Drakensang: The Dark Eye
Encyclopedia
Drakensang: The Dark Eye (German title: Das Schwarze Auge: Drakensang) is a computer role-playing game developed by Radon Labs
. The game was announced on April 21, 2006 by publisher dtp
. It won the "Best RPG 2008", "Best Story" and "Best Soundtrack" at the German Developer Awards in Essen
, Germany
.
Drakensang is the first personal computer game
in The Dark Eye
-universe since Attic's
Northlands Trilogy (Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny
, Realms of Arkania: Star Trail
and Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva
) from the 1990s.
setting. Magic is uncommon with only a few spells being available and enchanted items are relatively rare. Most gear upgrades come in the form of ordinary equipment, such as better armor.
The story design was done by Anton Weste, Mark Wachholz, Momo Evers and Stefan Blanck, who all are well-known as writers for the pen & paper role playing game. Drakensang's budget was approximately €
2.5 million.
. The player begins the game by building a starting character
. There are a total of twenty character class
es from which to choose, with many familiar RPG staples such as "tanks" or unusual classes like Dwarven prospectors. Each of the races can only choose from a subset of the classes. Thus an Elf can be either a ranger, fighter, or spellweaver. The classes are not restricted as to what weapons they can use, although they have different starting skill levels.
There are eight primary attributes
, and these are combined together to set the base level for various skills. The skills are grouped together into five talent pools with five skills in each. As the game progresses, the character gains experience point
s, which can be used to learn new skills, improve existing skills, increase attributes, learn spells, or gain special combat abilities. However, all new spells, skills or special combat abilities must also be purchased from a suitable NPC. During the game, the characters can learn various alchemical, archery and blacksmith recipes, then assemble materials to make potions, bows, arrows, lockpicks, and so forth.
Spell casting in Drakensang is based on Astral Energy (AE). Each character has a certain amount of AE that can be used to cast spells, with the cost in AE dependent on the spell's power setting. Each player gradually recovers AE, which can also be replenished by using potions. When a player's AE draws low, the spell power level can be reduced to compensate. The effectiveness of each spell depends on its power level and other factors.
When the game begins, you start with only your main character. Based on the outcome of conversations, additional NPCs can be recruited to join your troupe as the game progresses. The game allows players to create a party with up to four characters. Combat in Drakensang is evaluated as a sequence of turns that are executed in real time. The player has the option to pause the combat then issue orders to the party members for one or more successive turns. Each activity costs a number of action points that are deducted from the total for the character. The evaluation of various actions are displayed in a console that can be viewed by the player. When a character sustains wounds from combat, each wound must be dealt with individually, either with bandages or by magic spells or potions of healing.
After inheriting the home of Ardo, the character is drawn into the main story thread: to become the champion of the Dragon Quest. At the marshes of Moorbridge, the champion must stop an infestation of undead, then win the greaves of fire. Next, the Book of Serpent must be recovered from a ruined castle in the Blood Mountains, where dragon cultists are planning dark magic. Finally, the Dragon Eye is to be located at Grimtooth Castle, which has been overrun by orcs and dragon cultists.
In the process of becoming the dragon champion, the hero has retrieved the components of a powerful suit of armor. The character must then seek an object called the Adamantium Heart to complete the suit and fulfill his destiny. Doing so requires traveling to the underground dwarven city of Murolosh. However, gaining permission to enter the city is rumored to be nearly impossible; specifically requiring the assistant of an emissary named Gerling who has traveled to the town of Tallon. There the party is drawn into a struggle to save the town from a horde of orcs, then must slay an injured but still dangerous young fire dragon in order to win the trust of the dwarven Prince Aron.
