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Drakensang

Drakensang Game Cover
74%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
grinding, optimization
74% User Score Based on 334 reviews
Critic Score 73%Based on 2 reviews

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PCWindows
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Drakensang Game Cover

About

Drakensang is a single player open world role playing game with fantasy, historical and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Radon Labs and was released on March 9, 2009. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Drakensang is a third-person party-based RPG based on the pen & paper role-play rules of The Dark Eye. Drakensang is the first PC game for over 10 years to be based on Germany's most successful and popular role-play system. Drakensang builds on the pen & paper rules as applied in version 4.0. The developers have optimized the rulebook specially for the PC realization in order to make the game mor…

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74%
Audience ScoreBased on 334 reviews
story51 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • Deep and complex RPG mechanics based on the Dark Eye pen-and-paper system with extensive character customization and a variety of classes.
  • Engaging, lengthy gameplay with a strong atmosphere, beautiful handcrafted graphics, immersive world, and quality soundtrack.
  • Challenging tactical combat system with real-time pause allowing for strategic planning, and plenty of side quests and crafting to keep players engaged.
  • Technical issues including frequent crashes, poor compatibility with modern systems, and the necessity to use workaround such as windowed mode.
  • Slow movement speed and cumbersome travel without features like fast travel or mounts, leading to tedious backtracking and inventory management.
  • Some players find the story uninspiring or generic, voice acting weak, and certain gameplay systems frustrating, such as high failure rates in skills and repetitive combat.
  • story
    132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is generally seen as solid but not exceptional, with an engaging main quest and numerous side quests that sometimes outshine the main plot in depth and interest. While the narrative is occasionally predictable, cliched, or simplistic, the rich world-building, intertwined quests, and character progression provide a compelling RPG experience reminiscent of classic fantasy settings. However, some players find the story and characters underdeveloped or unremarkable, and the linearity and lack of impactful choices limit narrative depth.

    • “The main quest starts out quite relaxed, and gradually builds up into an epic tale of legendary heroes and ancient evil.”
    • “It is a solid old-school RPG with a rich level of lore and storytelling that would not be out of place in the company of Dragon Age: Origins, The Witcher, and others of that ilk.”
    • “The quests are fun to do - even the side quests. Some sidequests take the cake and could be their own main story in some games, like exploring Ardos' murder and all the chain quests that link to it, also a lot of sidequests to keep you busy.”
    • “Everything is a fetch quest; the investigation quests are cringe at best, usually stupidifying.”
    • “It has linear quest and campaign progression, with very few choices and mostly no consequences.”
    • “You don't make your own choices in the story, and the story itself as well as the graphics is quite dull.”
  • graphics
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics, while dated due to the game's 2009 release, are generally praised for their hand-drawn style, atmospheric aesthetics, and surprisingly good hold-up over time. Some users note occasional technical issues on newer systems, but overall the visuals are considered charming, detailed, and fitting for the game’s old-school RPG vibe. Though not cutting-edge, the art style and scenery remain appealing and contribute positively to the gaming experience.

    • “For a 2009 game, the graphics feel pretty solid, better than Neverwinter Nights in some cutscenes, with some really nice close-ups.”
    • “Graphics hold up pretty well, the art style is beautiful.”
    • “The visuals are still sharp after so many years.”
    • “It's an older game, so on higher-end PC and Windows you might have problems running it. I ran it on Windows 10; I had to exit fullscreen every time the game started and during credits, else it crashed. After that, I could play in fullscreen normally but had to lower graphic settings to medium to avoid crashes midgame due to memory leaks. On medium settings, it runs fine. If you have problems, check Steam guides/forums for solutions.”
    • “The graphics show their age, and there are a few minor spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and bad accents during dialogue.”
    • “You don't make your own choices in the story and the story itself as well as the graphics is quite dull.”
  • gameplay
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay in this game is characterized by complex, detailed mechanics based on the German TTRPG "The Dark Eye," offering a deep and challenging RPG experience that requires patience and familiarity to fully appreciate. While many praise its solid combat system, tactical depth, and substantial playtime, others find the gameplay slow, occasionally frustrating, and hampered by poor explanations or technical issues. Overall, the gameplay appeals most to veterans who enjoy intricate systems and a strategic pace, though it may feel cumbersome or unpolished to some players.

    • “Really interesting mechanics and complex rule systems (I mean that in a good way!).”
    • “The story is also enjoyable, I've seen a few people saying that it's 'tropey', and maybe it is, but I've not found that to be offputting, and I think that the game is even a little self-aware of what it's doing in this respect - it's more the gameplay mechanics which are its strong point and which is holding my interest.”
    • “And the game mechanics (combat, leveling, etc.) are tuned extremely well.”
    • “Don't get fooled by positive reviews, gameplay and character progression system are really bad.”
    • “With that said, Drakensang is an okay CRPG, like other classics which I don't need to name as I've neither played nor really have an interest in them for now. I'll say Drakensang hits the okay spot for recommendation, but overall combat gameplay feels overinflated and is overall just boring.”
    • “There are many other smaller or larger issues that suck the joy out of gameplay so despite relatively interesting story I could not bring myself to play any longer.”
  • music
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to create a great atmosphere and complement the visuals, featuring pleasant ambient and battle tracks. However, some users find the soundtrack repetitive and not particularly memorable after extended playtime. Overall, the music contributes positively but lacks standout variety.

