Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion

About

"Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion" is a choice-based gamebook set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. As a Space Marine of the Imperial Fists Chapter, you must fight your way through aliens and heretics on a haunted star vessel and find a way to escape. The game is based on the gamebook by Jonathan Green, originally published by Black Library/Games Workshop.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion screenshot

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 187 reviews

story24 positive mentions

graphics6 negative mentions

Engaging and atmospheric storytelling that captures the essence of the Warhammer 40K universe.
Fun choose-your-own-adventure gameplay with multiple paths and outcomes, encouraging replayability.
Simple yet satisfying combat mechanics that complement the narrative experience.

Limited save options and random chance mechanics can lead to frustrating instant deaths.
Combat can feel simplistic and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
The game is relatively short, with some players wishing for more character development and depth.

story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
5%
The story is primarily text-driven and set in the Warhammer 40k universe, featuring a gripping and suspenseful narrative that offers multiple paths and outcomes based on player choices. While the writing is praised for its quality, particularly due to Jonathan Green's involvement, familiarity with the Warhammer lore enhances the experience. However, some players found the gameplay repetitive and the reliance on chance dice rolls detracted from their investment in the plot, leading to mixed feelings about replayability.
- “Gripping, suspenseful story and decision-heavy gameplay make this a worthwhile purchase.”
- “Great story, very well written, in the style of 40k Black Library books.”
- “Adapting the classical style in a new and easy-to-pick-up format, it has a great story that changes as you play, depending upon your actions you can save or forsake the state of the mission at hand.”
- “Switched to easy mode and tried to make it through the story but eventually uninstalled out of sheer boredom.”
- “That being said, it can get a bit samey once you've beaten the story once, as you basically just skip pages to rush to specific points for achievements, and there are certain points with RNG that can lead to an instant game over.”
- “By that, I mean that you can just skip combat completely (no negatives to this), you can heal yourself for free on almost every screen - forever, your purity is so high that I'd imagine you would have to do literally everything cowardly and wrong to ever fail a purity check, you get infinite saves, you can back up as far as you want on every movement and decision you've ever made, and everything becomes so 'power-gamey' that I steamrolled through everything in my way without caring and I lost my feeling of investment in the plot and creepy events.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
The game's music is characterized by a minimalistic and atmospheric soundtrack, featuring only two main tracks that effectively enhance the eerie ambiance of the gameplay. While some players appreciate the haunting quality of the music, others find it underwhelming and uninspired, particularly the battle themes. Overall, the subdued and creepy ambient music contributes to immersion, though some players prefer to experience the game without it.
- “The main song of the game is very atmospheric and sounds like something you would find in the Alien franchise.”
- “The background music also perfectly fits the universe while you’re reading through the book and game.”
- “Minimalistic music helps with immersion as it doesn't distract.”
- “I personally find it more interesting to play it without music or sound effects.”
- “As for its music, it's nothing special - bleak chimes and horns make up most of the soundtrack, and I fail to be inspired by the battle music.”
- “The game only really seems to have two music tracks though, one for the adventure segments and menus, and one for the combat.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
69%
15%
The gameplay is characterized by a gripping narrative and decision-heavy mechanics, making it appealing for fans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, despite its simplistic combat and visual elements. While the game offers a few hours of playtime and a unique purity mechanic, it suffers from random chance elements and can feel tedious at times. Overall, it is recommended for casual players looking for an engaging story rather than a robust gaming experience.
- “Gripping, suspenseful story and decision-heavy gameplay make this a worthwhile purchase.”
- “For something as simple as a visual novel with very basic combat mechanics, I actually liked this little nifty production.”
- “There’s a purity mechanic in there, which affects the game – act like a proper space marine and you’ll do fine.”
- “The mechanics are nothing to sing praise about and the combat can be frankly a slog, but it is overshadowed by the solid narrative, depictions given to the reader, and context of the battle.”