Once invited to Murolosh, the main character helps investigate an attempted assassination and save the lovely Salina, after which they will gain the means to enter the undead-infested Deeps of Gruldur below the city. Finally, after facing much danger, the party discovers the location of the Adamantium Heart, only to have it stolen away by an evil sorceress named Malgorra. Her goal is no less than to use the stone to bring a great evil into the world. In the final battle, the party storms the snowy, dragonling-infested slopes of Drakensang Mountain to battle Malgorra, who transforms into a great, hydra-like dragon.
averaged from reviews with user reviews giving it 9.1 out of 10. IGN also gave a similar vote of 7.5 praising the detail of the game while criticizing its cliches. The Cnet
review called the story generic and the management of characters overly complex, but said the game is fairly captivating. The reviewer noted, "Everything here seems to have been randomly pulled out of the grab bag of RPG cliches." It received a rating of three and half out of five stars, for a "very good" score.
The Guardian
gave it four out of five stars, and said it was "worth a look if you enjoy PC role-playing games". The reviewer noted that the game has a "bit of an image problem", which he called a shame. He said the game is a structured party affair that will be familiar to players of Baldur's Gate
. He called it an "above-average adventure romp that will reward gamers who commit to the cause".
The primary criticism from Eurogamer
is that the game fails to sufficiently explain itself, as it lacks an in-game manual. The reviewer puts the story somewhere in between Baldur's Gate
and Icewind Dale
, balancing story with combat. The game lacks the moral grayness of The Witcher
, but "manages to be charmingly funny upon occasion". The strongest part of the game is in the mechanics. Combat include situations "which really do demand attention, thought, and running away and coming back later". However, the objectives are spread about, requiring plenty of travel. Combat has some "twitchiness", with characters running around to accommodate the player's orders. The review concluded that "Drakensang is a fine RPG which looks better than it is, due to the relative dearth of similar games on the PC in recent times".
The GameZone
criticized the number of cliches while calling the story ideas well implemented and the production values good. The game is deemed worth picking up because of some of the twists in the story lines. The one problem mentioned with the story is the long, involving side quests, which can cause the player to lose sight of the objective. The graphics are well thought of, although they could have been better. Voice work is strong, but there is an insufficient amount. Control of the characters during combat is called frustrating with characters responding slower than they need to. In conclusion, the game is called "a good, quality title that has few bugs, an engaging story and maybe more than a few cliches".
was released in February 2010. As of August 2009, another game set in the same universe, The Dark Eye: Demonicon
was in development by Silver Style Entertainment, the in-house studio of The Games Company.
Radon Labs
Radon Labs was a video game developer based in Germany.The company was founded in 2000 as a spin off of the company Terratools.Radon Labs has its headquarters in Berlin and a second development studio in Halle-Leipzig...
. The game was announced on April 21, 2006 by publisher dtp
Dtp entertainment
dtp entertainment AG is a German video and computer game publisher, founded in 1995 by Thomas Baur. The headquarters are located in Hamburg and dtp today has more than 180 employees. It is one of Germany's leading game publishers. dtp is known for having published a high number of games which were...
. It won the "Best RPG 2008", "Best Story" and "Best Soundtrack" at the German Developer Awards in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Drakensang is the first personal computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
in The Dark Eye
The Dark Eye
The Dark Eye , is a German role-playing game created by Ulrich Kiesow and launched by Schmidt Spiel & Freizeit GmbH and Droemer Knaur Verlag in 1984. The name literally means "the black eye"...
-universe since Attic's
Attic Entertainment Software
The Attic Entertainment Software GmbH was a German computer game developer and publisher that was founded September 1990 by Hans-Jürgen Brändle, Jochen Hamma and Guido Henkel in Albstadt, Baden-Württemberg...
Northlands Trilogy (Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny is a computer role-playing game developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was the first game based on the German pen & paper RPG system Das Schwarze Auge by Fantasy Productions. The original German version of the game was released in 1992...
, Realms of Arkania: Star Trail
Realms of Arkania: Star Trail
Realms of Arkania: Star Trail is a computer role playing game by Attic Entertainment Software based on the German RPG system Das Schwarze Auge. The original German version of the game was released in 1994...
and Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva
Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva
Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva is a computer role playing game based on the German RPG system Das Schwarze Auge by Attic Entertainment Software. The original German version of the game was released in 1996...
) from the 1990s.
Setting
The game takes place in and around the city of Ferdok, located in the Middenrealmian province of Kosh right in the center of the Aventuria. Drakensang is the name of a summit in the Anvil Mountains south of Ferdok. The fantasy game setting is based on medieval Europe. Although the designers intended to give a unique look and atmosphere, it has no unusual revisions over the conventional high fantasyHigh fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
setting. Magic is uncommon with only a few spells being available and enchanted items are relatively rare. Most gear upgrades come in the form of ordinary equipment, such as better armor.
The story design was done by Anton Weste, Mark Wachholz, Momo Evers and Stefan Blanck, who all are well-known as writers for the pen & paper role playing game. Drakensang's budget was approximately €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
2.5 million.
Gameplay
The game is based upon the Das Schwarze Auge rules system, and the graphics are generated using the Nebula Device graphics engine developed by Radon LabsRadon Labs
Radon Labs was a video game developer based in Germany.The company was founded in 2000 as a spin off of the company Terratools.Radon Labs has its headquarters in Berlin and a second development studio in Halle-Leipzig...
. The player begins the game by building a starting character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
. There are a total of twenty character class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
es from which to choose, with many familiar RPG staples such as "tanks" or unusual classes like Dwarven prospectors. Each of the races can only choose from a subset of the classes. Thus an Elf can be either a ranger, fighter, or spellweaver. The classes are not restricted as to what weapons they can use, although they have different starting skill levels.
There are eight primary attributes
Attribute (role-playing games)
An attribute is a piece of data that describes to what extent a fictional character in a role-playing game possesses a specific natural, in-born characteristic common to all characters in the game. That piece of data is usually an abstract number or, in some cases, a set of dice...
, and these are combined together to set the base level for various skills. The skills are grouped together into five talent pools with five skills in each. As the game progresses, the character gains experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s, which can be used to learn new skills, improve existing skills, increase attributes, learn spells, or gain special combat abilities. However, all new spells, skills or special combat abilities must also be purchased from a suitable NPC. During the game, the characters can learn various alchemical, archery and blacksmith recipes, then assemble materials to make potions, bows, arrows, lockpicks, and so forth.
Spell casting in Drakensang is based on Astral Energy (AE). Each character has a certain amount of AE that can be used to cast spells, with the cost in AE dependent on the spell's power setting. Each player gradually recovers AE, which can also be replenished by using potions. When a player's AE draws low, the spell power level can be reduced to compensate. The effectiveness of each spell depends on its power level and other factors.
When the game begins, you start with only your main character. Based on the outcome of conversations, additional NPCs can be recruited to join your troupe as the game progresses. The game allows players to create a party with up to four characters. Combat in Drakensang is evaluated as a sequence of turns that are executed in real time. The player has the option to pause the combat then issue orders to the party members for one or more successive turns. Each activity costs a number of action points that are deducted from the total for the character. The evaluation of various actions are displayed in a console that can be viewed by the player. When a character sustains wounds from combat, each wound must be dealt with individually, either with bandages or by magic spells or potions of healing.
Story
At the start of the game the main character receives a letter from an old friend named Ardo who is living in the city of Ferdok. On traveling to the city, the character arrives at the hamlet of Avestrue only to find the access to the city requires the word of two notables to vouch for the party. When their trust has been gained, the character travels to the city with some new friends. There the reason for the access restrictions is revealed; recently there have been some gruesome deaths in the city, one of whom is the main character's friend Ardo. Thus begins a lengthy investigation to solve the murders in the city, which actually proves to be one of the multitude of side quests to the main plot.After inheriting the home of Ardo, the character is drawn into the main story thread: to become the champion of the Dragon Quest. At the marshes of Moorbridge, the champion must stop an infestation of undead, then win the greaves of fire. Next, the Book of Serpent must be recovered from a ruined castle in the Blood Mountains, where dragon cultists are planning dark magic. Finally, the Dragon Eye is to be located at Grimtooth Castle, which has been overrun by orcs and dragon cultists.
