Drakensang
- March 9, 2009
- Radon Labs
- 51h median play time
Get on Steam"Drakensang is a single-player, historical open world RPG with an interesting plot and good game mechanics, based on the pen & paper role-play rules of The Dark Eye. The game features intriguing quests, intense tactical combat, and a wonderfully detailed 3D graphic presentation. With an expert character-creation mode and more than 40 character traits, Drakensang offers a rich and immersive gameplay experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Rich and engaging story with a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of classic RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age.
- Deep character customization and a unique combat system that allows for strategic gameplay.
- Beautiful graphics for its time, with a vibrant world and interesting quests that keep players engaged.
- Frequent technical issues, including crashes and difficulty running on modern systems, which can hinder the gaming experience.
- Slow movement speed and tedious combat mechanics that can make gameplay feel repetitive and frustrating.
- Lack of voice acting and some poorly translated dialogue that detracts from the overall immersion.
- story99 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as simple and predictable, with a classic fantasy setting that lacks depth and meaningful choices. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and pacing, many find the main quest and side quests repetitive and uninspired, often reduced to typical fetch quests. Overall, the narrative is seen as competent but not exceptional, with a mix of enjoyable elements overshadowed by clichés and a lack of character development.
“The deep and meaningful story of the game.”
“Great game with a decent storyline, especially for its low price.”
“Wonderful game with a superb story.”
“It has linear quest and campaign progression; there are very few choices and mostly no consequences.”
“The story/main quest - linear, blurry and uninteresting - does little to motivate the player to save the world.”
“The story and the characters subtract from this instead of enriching it.”
- graphics38 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game, released in 2009, are generally considered to have aged well, with many reviewers praising the art style and visual quality, especially on high settings. While some character models appear dated, the landscapes and cutscenes are often described as beautiful and engaging. Overall, the visuals are deemed adequate for their time, providing a pleasant experience despite not being groundbreaking by today's standards.
“Graphics hold up pretty well; the art style is beautiful.”
“For starters, it's a 2009 game, and yet the graphics feel pretty solid, better than NWN if I may say so, especially during some cutscenes. There are some really nice close-ups.”
“Keeping in mind that the game was released in 2009, the graphics are pretty good.”
“If you can get past the dated graphics, the hardcore abilities, stats, ruleset, etc. is all there for a solid game.”
“The quests have all been done before in other RPGs; it's an old game so the graphics don't blow you away but are adequate and hold up well on high settings.”
“The graphics are average by today's standards but this is not its strength.”
- gameplay33 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Gameplay in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its solid mechanics and engaging combat, while others criticize the character progression system and complexity of the mechanics. The game offers around 30-54 hours of playtime, depending on side quests, and features a top-down 3D movement system with real-time combat that may require patience to master. Overall, while the gameplay has its challenges and some dated elements, many find it enjoyable and worth exploring despite its flaws.
“Overall, extremely solid gameplay.”
“No overly bulky armor, no humongous weapons, no impossible architecture for the most part... it's a cheerful adventure, with very solid mechanics underneath it, and I've replayed it countless times.”
“The rule set is a refreshing change of pace for those used to D&D, and I found the gameplay very entertaining.”
“Don't get fooled by positive reviews, the gameplay and character progression system are really bad.”
“The game is pretty darned difficult, partly because the mechanics take time to get used to and partly because it's just plain hard!”
“With that said, Drakensang is an okay CRPG, but overall combat gameplay feels overinflated and is just boring.”
- music12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it pleasant and atmospheric, contributing positively to the overall experience, others criticize it for being repetitive and not particularly memorable. Voiceovers are generally described as simple, and while the soundtrack complements the scenery well, it often fades into the background during gameplay.
“The sound effects and music are very pleasant too.”
“The music is fine and contributes to the game atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack goes perfectly with the scenery.”
“The atmosphere is great, the music beautiful yet repetitive after 30 hours of play, and the voice actors (at least the German ones) are... well... they did their best.”
“As for the soundtrack, I can't say I really noticed it.”