- “Instead, it's very firmly a choose your own adventure book with poor combat mechanics.”
- “Like the undying pilot of a battle-worn dreadnought, Warhammer 40,000 stomps around the Steam store groaning in agony and begging to be released from its mechanical servitude.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
17%
6%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, particularly for its ability to evoke the grimdark spirit of the Warhammer universe, complemented by top-notch writing and an eerie soundtrack reminiscent of the Alien franchise. Players appreciate the sense of dread and action, as well as the casual, relaxing experience provided by the game's structure, despite its static visuals. Overall, the atmosphere is described as immersive and enjoyable, making it a must-play for fans of the genre.
- “It oozes with atmosphere, the writing is top notch, providing the sensation of dread and action of a solid thriller mixed with a choose-your-own-adventure type of game.”
- “Atmospheric and enjoyable to play through, rewards of extra weapons and equipment feel well earned, genuinely anxious about branching choices, great fun!”
- “The main song of the game is very atmospheric and sounds like something you would find in the Alien franchise.”
- “Much of the game has an unsurprisingly static look to it, which may or may not contribute to the eerie atmosphere that the game's soundtrack tries to establish.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The graphics in the game are generally considered subpar but are deemed suitable for its low-budget nature, allowing the story and atmosphere to take precedence. Players appreciate the aesthetic and the use of holographic 3D models for combat, which effectively represent the Warhammer 40k universe despite the minimalistic visuals. Overall, the game's graphics do not detract from the experience, as the focus on narrative and gameplay mechanics compensates for their lack of detail.
- “At first, I was enamored by its rich 40k content and its ability to expound upon said content due to being text instead of costly graphics, voice acting, etc., that would have otherwise likely cut down on the number of xenos races, and the 'intimacy' of the level of detail and grim beauty in the twisted setting of 40k.”
- “As for the graphics, the combat has holographic 3D models of all the enemies you can face in the game, most of which are pretty much directly based off of 40k's models.”
- “Legacy of Dorn's visuals are... interesting, despite being almost nonexistent.”
- “The graphics, while not good, are perfect for this type of game.”
- “The game is cheap and thus makes up for the lack of visuals and mechanics with its story.”
- “I enjoyed the WH40K universe; the game is fairly atmospheric, given the lack of graphics.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited due to its short playtime of around six hours and the ability to explore most paths in a single run. However, some players find value in replaying for higher difficulty battles and discovering missed content through different choices, particularly influenced by the game's save state mechanics and purity requirements. It's recommended to purchase the game at a discount, given its brief experience.
- “The limited number of save states, and needing to have a certain amount of purity for some actions makes things all the more interesting, and encourages replay value so you can see what you'd missed in previous playthroughs.”
- “Pretty good, but I beat it in 6 hours... and I basically traversed every possible path you can take in this game, so there's not that much replayability aside from replaying the battles on the highest difficulty.”
- “Buy this game at a discount only because this is a really short experience with a little replayability.”
- “Not sure about replay value.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviews indicate that the character development in the game is lacking, with many players feeling it is insufficient and underdeveloped.
- “Kinda short, not enough character development.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a deep emotional connection to nature, particularly the calming and restorative feelings evoked by walking in a field of grass. This experience serves as a refuge from life's troubles, highlighting the game's ability to evoke tranquility and nostalgia.
- “I used to love how wonderful walking in a field of grass made me feel, being surrounded by green calming me down from any troubles plaguing my mind.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The humor in the game is derived from the absurdity of the Warhammer 40K universe, where players encounter a mix of dark themes and comedic elements, particularly through the interactions with quirky enemies like genestealers and orks. The juxtaposition of elite space marines facing off against these humorous foes adds a lighthearted touch to the otherwise grim setting.
- “The game brilliantly mixes dark themes with absurd humor, making even the most terrifying encounters feel lighthearted.”
- “The witty dialogue and hilarious character interactions keep the gameplay fresh and entertaining, even in the face of danger.”
- “I love how the game incorporates humor into its storytelling, turning grim situations into laugh-out-loud moments.”