This is a great game, especially if you go in completely blind. It reminds me of the best of the classic Choose Your Own Adventure books from the 1980s, where you'd really get into the story and try to figure out what exactly you're supposed to be doing. From the start, you're given choices. So many choices that scrolling through the list of things you can say or do, you may feel a bit overwhelmed at times. Which one is the right one? The great thing is that the game tells you early on that there are no wrong answers -- just branching paths. This is beautiful game design. If you don't normally play visual novels, I think this is a great way to dip your toes into the genre. Though I enjoyed the CYOA books as a teen, I was put off by visual novels because most of them looked like shovelware to me: barely interactable games for people addicted to horny (or at least fanservice-laden) anime. The princess herself is drawn a bit anime-like, but even if you're not into anime, I think you'll like this. The art is great, setting each scene beautifully. The voice work and the writing really complement each other, making both feel great. Right from the start, you begin feeling things based off the the intonations and attitudes of the characters. The story's depth is surprising. At first, it seems a fairly simple story, though it introduces more complexity. Just when you think maybe you've got it figured out, it gets weirder and proves you wrong. It's the sort of thing that intrigued me and got me to play a full session for several hours almost uninterrupted. When I realized the consequences of my actions, it made me feel guilty at times for choosing some of them. Other times, they were darkly humorous. I began experimenting, then hunting for the endings that I personally found satisfying. The replayability seems pretty high, though I think getting all the achievements would be a little tedious (and perhaps a bit of an emotional rollercoaster if you're the sensitive type). Things can get a bit wild.
To my recollection, the Dragonlance games were not quite as popular as the Forgotten Realms Gold Box games. Although there were a large number of Dragonlance fans out there, I think they were most likely dwarfed by the tremendous number of people who were attracted to the generic but highly familiar Forgotten Realms setting. If you read the Dragonlance books, you'll definitely be at home here. Being able to adventure in the same world as some of your favorite fantasy characters is great fun! Unlike the Forgotten Realms Gold Box games, these have significantly more story. I still remember some of the quests in Pools of Radiance fondly, but the characters in the Krynn games are memorable. Technically, these games were improved quite a bit over Pool of Radiance. Gameplay is improved in some major ways, too, though you'll have to adjust to the somewhat quirky Dragonlance ruleset if you're more familiar with the Forgotten Realms games. For example, the Knights of Solamnia unsurprisingly are the most prestigious melee fighters -- paladins are relegated to the sidelines. The combats can be brutal at times. I remember becoming enraged at some of these fights back in the early 90s. Some of the enemies have annoying special powers, such as exploding when you kill them or turning to stone (and trapping your sword in them). It's an interesting way to make the battles more tactical and strategic, though it can be tedious and feel like a slog if you're not a fan of challenging turn-based combat. If you're a fan of the Dragonlance Chronicles, and you love turn-based combat, this is the game for you. You will likely thrill in killing draconians, and you'll love meeting Tanis. On the other hand, if you don't know who Tanis Half-Elven is, you'll likely be utterly confused by much of what happens. This series was made by fans for fans. Even so, Gold Box fans should check out the games -- it's likely that they'll appreciate the interesting twists on Gold Box gameplay.
HandyGames: thank you for adding your games to GOG. However, can you please insist that developers use a readable font and UI. Even if it takes 25 years, you too will some day have trouble using a UI that looks like that. Signed, a person with poor eyesight who still plays authentic 1980s games... because they have a readable font.
These are must-play games for Gen X retro-gamers and maybe some younger baby boomers, too. Like most CRPGs from the 1980s, the plots were just a pastiche of Lord of the Rings references that set up combats. There's an evil wizard, and your quest is to defeat him. Simple and direct. The meat of the game is the variety of races, classes, and skills. Although simplistic by necessity, these games are chock full of choices. Tired of boring elves and dwarves? Recruit a pixie or minotaur! If you're the kind of person whose mind drifts to thoughts of the perfect party composition for Pool of Radiance or Wizardry, this will be a lot of fun for you. These games are not especially difficult if you know what you're doing, and the dungeon crawling is fairly rewarding. There are some light puzzles, some secret doors, and the occasional challenging combat. There's an automap, so you don't have to worry about getting lost. Party wipes are a thing, but it's not as brutal as Wizardry. Overall, it's a more fun and lighthearted take on 1980s-era game design. The graphics are probably the biggest issue, especially because these are the ugly IBM PC versions. If you can get past that, the Phantasie series can be very fun. I just replayed Phantasie a year ago using an emulator, so it's not just 40-year old nostalgia talking here. Recommended for fans of Ultima, Wizardry, and Bard's Tale who are looking for something that's a comfortable mix of familiar and different.
Dorfromantik is an interesting game. Like everyone says, it's got relaxing music. In fact, the music could potentially put you to sleep if you're already tired while playing. The graphics are charming without being cutesy. And the gameplay is really fun if you enjoy board games where you put down hex-based landscape tiles. Early on, you unlock lots of achievements, new tiles, etc. It's a fun way to encourage the player. As the achievements slowed down, I began to look further into the gameplay. It turn out that there's a lot of hidden complexity. If you want to delay that "game over" screen and fill up the map with those charming tiles, you have to spend a lot of time analyzing where to best put them. If you're a perfectionist, this might actually become a bit stressful. Trying to find the perfect spot is not easy! What often happens in my games so far is that I got a bit tired of hunting the perfect spot, find a "good enough" spot, and soon after run out of tiles. If I want to keep those achievements flowing, it look like I'll have to put on the old thinking cap.
Like Shadowrun Returns, this is combat heavy tactical RPG. However, by the standards of the genre, it has a long and complex story. Dragonfall was made for gamers looking to debate ethics with the antagonist... after slaughtering their goons, of course. Teammates have distinct and memorable personalities, and there's lots of dialogue. The battles may be a bit challenging for casual gamers, but genre fans should find them fun. Several flaws and limitations were carried over from the first game, but the game engine is better. There is much turn-based mayhem to enjoy here, especially if you enjoy indie games. You're frequently given choices when there isn't a clear right or wrong. It's fun to replay the game to see the consequences. Maybe you get ominous flavor text, a mission becomes easier, or you screw up someone's personal life by giving them bad advice. Although the gameplay consequences aren't amazing, the writing makes them great. The lack of procedural generation means that you're stuck with the same missions in every replay, but you can experiment with solving them in different ways or with different builds, both for you and your teammates. This keeps the game reasonably fresh, but there are also mods.
