The Dark Eye: Drakensang

The Good
Drakensang is one of those RPGs that offer a lot of customization options. While you pick a class at the start of the game (which comes with a few set stats & advantages/disadvantages), you are free to mold your character into what you want it to be during the course of the game. The music helps set the tone quite well, and most of the sound effects are also quite good. But most importantly of all, the game is challenging and fun to play.

The Bad
Sadly the voice acting cannot live up to the high standards set by the rest of the game, and it never really feels like the voice actors are really trying to sound convincing. The very open character customization also offers a few problems. It is possible to make the game incredibly difficult by not spending your exp points well. HP, mana & willpower might all sound like boring things to spend your exp on, but they are vital, at least for a first time player. Another problem with the game is character movement. Your character moves slowly, and it can from time to time be a bit frustrating to move from one place to another.

The Bottom Line
Drakensang is quite different from many other modern CRPGs. While most that are released today offers a far more streamlined character customization, drakensang lets the player go wild. In fact, even people who are familiar with the older D&D games might find this system complex. This might be intimidating for some, in particular those who are not familiar with these types of games. And while I have never played the pen and paper RPG that this game is based on, it is, from what I've heard, supposed to be quite faithful to it. The setting is a standard fantasy setting, with orcs, trolls, elves & dragons. It is nothing that we have not seen before, although it does, like all good settings, have its own twists on the classic formula. Most of the setting feels very well fleshed out and it is obvious that the creators of the RPG spent a lot of time with this setting.