Menzoberranzan (video game)
| Menzoberranzan | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of Menzoberranzan | |
| Developer(s) | DreamForge Intertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Strategic Simulations |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, PC-98, FM Towns |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Menzoberranzan is a 1994 role-playing video game created by Strategic Simulations and DreamForge Intertainment. Menzoberranzan uses the same game engine as SSI's previous game, Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession (1994), and is set in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
Story
Menzoberranzan, an underground city populated by the Drow, had been introduced in the game materials two years earlier in December 1992 in a three-book box set called Menzoberranzan: The Famed City of the Drow by Ed Greenwood, R. A. Salvatore, and Douglas Niles.[1] The game also features Drizzt Do'Urden as one of the main characters.[2]
Gameplay
The game has elements of Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (3d world and real-time action) and its game concept is somewhat similar to Westwood’s Eye of the Beholder series.[3] The player initially creates two player characters (PCs) and can acquire non-player character (NPC) allies later in the game.[2]
Publication history
Menzoberranzan was first published in 1994 by SSI.
The game was later included in the 1996 compilation set, the AD&D Masterpiece Collection.[4]
On August 20, 2015, game distributor GOG.com released the PC version of the game along with several other Gold Box titles.[5]
Critical reception
A reviewer for Next Generation gave the game 3 out of 5 stars, remarking that the high-resolution graphics have a "painting-like quality" and that the gameplay is authentic to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons franchise.[3] Ian Cole from the Quandaryland website awarded the game 3.5 stars out 5. He was critical of the slowness of the game compared to Ravenloft and that "too many places were empty — just nothing". He praises that this was not a typical hack and slash game with a lot of character's statistics and puzzle solving.[6] John Terra of Computer Shopper said the game "stands out" and called it a "must-have".[2]
According to Allen Rausch of GameSpy, "without a great plot and exciting monsters that truly utilized its spectacular setting, Menzoberranzan ended up being less impressive than it was in players' imaginations".[7]
References
- ↑ Salvatore, R. A.; Greenwood, Ed; Niles, Douglas (1992). Menzoberranzan: The Famed City of the Drow, Revealed At Last!. TSR Inc. ISBN 1-56076-460-0.
- 1 2 3 Terra, John (April 1, 1995), "Menzoberranzan", Computer Shopper, SX2 Media Labs, retrieved September 6, 2012 – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
- 1 2 "Menzoberranzan". Next Generation. Imagine Media (3): 93. March 1995.
- ↑ Butcher, Andy (January 1996). "Games Reviews". Arcane. Future Publishing (2): 80.
- ↑ Release: Forgotten Realms: The Archives - GOG.com
- ↑ Cole, Ian (February 1995). "Menzoberranzan". quandaryland.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
- ↑ Rausch, Allen (2004-08-17). "A History of D&D Video Games - Part III". Game Spy. Retrieved November 15, 2012.