Game's attention to an evolving game world. One quibble: I never did get the guards next to the gates to the slums to stop looking at me suspiciously.įrom the beginning of the game and one from the end, epitomize the It's satisfying to reclaim the blocks of Phlan, one by one, and see signs that the entire city is improving from the effort. Heck, it's rare even now-most games deal with this issue by constantly propelling you forward and refusing to let you re-visit older areas, where they'd have to program new reactions from NPCs. This sort of dynamic game world is rare in the era. If you make friends with the nomads, they stop attacking you in the wilderness. Once you solve quests, you can't do them again. Break cover after sneaking, and the entire area is on alert for you-even after you leave and return. If you kill Yarash, the land around the Barren River stops being polluted (the game even changes the look of the map). Particularly notable is the way that the game responds to character actions. As the game moves forward, the player learns about the land and its lore through conversations with NPCs and entries in the Adventurer's Journal. At the outset, the player knows the important history around the Moonsea and the circumstances that have led to the party's immediate quest. Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Planescape, and other settings are more interesting (if more confusing sometimes!).Įven judging solely by what is presented in the game, however, the game world is evocative, thorough, and well-built. It's a sort-of generic high fantasy realm, large enough to include derivatives from almost every mythology. I grant you that it is not the most exciting of D&D campaign settings. It's tough to evaluate this, because Pool of Radiance is part of a larger Forgotten Realms campaign setting that has more history and lore than I will ever read in my lifetime.
Incidentally, I'm drinking an actual gimlet right now-a tradition I will continue when writing "final rating" postings from now on.ġ. The variety of encounters is rivaled only by Might & Magic, and the tactical combat system is unparalleled. I knew it would be from the second or third day. You don't need to read to the end to get to the important news: Pool of Radiance is the best game I've played since starting this blog.
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