Dungeon Lords Review

Platform: PC

Publisher: Heuristic Park Inc.

Rating: Teen (T)

Website: www.dungeonlords.com

About Dungeon Lords

Dungeon Lords is an interesting, 3rd person, real-time action/role-playing game set in the fantasy world created by D.W. Bradley. A wizard has been killed, and the king’s daughter has disappeared to escape an unwanted marriage to the evil Lord Barrowgrim. You are a hero who helps find this treacherous lord, locate the princess and save the lands from a terrible fate. Your adventure begins in a dark wilderness at night, where you are unaware of your surroundings. Explore the mysterious dungeons and strange lands. Fight ferocious animals, creatures and denizens with powerful combinations, weapons and magic. Immerse yourself in the world of the Dungeon Lords.

As a RPG gamer, I had high expectations for this game. I like the premise of the game, character creation and its numerous quests and maps. However, when I first purchased and installed the game, there were problems. First was the limitation of the interface with character selection, class and attributes. Another problem was that there was no map to guide you (even though there is supposed to be one). After researching on-line I discovered that the creators of Dungeon Lords were in the process of correcting the game’s problems. I decided to wait until the major bug fixes were corrected before playing the game. Recently, they came out with the 3rd game bug fix. It now functions better with easier character creation (although you still cannot change the appearance of your characters yet), and gives you access to a game map. If you decide to purchase this game, keep in mind that you may need to download the bug patch fixes (unless they release a newer version with it included).

Character Races and Classes

In Dungeon Lords, you have several choices for character races and classes. For races, you can be Human, Elf, Dwarf, Urgoth, Wylvan, Zaur or a Thrall. Class choices during initial character creation are as follows: Adept, Fighter, Mage or Thief. As the game progresses, you will have access to different classes to enhance your character abilities.

Difficulty

This game has a small learning curve. Use the instruction manual that comes with the game to get some good background and tips on playing. Getting the hang of the different keys for moving, attacking and accessing menus takes a little getting used to, but is not too difficult.

Modes of Play

Dungeon Lords can be played as a stand-alone, or as a multi-player game using a LAN or Internet. The fun part of the game is character creation, as this gives you the option to try different skills and abilities.

Fun Factor and Replayability

Despite the game’s bug problems, it is still fun to play. I enjoy exploring the many different areas, fighting strange creatures and completing quests. In the future, I can see myself replaying this game using different characters. Like most RPG games, this is a long game with many different places to explore. There are probably areas and things I didn’t discover the first time, leaving it open for new surprises.

Graphics and Audio

The graphics are good in this game, with fine details. Character movement is smooth once you get used to the keyboard and mouse controls. The soundtrack is very dramatic, but fitting for the game. Sound levels and screen resolution can be adjusted in the game to your preferences.

Dungeon Lords: Instruction Manual

The instruction manual is a valuable resource for this game. It lays out information about all the character races, classes, magic spells and weapons. It also tells you how to use the keyboard/mouse to play the game, and adjust features and views to your liking. I find myself referring to it a lot when I want to consider different characters.

Summary

Dungeon Lords is a 3rd person, realtime role-playing PC game set in a fantasy world filled with ferocious animals, creatures, magic and powerful weapons. Despite the game’s bugs, it is a very playable and fun game. Create your hero; explore mysterious dungeons and lands, and complete quests to save this world from the evil Lord Barrowgrim.