Diablo in Disguise (Darkstone (PC))

Member Name: raynor238

Product:	Darkstone (PC)
Date:	03/06/01 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's like Diablo, Long lasting, Cheap

Disadvantages: It's like Diablo

Blizzard ought to sue Electronic Arts for copyright infringement. The entire premise for this game has been 'borrowed' from Diablo. 'Borrowed' is such a gentle word for what is surely 'Theft'.

If I give a brief review of how the game works, those of you familiar with Diablo will know exactly what I mean. If you are unfamiliar, then you may spot the similarities in other peoples opinions, but if not, then you may consider this an original, and innovative game.

The game starts with a choice of 4 types of character (warrior,wizard,thief, or priest). Gameplay is centred around two areas - the town and the dungeons.

The town is a small unit, with a blacksmith (who I expected to have a Scottish accent - Diablo reference again - sorry), barkeeper, master of the arcane, wise woman, and training master. Various incidental characters wander about the town, and randomly give you quests, of which most are 'Bring back item .... and you will be rewarded'.

The dungeons are situated on the outskirts of the town. Each dungeon entrance is marked in various ways, be it a ladder, temple door, or cave opening. Once inside a dungeon, there are various randomly generated rooms to explore, some containing treasure or monsters, and some containing items relevant to your quests. There will also be a staircase down to the level below.

Each set of dungeon levels are separated into groups of four. Unlike Diablo, you cannot progress directly from level 4 to 5, you have to return to the surface and re-descend from another entry. Although frustrating initially, this does help divide the story up into a more logical progression.

Plagiarism aside - is it any good?

Well actually ... yes. For a basic game, the graphics are quite good. The animation is clear and fluid, the monsters are well defined, and have obvious differences (apart from just a change of colour - one of Diablo's faults). You can alter
the viewing angle through a full 360 degree turn, and zoom in and out, to show your characters either as tiny dots on a huge map, or as large people in a single room.

I mentioned 'characters' in the last paragraph. This is because the game has the innovative feature of allowing you to create two different characters at the start of the game, and play with both simultaneously. The computer controls one, whilst you have power over the other, with the possibility of swapping between them in order to complete the more appropriate parts of the game.

This dual character availability can be quite frustrating, especially as in some of the more confusing levels, the computer AI cannot decide whether to stand there doing nothing whilst either you or they get killed, or whether to wade in destroying everything in its path, removing all challenge from the player. They have included an option to turn off the second player which sometimes is essential.

Gameplay is simple. Choose your weapons and armour by clicking and dragging from an inventory. Hot keys are easily set up for spell and potion use (Red vials for healing, blue for 'mana' (magic) - exactly as in Diablo).
Combat takes place by left-clicking on an opponent, and repeating until dead. Simple as that. Any more complex, and the game would have been a little too difficult, as there can be over 50 enemies present at any one time, and battles can be confusing at times.

Experience points and money/items are the rewards for successful battles. As in most traditional RPGs, the accumulation of enough experience will result in a level increase. In this case, a level increase allows you to allot a number of extra points to your ability scores for Strength, Magic, Dexterity, and Vitality. These increases allow you to fight/defend better, cast more powerful spells, or simply stay alive longer.

The blacksmith sells weapons and armour which get progressively stronger th
e further you progress through the game. He will also purchase anything found in the dungeons, or repair any of your items which become damaged with use. There is also the option to upgrade a particular item (at a high price), making it either more dangerous, or more effective at defence.

One of the more useful features (also available in Diablo - I am sorry, I do keep going on, but the structure of this game is virtually identical) is the ability to 'export' your characters. This should mean that the game should never be too difficult for anyone to complete. If you are struggling, you can export your characters, with all their strengths, experience and money, and start a new game using that character.

Each new game is slightly different, as each dungeon level is randomly created, and quests given in different orders, and in differing locations. This adds a little variety (and I mean a little!) to an otherwise formulaic game.
If this is your sort of game, then without question, you will enjoy it, but if you are unsure about the genre, then stay away, as this will prejudice you against some of the far superior offerings out there. With perseverance this can be a game that entertains and grips you. Sometimes it feels like hard work to improve your characters, but there are rewards to be achieved later on in the game.

One final word: Don't purchase from anywhere unless you can get it in the EA Classics range. For one, it is a budget range, but it is also fully patched, and has a free bonus scenario on the disc which was originally intended for release as a separate add-on game.

Specifications:
Minimum PC:
Pentium 233MHz
32MB system RAM
170MB hard drive space
8x CD-Rom
4MB D3D Graphics accelarator.

Recommended PC:
Pentium II 350MHz
64MB system RAM
380MB hard drive space
8x CD-Rom
8MB D3D AGP or PCI accelarator.

Summary: