Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard

Unlike some games in nowadays, this game has this classic RPG contents, and whose who play this game will do better without looking up for a walkthrough, and play just like reading a D&D fiction.

I really tried to like this. The concept is great, the idea is great and the cover design is fantastic.. but when you get down to actually play this game.. it is dull, bland and.. just not very engaging. i slogged myself through a few missions before giving up. Don't buy this game here. Get it for 50 pence on amazon if you want to try it out, it is certainly not worth 10USD. GOG normally releases good games.. to my great sadness, this is not good.

While the Order's story is lackluster and only has some monster slaying for spice, the Lizardfolk one is satisfying and rewarding, if a bit harder and I encountered some bugs with them, but nothing game breaking and all the bugs didn't reappear when I restarted the missions in which they occurred. There are signs that a dark elf campaign was in the works, but sadly it didn't make it into the final game - e.g. they appear in King screen - you can play with them in skirmish mode, though. Some gameplay elements are unique and well thought out, such as damage values and resistances for each individual unit. You also don't have worker units, but the town is grid-based instead. You can build building of the same type in the same square to give units higher levels and more trainees to take with them into battle. You have 3 resources: gold you can get in the underworld or by building more buildings in town for taxation (X gold/second), EXP to level up your units that you get by slaying enemies and monsters and dragonshards that randomly fall to the surface world and any unit can gather except flying units. You can pick from 4 champions for each campaign, each of them with their own bonus and abilities. Like champions, different units feel diverse and interesting and each maps has NPCs with dialogue and side quests for you to complete. You are also given reward points for adhering to some limitations, but they're dumb and are better ignored. E.g. finish the map with only X units or finish the map without spending more than Y resources. Technically the game offers replayability with different artifacts you can unlock for different champions, but not a necessity. So it's a lot of classic RTS elements with building armies and such, but there are also RPG elements with each map having side quests and getting past traps in the underworld and looking for gold is an adventure on its own. While the Order of the Flame was a letdown storywise, the Lizardfolk were great.

Topside exploration works similar to other RTS's of this fantasy genre. Gather resources, build a compound, defend it while wiping out the enemy's base. Dungeon exploration gets more RPG. Rogues search for traps, unlock chests, etc. As fun as the combo is, it doesn't do either great. But if you're a fan of D&D, there is still lots to offer.

Really enjoyed this, never knew about it when it first came out. Still holds up well.