Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse

Al Qadim "The Old" is Arabian Nights Forgotten Realms D&D setting. This game was published by SSI which made a huge amount of video board game adaptations back in the 90s. This is a very lightweight adaptation with very minimal roleplaying involved. It reminds me more of an action-adventure game. The character generation is heavily simplified. You gain experience by solving quests and you can improve your sword attacks. This game could have been like Dark Sun another SSI title but they decided on a more fun action packed adventure over minmaxing. The story and the gameplay is super fun! If you're into action rpgs or sidescrolling games you gonna love this one. Even if you're into hardcore rpgs you might find this a nice break from the grind. But make no mistake is not an easy game. I believe this version of the game is a re-release with some additional support.

I really enjoyed this title, especially the setting, short but interesting.

I didn’t expect to enjoy ‘Al-Qadim: The Genie’s Curse’ this much, but I did. Unlike many AD&D-licensed games at the time, ‘TGC’ is an action adventure game with VERY light RPG elements. It could have dropped its D&D foundation and the game would have been just as fun, if not more. In fact, you have so little control (if any at all) over your character’s customization and progression that ‘TGC’ ends up being very similar to ‘The Legend of Zelda’ games. Its similarity to ‘Zelda’ is not a bad thing. The game’s emphasis on action adventure and showcasing its game world makes it very accessible. Still, it isn’t an easy game, mostly because the combat is somewhat clumsy. Unlike ‘Zelda’, there’s very little visual feedback on whether or not you’ve hit your enemy, and when you’ve been hit. When a large part of the game involves fighting, this can get pretty frustrating. (You’d think that ‘TGC’, being a 1994 game, would have benefitted from studying what made the three ‘Zelda’ games that had been released by that time so great.) Thankfully, you can save your game anywhere. Once you’ve got past the slightly clunky combat, ‘TGC’ is quite fun. The adventuring and puzzle solving are what make this game so memorable. Most NPCs have something to say, even if you aren’t meant to interact with them further for side quests. The story is simple (restore family’s honour and rescue the princess/bride-to-be), and the ‘Arabian Nights’-inspired setting of Al-Qadim is refreshing even by year 2020 standard. While I think ‘TGC’ would have been a tighter game if it dropped its D&D foundation altogether (or at the very least hide it better), it’s great game overall. It may not be close to being perfect, but the large-scale adventuring surprisingly makes it one of my favourite games. Extra notes: Try hitting the left Alt key to see how it affects movement. You may need to slow down DOSBox to complete one of the side quests.

a classic game forever... 1001 nights!!! big game!!!

I found most aspects of this game mediocre and forgettable: the combat, puzzles, story, characters, etc. Because of that, I cannot recommend this game. I wish I had chosen an easy difficulty so I could ignore the dull combat, and focus on the somewhat more enjoyable exploration and setting.