, alongside iconic titles such as Devil May Cry, Sonic Adventure 2 and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, so it was largely overshadowed as a result. The reason for THAT being it SUCKS ABSOLUTE ASS and fails at everything it sets out to do.
Before we begin, a short little anecdote, since this is the first official Backlogg'd review for this game. The only reason I know this game exists is because my dad owned it when I was a kid, and honestly, despite the 1.5 star rating, I remember it fondly. What do you expect? I was like 7. Fast forward to when I was around 14-15 and I decided to pick it up and play it myself properly, and my god, I must have played like, 50-60 hours of this bullshit. I was DETERMINED to see it through to the end, but alas, I tapped out right before the final dungeon cause of one fight I don't care to remember. My point is, I think I'm more than qualified to write a review for this game, so without further ado, let's make a comprehensive list of its many failures.
First, it fails as a D&D game. This was one of the first games to use the 3rd edition rules, and it feels like a prototype more than anything else. Things like classes and spells are very limited in number, especially given that 3rd edition went nuts with that stuff. As such, the game doesn't leave a lot of room for strategy in combat. Second, it fails to tell a story. Too many D&D video games have woefully basic plots, which is a shame considering the sheer amount of possibility D&D hands you on a silver platter, but this takes to a whole new level. But that's not inherently a bad thing. Games that lack a good story often compensate for it in some other way, which brings me to my third point: it fails as a video game. If you can somehow get past the random crashes and corrupted save files, you'll be treated to laborious, repetitive combat, sparse, lifeless character interactions, stupidly oversized dungeons that are a chore to even get around in, and sound design that...let's just say it says a lot about its budget. Its one saving grace is that it's not terrible to look at, at least for the relatively small portion of the game you spend above ground.
In conclusion, if you've never heard of this game, it's probably for good reason. The life of a retro D&D connoisseur isn't easy.
Okay, so I'm literally the third person on this website to have admitted to playing this, and the first person to review it. If you've never heard of this game, then no surprise there, and here's why. First, it was released in 2001, alongside iconic titles such as Devil May Cry, Sonic Adventure 2 and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, so it was largely overshadowed as a result. The reason for THAT being it SUCKS ABSOLUTE ASS and fails at everything it sets out to do.
Before we begin, a short little anecdote, since this is the first official Backlogg'd review for this game. The only reason I know this game exists is because my dad owned it when I was a kid, and honestly, despite the 1.5 star rating, I remember it fondly. What do you expect? I was like 7. Fast forward to when I was around 14-15 and I decided to pick it up and play it myself properly, and my god, I must have played like, 50-60 hours of this bullshit. I was DETERMINED to see it through to the end, but alas, I tapped out right before the final dungeon cause of one fight I don't care to remember. My point is, I think I'm more than qualified to write a review for this game, so without further ado, let's make a comprehensive list of its many failures.
First, it fails as a D&D game. This was one of the first games to use the 3rd edition rules, and it feels like a prototype more than anything else. Things like classes and spells are very limited in number, especially given that 3rd edition went nuts with that stuff. As such, the game doesn't leave a lot of room for strategy in combat. Second, it fails to tell a story. Too many D&D video games have woefully basic plots, which is a shame considering the sheer amount of possibility D&D hands you on a silver platter, but this takes to a whole new level. But that's not inherently a bad thing. Games that lack a good story often compensate for it in some other way, which brings me to my third point: it fails as a video game. If you can somehow get past the random crashes and corrupted save files, you'll be treated to laborious, repetitive combat, sparse, lifeless character interactions, stupidly oversized dungeons that are a chore to even get around in, and sound design that...let's just say it says a lot about its budget. Its one saving grace is that it's not terrible to look at, at least for the relatively small portion of the game you spend above ground.
In conclusion, if you've never heard of this game, it's probably for good reason. The life of a retro D&D connoisseur isn't easy.