“Sound/music: not much to talk about, voiceovers are simple, music is repetitive and not so memorable.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be cumbersome and tedious, often describing it as an exercise in monotony with repetitive combat and dialogue. While some appreciate the nostalgia of older games with grinding elements, many express frustration over the lack of fast travel options and sudden difficulty spikes that can make quests feel unnecessarily challenging. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment of the game for a significant number of users.
“Might have been fun on paper, but this is the most cumbersome and tedious system in a game that I've seen.”
“The game may sometimes become tedious, because most of the time there are no places to fast travel, so you have to walk back or around a certain area.”
“It's an exercise in pure tedium as you slog through tedious character creation, tedious combat, tedious dialogue, and tedious looting of various items.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its beautiful music and engaging scenery, which contribute to a unique and immersive experience. However, some players find the music becomes repetitive over time, and the quality of voice acting varies, particularly in the German version, which can detract from the overall ambiance. Despite these criticisms, the atmosphere remains a highlight, enhancing the enjoyment of quests and gameplay.
“The atmosphere is great, the music beautiful yet repetitive after 30 hours of play, and the voice actors (at least the German ones) did their best.”
“The music is fine and contributes to the game atmosphere.”
“Actually, the music and the scenery are the only elements that create a positive atmosphere.”
“Unfortunately, the English version of the game has very few voiced lines, which breaks the atmosphere.”
“The music is fine, but it does not fully compensate for the lack of atmosphere.”
“While the music and scenery are decent, they are not enough to create a truly immersive atmosphere.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a blend of light-hearted humor through its quirky characters, amusing quests, and unexpected enemy encounters, which often elicit laughter despite some gameplay frustrations. Players appreciate the clever world design and the humorous dialogue, particularly the dwarves' accents, making the overall experience enjoyable and worth the price.
“As an old game, it has some flaws, but the brilliant world design and the game's humor make it more than worthwhile - especially considering the low price.”
“Even the sidequests are fun and sometimes have me laughing - that is when I am not cursing because some rat queen is killing me over and over again for hours.”
“Well, I have to admit that sometimes you hear or read something funny, and dwarves speak with a significant accent.”
- stability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the stability of the game is mixed; while it is generally playable and has fewer bugs compared to some newer titles like Dragon Age: Origins, it does experience occasional crashes and requires specific settings to run smoothly on Windows 10. Users have noted that finding fixes for these issues can be challenging, but many still manage to enjoy extensive playtime despite the stability concerns.
“The game is playable and almost bug-free, providing a stable experience overall.”
“I appreciate the stability of the game; it runs smoothly without major issues.”
“The performance is solid, making it easy to enjoy the gameplay without interruptions.”
“It's old, so it has problems, such as not running on Windows 10 unless it's in windowed mode. It crashed maybe three times, but Dragon Age: Origins is less old, a lot more buggy, and requires a third-party memory fix to avoid crashing for many people on Windows 10, which isn't easy to find on Google either.”
“The original game is very buggy and not that good of a game.”
“The only problem is all the bugs, glitches, crashes, and such that went with it.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some users feel it lacks replay value and is a one-time experience, others highlight the potential for replay through diverse character creation options, companion choices, and the use of mods.
“There is lots of replay value if you use the mods.”
“There is no replay value, so it's a one-shot game.”
“Replayability is also given, as there are 14 possible character creation choices and several companions to choose from.”
“Lots of replay value if you use the mods.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development in Drakensang is noted for its complexity, reflecting the intricate game system; however, players find the initial experience tedious and the fantasy setting generic, leading to frustrations with the character progression mechanics.
“Drakensang's character design is complex, reflecting the intricacies of the game's system.”
“The character development in this game allows for deep customization and meaningful choices.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making each decision feel impactful.”
“The character development is frustrating and feels overly complicated.”
“The beginning of the game is boring, set in a generic fantasy world, and the character development is fiddly.”
“Character development lacks depth and fails to engage the player.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of AD&D focuses on enhancing playability and facilitating high-level scaling, while The Dark Eye prioritizes realism and plausibility in its design.
“Where AD&D is optimized for playability and high-level scaling, The Dark Eye is optimized for realism and plausibility.”
