Eye of the Beholder (video game)

A first-person dungeon crawler set in the Forgotten Realms.

Eye of the Beholder is a role-playing video game developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1991 for MS-DOS, later ported to the Amiga, Sega CD, and Super NES. The Sega CD version features a soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima. An adaptation for the Game Boy Advance was released in 2002.

Quick Facts

Developer

Westwood Associates

Publisher

Strategic Simulations
Inc.
Capcom (Super NES)
Sega (Sega CD)
Pony Canyon
Inc. (PC-98)

Director

Brett Sperry

Designer

Phillip W. Gorrow
Eydie Laramore
Paul S. Mudra; Joseph Bostic

Artist

Rick Parks
Aaron E. Powell
Joseph B. Hewitt IV

Writer

Eydie Laramore

Composer

Paul S. Mudra
PC-98:
Yuzo Koshiro
Shinji Hosoe
Sega CD:
Yuzo Koshiro
Motohiro Kawashima

Released

1991 (MS-DOS, Amiga), 1992 (PC-98), April 1994 (Super NES), 4 May 1994 (Sega CD)

Facts from the source article.

Plot

The lords of Waterdeep hire adventurers to investigate evil beneath the city. The party enters the sewers, but a collapse caused by Xanathar the beholder blocks their return. They descend through Dwarf and Drow clans to Xanathar's lair for the final confrontation. Killing the beholder triggers a small blue window describing the heroes' return; the Amiga version added an animated ending.

Reception

Dragon #171 gave the game 5 out of 5 stars in 1991. It reached #1 on the Software Publishers Association's top MS-DOS games list for April 1991. Dennis Owens of Computer Gaming World called it a stunning, brilliantly graphic and agonizingly tricky 3-D CRPG, noting its VGA graphics and sound card audio finally gave IBM PC owners a Dungeon Master-like game. Scorpia praised the graphics and audio for conveying a real dungeon feel but criticized the awkward spell interface and abrupt ending, as well as combat, plot, and NPC interaction; she hoped the Legend series would become a leader in CRPGs.

In 1993 she called it an impressive first effort. Jim Trunzo in White Wolf #27 rated it 5 out of 5, stating the graphics and sound might make it a classic. The One gave the Amiga version 92%, comparing it heavily to Dungeon Master and praising the emphasis on puzzle-solving over combat, faithful AD&D rules, and atmosphere, calling it an essential purchase for AD&D followers.

Legacy

Two sequels followed: Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon, using a modified engine with outdoor areas and more roleplaying, and Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor, developed in-house by SSI rather than Westwood. The Eye of the Beholder Trilogy CD-ROM rereleased all three games in 1995. Interplay included them in The Forgotten Realms Archives (1997) and Gamefest: Forgotten Realms Classics (2001). Fan-made modules for Neverwinter Nights and a Commodore 64 conversion exist.