Prelude To Darkness Demo

There are many sub-genres when it comes to role-playing games, because the subject can be approached from a multitude of angles. Hence, there are quest-driven AD&D games like Baldur’s Gate, hack & slash titles like Diablo, or a combination of the two, such is the case with Icewind Dale. Any of the sub-genres can yield exquisite results, because it’s all in the experience and the dedication of the developers when it comes to providing the players with a suitable atmosphere.

Prelude to Darkness is heavily oriented toward combat and character growth, but the story is also relevant and you must make some sacrifices along the way in order to complete some quests. However, the encounters are tough and you must be able to make full use of your party’s abilities in order to survive, as well as take into consideration the strength of the enemy you are fighting.

The story is nothing out of this world when it comes to the plot and what transpires along the way, but it’s good enough to get you excited from time to time. Some of the quests require special abilities in order to be completed, while others are just basic ‘get from point A to point B’ missions disguised as something else. The relentless action can keep you distracted from this, on the other hand, so it’s all good in the end.

As previously mentioned, the combat is turn-based and each character/creature gets a chance to perform an action when their turn comes. Whether you move, attack, or defend yourself against the enemy, each action has an effect on the outcome of the battle. The special abilities are pretty rare and not very interesting, but you can achieve nice things every now and again.

From a technical point of view, you can probably guess that the game is quite old and basic. It does have a fully 3D graphics engine, on the other hand, which is actually worse than if it had stuck with a classic isometric perspective. This way, the rough models and the barren environments look way worse than how the hand-drawn landscapes would have looked, with a bit of talent.

Prelude to Darkness should be good enough to lose a few hours with if you really are in the mood for a hardcore RPG and you’ve played through everything else. Other than that, the game is pretty rough on the edges and you can clearly see that it lacks polish, especially from a technical point of view.