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This is a game with pretty graphics from Cryo. Werner Von Hallenrod, having
reached eighteen, sets off to prove himself worthy of joining the Dragon Knights,
and incidentally discover the truth about his father's death. He needs votes from
current Knights to be accepted. Some Knights exhort him to be bloodthirsty, others to
take the path of wisdom (nonviolence). One refreshing character will accept a bribe
in return for a positive vote. A bar graph measures Werner's actions, growing towards
violence or wisdom depending on his actions in certain circumstances. There are no
conversations, only monologues from NPC's, as Werner never speaks in any way. Perhaps
he should have been christened Noel, the Silent Knight. Whatever, Werner heads out,
kills some monsters, picks up a few spells, and finally arrives at Von Wallenrod
castle. The rest of the game is taken up with a scavenger hunt in the castle, finding
various objects and figuring out what to do with them. Some items are not easy to see,
and every room must be scanned thoroughly to ensure not missing something important.
While there is some fighting, it is similar to Alone In The Dark. Werner has no stats
or skills, only a bar measuring his life force. Combat is simply equipping a weapon
and bashing away, hoping you can outlast the monster. Magic is minimal. Two spells
are one-time-only; fireball can be handy, if you have time to bring up the runes for
it. Teleport, when finally obtained, allows Werner to move around the castle easily,
and later the countryside, when he receives the magic map. This is the best feature
of the game. Dragon Lore Gold was a version with bug fixes, an enhanced main menu and music that plays as you move from location to location. |