General/Summary:
Now that we have games like Dungeon Siege, it might do well to remember Darkstone - a 3D predecessor to Dungeon Siege in many ways. Darkstone is made of the gameplay that Dungeon Siege should have cultivated and demanded from its vision. Darkstone doesn't sacrifice its action-RPG heritage - it's fun and engaging, but vastly unlike the lifeless tedium that
Dungeon Siege devoles into. It offers a user friendly interface and polish that Revenant fans will envy and Nox fans will appreciate.
Diablo 2 was released shortly after Darkstone. In a bizzare twist though, it just so happens that Darkstone is the true spiritual successor to Diablo. If you loved Diablo and played Darkstone you'd probably agree.
You see, when I played Darkstone I was sucked in, and the feeling never really let up. In many ways it was the magic of Diablo all over again. I walked away from Darkstone satisfied. Diablo 2 was different. With Diablo 2 I felt cheated and used. With Darkstone I felt refreshed and clean. My sins were forgiven and all was well again. I still want to play Darkstone, today. In spite of how immitative Darkstone is, I consider it a classic in my game collection. It's my "Diablo 2".
Gameplay:
Some have reported problems with the magic system in Darkstone. I originally started with a wizard but switched to a melee class which I enjoyed more. In Diablo the mage was considered the most fun to play; in Darkstone it may fall short of the same appeal. There probably are some balance issues with some classes and even some spells that are too powerful, but I cannot fully confirm this. If you have the willpower you can restrain yourself from using Magic Bomb, for example. I had to play Diablo 2 with self-imposed restrictions in order to mitigate the dumbed-down difficulty of Lord of Destruction. Consider Dungeon Siege the game that pratically plays itself. Now juxtapose it with Darkstone for a moment and Darkstone emerges as a masterpiece.
Some complain about the eating of food. I considered this variable an enhacement and not a distraction at all. Why? Because it exudes the concept of "trying to survive in the dungeon". A feeling of immersion that is largely neglected in games like Dungeon Siege and Diablo 2. I think it works, but you may disagree if guzzling health potions is all you want to care about. Other nice touches include pick-pocketing and the ability to assign a spell to an "empty" item or scroll.
You be the judge - here's how Darkstone improves on the Diablo formula:
- Randomized quests and environments, indoors and outdoors.
- Multiple difficulty levels (additional 'Hero' and 'Legend' w/ patch).
- Control of up to 2 characters in single player, 4 in multiplayer.
- Path-finding for places you've already visted (very handy).
- Full 3D graphics w/ rotation. TIP: use commandline -reversecam and F9 if you are having trouble the camera angles.
- A full quest editor is available. (Yes, before Dungeon Siege Darkstone had this.)
- Full banking support for gold.
The bottom line is, before Dungeon Siege, Darkstone did it much better and did it with gameplay value in mind. If there was a true "Underdog" site this game would be featured in the Action-RPG hall of fame.
Graphics:
For 640x480 very well implemented. Darkstone succeeds in upping the graphical ante by providing a rich enviroment that is pleasant to behold. It you compare Dungeon Siege side-by-side Darkstone actually holds its own. It's amusing to read past reviews of Darkstone and how they said "Diablo 2" would top it easily in many ways. Remember Diablo 2 originally ran in 640x480 and by most accounts, including my own, was quite dissapointing
overall.
Sound:
Voice acting is commendable and unique. Music is catchy. Fighting sounds are fitting.
There's a rather compelling music video that opens on the main menu when you beat the game once (depending on your taste). You can also play the AVI directly off the CD. It's the same song used by the Bard and woman singer in town. Its touches like this that superscedes other games in the genre. Darkstone is very charming for an action-RPG.
Gameplay
(5 of 5)
Graphics
(5 of 5)
Sound
(5 of 5)
Overall Rating
(5 of 5)
Linear Mode
