Darklands

Darklands is one of the most unusual and ambitious RPGs ever made. Instead of a typical fantasy world, it’s set in the Holy Roman Empire of the 15th century, as medieval people believed it to be, where witches, dragons and the saints were all very real. Your party of adventurers sets out to seek fame and fortune, and gradually uncovers a darker threat spreading across the land.

Gameplay

Character creation is one of the game’s highlights. Instead of choosing a class, you build each character’s life story:

• Life path: You choose a background and a series of occupations over the years, such as soldier, monk, scholar, merchant or hunter. Each choice affects their skills and abilities, but they age along the way.
• Alchemy: Instead of magic spells, alchemists brew potions with powerful effects, from explosions to healing.
• Saints: Pious characters can learn about saints and pray to them for help, with effects that depend on their faith and virtue.

Exploration takes place on a large, open map of medieval Germany and surrounding regions. Towns, villages, castles and wilderness are mostly handled through illustrated text events, where you choose how to respond, a bit like an interactive storybook. Many situations can be solved in several ways, through combat, talking, bribery, sneaking or the help of saints and alchemy.

Combat takes place in real time with pause, where you give orders to your party in an overhead view. Armour, weapons and skills matter a great deal, and the combat can be both tactical and brutal.

The game is very open. You can take on quests, hunt for adventure or simply travel around making a living, with no strict main path telling you what to do.

Verdict

Darklands is a fascinating, original RPG with one of the most distinctive settings in the genre. It was released with many bugs, the interface is clunky, and the open structure can feel aimless, but few games offer such a rich and authentic medieval atmosphere.