Drakensang: The Dark Eye

Did You Know?

• The game's plot was written by Anton Weste, Mark Wachholz, Momo Evers, and Stefan Blanck, all known as writers for The Dark Eye pen & paper role-playing game.
• Radon Labs released the Drakensang game engine under MIT license in 2006 and a later version in 2011.
• A browser-based RPG titled Drakensang Online was released by Bigpoint in 2011.

Gameplay

The game uses The Dark Eye rules system and the Nebula Device graphics engine. Players build a starting character from twenty classes, including Fighters and dwarven prospectors, with each race limited to a subset of classes; for example, an elf can be a ranger, fighter, or spellweaver. Classes are not restricted in weapon use but have different starting skill levels. The main character begins alone and recruits additional characters of various races and classes throughout the quest. There are eight primary attributes and an extensive array of talents divided into Combat talents (13 weapon-specific talents), Magic Talents (individual spells), and Regular Talents (24 talents in five sub-categories covering non-combat skills). Experience points earned from quests and combat increase attributes or improve talents. Characters start with different talent collections and can learn more from trainers for a fee. Alchemical, archery, and blacksmith recipes can be learned, and materials assembled to create weapons, ammunition, potions, and lockpicks. Most interactions require skill checking: for example, skinning a wolf involves three rolls against Cleverness, Courage, and Intuition; if any fail, Animal Lore talent points compensate. If the test still fails, the action yields nothing. The same mechanic applies to lockpicking and spellcasting, with remaining talent points determining spell effectiveness.

Setting

The story unfolds in and around Ferdok, a city in the central Aventurian province of Kosh within the Middenrealm. The game's title refers to a peak in the Anvil Mountains, located south of Ferdok. Its fantasy world draws from medieval Europe, sticking closely to standard high fantasy conventions. Magic and enchanted items are scarce, so players mostly improve their gear through normal equipment like stronger armor. The year is 1032 BF.

Plot

The main character receives a letter from an old friend, Ardo, requesting assistance in Ferdok. On the way, the character reaches the hamlet of Avestrue and learns that two notable persons are needed to proceed to the city; there the characters Rhulana the amazon and Dranor the thief are met. In Ferdok, the character discovers that access restrictions are due to a series of gruesome deaths, and Ardo is among the victims. The investigation reveals the murders are the work of Dragon cultists serving Ardakor, an ancient evil dragon. After inheriting Ardo's house, the main character is chosen by the oracle of Umbracor, the Dragon Emperor, as champion of the Dragon Quest. The party stops an undead infestation at the marshes of Moorbridge and saves Archmage Rakorium. In the Blood Mountains, they retrieve the Book of Serpent from a ruined castle where Dragon cultists plan dark magic. They travel to Grimtooth Castle, overrun by orcs and cultists, to obtain the Dragon Eye. Defeating each boss yields components of a powerful suit of armor. The next task is finding the Adamantine Heart, requiring travel to the underground dwarven city of Murolosh. To gain entry, the party needs emissary Gerling, who is in Tallon. In Tallon, they save the town from orcs and eliminate Jafgur, a young fire dragon raised by the cultists, with help from Dwarven Prince Aron. In Murolosh, the main character helps investigate an assassination attempt and saves Salina. They then enter the undead-infested Deeps of Gruldur for the final armor component. Back in Murolosh, the party finds Dwarf King Arombolosh possessed by Jafgur's heart crystal, placed on his crown by tradition. They subdue the king and destroy the crystal, foiling the cultists' plan.

Reception

Drakensang was well received in the German market but was a commercial disappointment internationally, leading to Radon Labs' bankruptcy. It averaged 75% on Metacritic, with user reviews scoring 9.1 out of 10. IGN rated it 7.5, praising the detail but criticizing cliches. Cnet called the story generic and character management overly complex, yet found the game fairly captivating, giving three and a half out of five stars for a very good score. The Guardian awarded four out of five stars, describing it as a structured party affair familiar to Baldur's Gate players and an above-average adventure romp. Eurogamer's primary criticism was the lack of an in-game manual, making the game fail to explain itself sufficiently. The reviewer placed the story between Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, balancing story and combat, and noted the game lacks the moral grayness of The Witcher but is charmingly funny at times. The strongest aspect was the mechanics, with combat demanding attention and thought, though objectives required much travel and combat had some twitchiness. The review concluded Drakensang is a fine RPG that looks better than it is due to a dearth of similar PC games.