In the process of becoming the dragon champion, the hero has retrieved the components of a powerful suit of armor. The character must then seek an object called the Adamantium Heart to complete the suit and fulfill his destiny. Doing so requires traveling to the underground dwarven city of Murolosh. However, gaining permission to enter the city is rumored to be nearly impossible; specifically requiring the assistant of an emissary named Gerling who has traveled to the town of Tallon. There the party is drawn into a struggle to save the town from a horde of orcs, then must slay an injured but still dangerous young fire dragon in order to win the trust of the dwarven Prince Aron.
Once invited to Murolosh, the main character helps investigate an attempted assassination and save the lovely Salina, after which they will gain the means to enter the undead-infested Deeps of Gruldur below the city. Finally, after facing much danger, the party discovers the location of the Adamantium Heart, only to have it stolen away by an evil sorceress named Malgorra. Her goal is no less than to use the stone to bring a great evil into the world. In the final battle, the party storms the snowy, dragonling-infested slopes of Drakensang Mountain to battle Malgorra, who transforms into a great, hydra-like dragon.
Reception
Drakensang: The Dark Eye received an average of 75% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
averaged from reviews with user reviews giving it 9.1 out of 10. IGN also gave a similar vote of 7.5 praising the detail of the game while criticizing its cliches. The Cnet
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
review called the story generic and the management of characters overly complex, but said the game is fairly captivating. The reviewer noted, "Everything here seems to have been randomly pulled out of the grab bag of RPG cliches." It received a rating of three and half out of five stars, for a "very good" score.
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave it four out of five stars, and said it was "worth a look if you enjoy PC role-playing games". The reviewer noted that the game has a "bit of an image problem", which he called a shame. He said the game is a structured party affair that will be familiar to players of Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
. He called it an "above-average adventure romp that will reward gamers who commit to the cause".
The primary criticism from Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
is that the game fails to sufficiently explain itself, as it lacks an in-game manual. The reviewer puts the story somewhere in between Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
and Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. Released on June 30, 2000, it takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition...
, balancing story with combat. The game lacks the moral grayness of The Witcher
The Witcher
The Witcher, or , by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski is a cult series of fantasy short stories and five novels about the witcher Geralt of Rivia...
, but "manages to be charmingly funny upon occasion". The strongest part of the game is in the mechanics. Combat include situations "which really do demand attention, thought, and running away and coming back later". However, the objectives are spread about, requiring plenty of travel. Combat has some "twitchiness", with characters running around to accommodate the player's orders. The review concluded that "Drakensang is a fine RPG which looks better than it is, due to the relative dearth of similar games on the PC in recent times".
The GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
criticized the number of cliches while calling the story ideas well implemented and the production values good. The game is deemed worth picking up because of some of the twists in the story lines. The one problem mentioned with the story is the long, involving side quests, which can cause the player to lose sight of the objective. The graphics are well thought of, although they could have been better. Voice work is strong, but there is an insufficient amount. Control of the characters during combat is called frustrating with characters responding slower than they need to. In conclusion, the game is called "a good, quality title that has few bugs, an engaging story and maybe more than a few cliches".
Related works
A prequel to the game titled Drakensang: The River of TimeDrakensang: The River of Time
Drakensang: The River of Time is a computer role-playing game developed by Radon Labs. Drakensang TROT is the second personal computer game in The Dark Eye-universe since Attic's Northlands Trilogy from the 1990s .-Story:Though released after Drakensang: The...
was released in February 2010. As of August 2009, another game set in the same universe, The Dark Eye: Demonicon
The Dark Eye: Demonicon
The Dark Eye: Demonicon is an upcoming fantasy-themed role-playing game for the Xbox 360 and PC, and is to be published by The Games Company and developed in-house by Silver Style Entertainment...
was in development by Silver Style Entertainment, the in-house studio of The Games Company.
External links
- Drakensang at RadonLabs.de Includes a list of the voice actors.