Enemies will use smarter tactics as the game progresses, which forces even experienced players to use that pause button more often. While at first glance the combat seems to be a matter of ordering every unit to attack one enemy until it dies and repeat until loot is acquired, the AI does seem to scale as you take on higher level encounters. Sadly, although there is certainly enough bulk to keep the player busy for hours on end, there is rarely any moment that breaks from the MMO-style fetch and/or kill X quests.Ĭombat takes place in real time, with the ability to pause at any time to give any party members orders to move, attack and use specific skills and abilities. With an immense amount of side-quests and a tremendous storyline, Drakensang clocks in well past the forty hour mark, provided you are ready to deal with some recycled material, particularly in the last half of the game. Severely clichéd quests and a storyline straight out of the RPG handbook are fleshed out by clever writing that manages to put a new coat of paint on the old stereotypes, and there are plenty of stories to go around. ![]() Not all is dull and dreary in the world of Aventuria though. However, invisible walls and mostly decorative environments diminish the sense of immersion and highlight the limits of the engine. The game does indeed look gorgeous even on lower end systems, and a high quality texture pack is available on install to allow for some scalability. While this may seem like an oversight, it’s clear that certain limitations had to be implemented to allow for a lower hardware requirements. However, you cannot change the appearance of any of the archetypes, although equipped weapons and armor will be reflected on your character. Magic users excel at casting powerful spells and punching wolves in the face. Party members that join along the course of the adventure can be trained in much the same way, allowing the player to have a full repertoire to choose from at any given time. While there are certainly builds that seem to excel above others throughout the game, it’s apparent that Radon Labs attempted to make each and every skill a valuable asset to the player. After choosing an archetype, essentially the character’s class, you choose what combat, social, and crafting skills and abilities you want to concentrate on. ![]() As soon as you begin the game, you are presented with an extremely full-featured character creation system. Based on The Dark Eye tabletop system, nearly every aspect of your characters can be modified to your liking. ![]() ![]() The first aspect of Drakensang that becomes immediately apparent is the incredible depth. That said, there is still a lot to love and the $29.99 price tag certainly makes for an appealing entry into the now desolate land of PC RPGs. Sadly, certain elements of the game feel geared towards a very specific audience, while others simply feel alien and uninspired. German developer Radon Labs has attempted to recreate the magic of the Black Isle games and succeeded on many accounts. On the surface, Drakensang: The Dark Eye seems to be an ode to simpler times, when the western PC RPG reigned supreme and all you needed was a five man party, a pause button and a Girdle of Sex Change to have a magical evening. They just don’t make ’em like they used to, or so it would seem.
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