The Dark Eye : Book of Heroes

About

"The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes" is a fantasy RPG where players can explore dungeons and complete adventures with up to 4 players. Choose from 12 professions and 4 species, each with unique abilities and customizable appearances. The game features procedurally generated maps, extensive character development, and item crafting, with the option to play solo or with friends in single-player mode.

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Play Modes

The Dark Eye : Book of Heroes screenshot

43%

Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews

story12 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The character creation system is interesting and allows for unique builds through a card-based mechanic.
The game has a nostalgic feel reminiscent of early tabletop RPGs, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
Playing cooperatively with friends can enhance the experience, providing a fun way to engage with the game.

The gameplay is often described as boring and repetitive, with simplistic quests and uninspired maps.
AI companions are poorly designed, leading to frustrating experiences in both single-player and multiplayer modes.
The game lacks depth in character progression and storytelling, making it feel unfinished and not worth the price.

story
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
71%
6%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that it consists of generic, mission-based objectives rather than a cohesive narrative. While some appreciate the character creation and personal quests, the overall experience feels fragmented and underdeveloped, often relying on repetitive dungeon crawling and bland combat. The emergent storytelling elements and individual character arcs offer some engagement, but many feel the game falls short of delivering a compelling, epic story-driven RPG experience.
- “I love this small game - there is advanced background/class/race character creation which gives you background and personal quests to pursue - that is a feature I was missing in many RPGs for roleplayers, then it generates numerical stats itself based upon that - again something I'm okay with as I play not a perfectly min-maxed character, but a character based on a chosen background.”
- “The way the system works is you choose an origin story on character creation which will give you a series of objectives. As you complete quests from the bounty board, you will be able to access and complete parts of your origin story.”
- “Missions can be replayed, the story hook remains the same (kill the evil necromancer) but the layout changes so there is some variation.”
- “On the store page, they advertise 'play with friends or alone in single-player mode with eight individual storylines', which might lead you to assume that there is a story or that the random missions are connecting in an overarching plot.”
- “I can't handle something that I thought would be story-driven ending up as a bunch of interchangeable, random rooms centered around a generic tavern.”
- “The whole concept is plainly boring; the story/stories put you to sleep and the gameplay is just not good.”
gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
59%
18%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its card-based mechanics and randomization elements, while others criticize it for lacking strategic depth and feeling clunky or outdated. Many players find the experience fails to capture the essence of the pen and paper RPG it is based on, leading to a repetitive and sometimes boring gameplay experience. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, significant comfort features and polish are missing, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
- “Great game with excellent mechanics and nice card-based character creation.”
- “Plenty of puzzles and randomization is core to the gameplay as the cards you get are randomized, and so are the dungeons.”
- “Gameplay - again very comparable to Sword Coast Legends, your abilities have a cooldown, events unfold in real time.”
- “The game makes a decent first impression but the experience is marred by the actual gameplay which fails to properly recreate the pen and paper experience.”
- “The models and gameplay are clunky, outdated and at best beta footage.”
- “The whole concept is plainly boring, the story/stories put you to sleep and the gameplay is just not good.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players describing them as dated and basic, especially for a title released in 2020. While some long-time CRPG fans find them acceptable, others criticize the visuals as abysmal and reminiscent of early access games. Overall, the graphics do not meet the expectations of players seeking cutting-edge visuals, and the combat animations are considered particularly lacking.
- “Nice graphics and gameplay.”
- “The graphics aren't cutting edge, but as someone who has been playing CRPGs since the early 90s, the graphics are fine.”
- “Ok graphics, a bit like Pathfinder: Kingmaker, typical Unity-made RPG.”
- “Graphically, for a game that came out in 2020, it is abysmal.”
- “Graphics just look terribly dated.”
- “The graphics and combat animations are very basic; it feels more like an early access game.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and a sense that it was released prematurely. Many feel that its design choices are questionable, leading to confusion about its intended audience, and overall, the implementation of its promising concept has been deemed poor.
- “Bug-ridden mess, released too early, with a lot of odd design decisions made that open up the question of, 'who is your target audience?'”
- “Great concept, terrible implementation, very buggy.”
- “Broken and buggy.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game is criticized for its poor optimization, particularly with GPU performance on modern Nvidia hardware, leading to occasional performance drops despite its simplistic graphics and lack of physics. Players find the controls clunky and note a general lack of content, detracting from an otherwise promising concept.
- “Ironing out the occasional performance drops has made a noticeable difference in gameplay.”
- “For a game with such poor graphics and no physics whatsoever, it surprisingly runs smoothly.”
- “Tl;dr: great idea, poorly optimized, lacking content, and clunky controls.”
- “The GPU optimization is horrible for a modern NVIDIA GPU.”
- “There are occasional performance drops that need to be ironed out.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally well-received, contributing to a cozy and adventurous atmosphere that complements the character creation process. While some players found it engaging, others noted its subtlety, suggesting it effectively enhances the experience without being intrusive.
- “I like the music and overall feel of an inn full of adventurers setting off to their own goals.”
- “The things that positively stood out for me were the cozy environmental art of the tilesets, the typical music of Aventuria, and especially the entertaining character creation process.”
- “Since I didn't notice the music, I suppose that was good, too.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is perceived as a cash grab, leading to concerns that it may not generate sufficient revenue to justify the investment needed for meaningful improvements.
- “Somehow it feels like a cash grab that won't make enough to support the time it would need to be improved.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it involves clearing dungeons to collect points for character improvement, making it appealing for those who enjoy this type of gameplay.
- “Grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress is overwhelming and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I found the grinding mechanics to be tedious, turning what could be an exciting adventure into a chore.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that character development is hindered by clunky user controls and limited design options, leading to a less engaging experience for players.
- “I'm a bit shocked by how clunky the user controls are, and how limited the character design options seem to be as well.”