Dungeon Lords

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Dungeon Lords
Studio Heuristic Park
Publisher Dreamcatcher Interactive
Nordic Games (MMXII)
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 2005
2006 (CE)
2012 (MMXII)
platform Windows
genre Computer role playing game
Subject Fantasy
Game mode Single player , multiplayer
control Keyboard & mouse
medium DVD-ROM , download
language English German
Age rating
USK released from 12
PEGI recommended for ages 16+

Dungeon Lords is a computer role-playing game by the game developer David W. Bradley and his development studio Heuristic Park for Windows . The game was first published in 2005 in the USA by Dreamcatcher Interactive and Typhoon Games , in Germany by Crimson Cow and dtp entertainment . In 2006 and 2012 two more revised versions of the game were released. An Xbox version was planned, but has been discontinued. The game was particularly criticized for its numerous errors when it was first released.

action

The player takes on the role of a prophesied hero who is supposed to help the ruler of the land, Lord Davenmor. His daughter Ellowyn was kidnapped, his helper Galdryn was murdered and his capital was attacked by hostile creatures. All of these events have a connection that could lead to the fall of the empire. The magician Volgar is responsible for the chaos, and the player must ultimately defeat him.

Gameplay

The game follows common role-playing principles and can be played in single player as well as cooperatively in multiplayer mode. At the beginning, the player creates a hero figure for whom he can define race and classes as well as different talents and abilities. The game is made up of numerous quests that the player can accept while exploring the game world. The combat system works in real time, but can be paused at any time in single player mode to use healing potions and the like.

Release history

The developer tried to fix the numerous bugs with several updates. The German version published after the US version already contained more functions. Other important game functions, such as an automap , were added in a patch. But even with the release of the final update to version 1.4, the game still suffered from bugs and several game functions were still missing.

In February 2006 Dreamcatcher released the Dungeon Lords Collector's Edition . In addition to other bug fixes, it expanded the scope of the game to include new quests and areas, items, spells, effects, monsters and new options for character design. It carries the internal program version 1.5, an update that brings the original version to the level of the Collector's Edition, but was never published. With the demise of both the developer Heuristic Park and the publisher Dreamcatcher, which was taken over and realigned by the Austrian company JoWooD in November 2006 , technical support and further development for Dungeon Lords was finally largely discontinued.

In November 2007 JoWooD announced that it wanted to publish a standalone add-on for the third quarter of 2008 as well as a successor. In June 2008, JoWooD finally announced the development of Dungeon Lords: The Orb and the Oracle . In August 2008 JoWooD released another patch for the Collector's Edition. However, the sequel never appeared, despite the original announcement for winter 2008. In 2011 the Austrian publisher went bankrupt and was wound up. Instead, the new rights holder, Nordic Games , in association with Heuristic Games announced Dungeon Lords MMXII in April 2012 , a revised and expanded remake of the original game that was released on September 25, 2012. In December 2015, Nordic Games released the revised Steam Edition of the game.

reception

reviews
publication Rating
4players 60%
Computer picture games Grade 2.7
GameStar 71%
GameZone 5.9 / 10
PC action 60%
PC Games 6/10 / 55%
PC PowerPlay 62%
Spieletipps.de 58%
Meta-ratings
Metacritic 45%

Dungeon Lords was mostly rated negatively ( Metacritic : 45 out of 100). The first release was often criticized as being hasty, and the game was described as unfinished or as a beta version. The main reason was a large number of bugs in the first sales version with version number 1.0. Many players encountered serious problems while playing, such as key plot items suddenly disappearing from inventory, stuck non-player characters , missing keys, doors that did not open, buttons on the GUI that didn't work, etc. The website tester game-over.net complained: "Dungeon Lords marks a new low for how incomplete a computer game can be and still be published."

Despite these technical deficiencies, the game also has strengths such as an interesting real-time combat system and a flexible character system. The testers also praised the German language output for the German version. Despite the muted reviews, the game sold more than a million copies.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dungeon Lords - German version with more features. In: GameStar . May 31, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Michael Graf: Dungeon Lords - Automap available. In: GameStar . June 29, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Dungeon Lords - Collector's Edition with new content. In: GameStar . December 14, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Tom Bramwell: Dungeon Lords follow-ups. In: Eurogamer . November 21, 2007, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Nicolai Dircks: The Orb and the Oracle - JoWooD announces new part of Dungeon Lords. In: GameStar . June 26, 2008, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Nicolai Dircks: Dungeon Lords - JoWooD releases patch for Collectors Edition. In: GameStar . August 13, 2008, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Nordic Games GmbH | Fresh From Austria | Press Releases | Nordic Games joins forces with RPG mastermind DW Bradley and Heuristic Park . Nordicgames.at. April 13, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  8. ↑ Nordic Games GmbH | Fresh From Austria | Product | Dungeon Lords MMXII . Nordicgames.at. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  9. ↑ Dungeon Lords Steam Edition Released, Changelog Available. In: GameBanshee. December 29, 2015, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  10. ↑ a b Jörg Luibl: Test: Dungeon Lords. June 27, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Conclusion: Dungeon Lords (PC). In: Computer Picture Games . Retrieved September 7, 2019 .
  12. ↑ a b Michael Graf: Dungeon Lords in the test - role-playing game with a weak story, lots of action and loads of bugs. In: GameStar . June 25, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  13. ↑ a b c Dungeon Lords | Reviews | Ratings | Awards | Quotes. In: PC Games Database. Retrieved September 7, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Thomas White: Dungeon Lords. In: PC Games . July 2, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Dungeon Lords in the Gamezone test. In: GameZone. July 6, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Daniel Frick: Test PC Dungeon Lords. In: Spieletipps.de . July 20, 2005, accessed September 7, 2019 .
  17. ↑ a b Dungeon Lords for PC Reviews. Based on 28 reviews. In: Metacritic . Accessed September 7, 2019 .
  18. ^ Cook Denice: CGW Review . Cgw.1up.com. April 20, 2005. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  19. ^ Pseudo Nim: Game Over Online Magazine - Dungeon Lords . Game-over.net. Retrieved July 16, 2013.