    • “Great ambient and battle soundtrack.”
    • “It has an interesting skill and talent system, plenty of quests, good graphics, and great music.”
    • “The soundtrack goes perfectly with the scenery.”
    • “Sound/music: not much to talk about, voiceovers are simple, music is repetitive and not so memorable.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive fantasy setting, complemented by a fitting soundtrack and detailed scenery. While voice acting quality varies and some music can become repetitive, the overall mood is distinctive, well-crafted, and deeply engaging, contributing significantly to the player's experience.

    • “It may be because of the age I've played it, but it's the best atmosphere I've ever seen in a fantasy RPG.”
    • “The atmosphere is just so good and I really like how they implemented the mechanics of the German TTRPG 'The Dark Eye'.”
    • “But it's worth overlooking these flaws because overall it has an atmosphere that is hard to describe, but just feels right.”
    • “Luckily, the English version of the game has very few voiced lines, but this breaks the atmosphere, of course.”
  • grinding
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is often described as tedious and cumbersome, with repetitive combat, dialogue, and exploration leading to occasional frustration. While some players tolerate mild grinding and appreciate the game's length, others find certain quests and mechanics overly monotonous and lacking engaging content. Overall, grinding contributes to a slow and sometimes dull pacing experience.

    • “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 times 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 crap.”
  • humor
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is generally light and occasionally funny, with amusing side quests, quirky characters, and witty dialogue often delivered with a playful tone. While some humor feels intentionally cheesy or predictable, it contributes to the game's old-school charm and overall enjoyable experience.

    • “The side quests for the most part are extremely easy, have great rewards and can be funny at times.”
    • “You have races, occupation, amazing regions (some of them can only be accessed during their quest), funny characters and unexpected enemies/mobs.”
    • “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.”
    • “Dialogues are written as if they were dumb and unfunny by design. Quests and story are also clearly designed to be as generic and predictable as possible.”
  • optimization
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is considered an underrated classic but suffers from poor optimization, likely due to its older engine, leading to crashes and requiring performance tweaks. Players recommend setting performance optimization to low for better stability. Compared to other RPGs focused on playability, this game prioritizes realism, impacting its optimization.

    • “Where AD&D is optimized for playability and high-level scaling, The Dark Eye is optimized for realism and plausibility.”
    • “Where AD&D is optimized for playability and high-level scaling, The Dark Eye is optimized for realism and plausibility.”
    • “An underrated classic and a must play for any fan of CRPG, though beware of crashes and some tweaking as it's an old and not optimized game.”
    • “The only real negatives I had was the game seems poorly optimized, most likely due to the game engine they used.”
    • “Also, set the performance optimization to low.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is praised for its depth and complexity, contributing to an epic story, though it can be frustrating and fiddly early on, especially within a generic fantasy setting.

    • “A hidden gem, epic story, great character development.”
    • “Drakensang's character design is complex, reflecting the complexity of the game system.”
    • “[Boring beginning, generic fantasy world, fiddly, frustrating character development]”
    • “Drakensang character design is complex because the game system is complex.”
    • “Oh, and this goes for character development as well.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game shows some stability issues typical of older titles, such as requiring windowed mode on Windows 10 and occasional crashes. However, compared to similarly aged games like Dragon Age: Origins, it is relatively stable and playable with fewer bugs. Overall, while not flawless, its stability is acceptable given its age.

    • “It's old, so it has problems, such as not running on Windows 10 unless it's in windowed mode (it takes literally 2 minutes to find this out on Google). It crashed maybe 3 times during my playthrough. By comparison, Dragon Age: Origins is newer but a lot more buggy and requires a third-party memory fix to avoid crashing on Windows 10, which is also hard to find online.”
    • “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 came with it.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability varies among players, with some seeing little to no value after initial playthrough, while others highlight multiple character options, companion choices, and the addition of mods as factors that enhance replay value.

    • “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.”
    • “There is no replay value or such, so it's a one-shot old game.”
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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 2 critic reviews
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51h Median play time
62h Average play time
40-92h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Drakensang is a open world role playing game with fantasy, historical and dark fantasy themes.

Drakensang is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 62 hours playing Drakensang.

Drakensang was released on March 9, 2009.

Drakensang was developed by Radon Labs.

Drakensang has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Drakensang is a single player game.

Similar games include Drakensang: The River of Time, Pillars of Eternity | Definitive Edition (PC) - Steam Key - CIS, Ember, Wizardry 8, Divinity II: Developer's Cut and others.