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- Sierra Entertainment
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- Sierra Entertainment
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- Sierra Entertainment
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- Sierra Entertainment
Throne of Darkness
Released On: Sep 24, 2001
68
7.8
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
68
32% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
63% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
68
32% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
63% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
5% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
A terrific title; it is entertainment-rich, and one of those games that makes a mockery of time because it will fly when you play.
It ain’t "Diablo II," but it’s in the ballpark, and frankly, that’s a pretty sweet deal.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 User Ratings
7.8
68% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
23% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
9% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 User Ratings
7.8
68% Positive
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
23% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
9% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Throne of Darkness is the best RPG I have played in my life.
Not only because it brings back so many good memories from my childhood and it defined the RPG genre for me, but also because it is still as good in 2022 as it was back then.
Throne of Darkness is described as a “Diablo 2 rip-off” and a “Diablo 2 wannabe” but I reject those claims. It has many similarities yes, but it has too many unique features that makes it stand out. Personally, I even think it is better than Diablo 2.
The game has a very nice atmosphere and makes good use of the medieval Japan theme in terms of the surroundings, music and various types of enemies and accurate dynasty houses of the time like Oda, Mori and Tokugawa. The developers really did their research on the mythology of ancient Japan and although this is still a fantasy RPG, it has many historically accurate elements that I really like about it. Examples are the use of Oni’s as enemies, Kappa’s, Concubines in traditional clothing and Yama Inu’s.
The game has a classic, but solid storyline that builds up the tension over time. It is not the best or most original story ever but it works really well and keeps you motivated to keep playing.
The graphics and combat animations were, and still are, fairly decent and aged well. Yes, its old, but still looks fine for a 2D RPG. The 3D elements here and there, blended in with the 2D graphics almost make it feel like full 3D. The game is also very gory and dark sometimes, with disturbing graphics and background corpses. It is rated 12+ as far as I know, but as a child, I was sometimes terrified of all the horror that was going on in the background when exploring.
A special note must be made for the sound effects and music in this game. Yet again, it blew my mind back then and still continues to do so until this day. The grunts, the weapon sounds, the sounds of your electric spells blasting enemies away, it’s perfect.
I also really like the Blacksmith and Priest system. Rather then teleporting back to a town or base, you can pick up everything from the ground and giving it straight to one of the vendors in a special overlay, so they can process it to raw materials for the blacksmith or offering point for the priest. This system works very well and is one of the unique and well thought of mechanics in the game.
The difficulty in Throne of Darkness is very well balanced. Enemies get stronger over time and some boss enemies can easily kill you off with two hits, but you get enough time and experience to prepare for it. The choices you make for your character development defines your progress in the game. When you unlock higher weapons and armour earlier on by investing in strength for example, it can make your journey a lot easier.
But the best feature, the thing that makes this game stand out, and the only game I know to have this feature, is the customization system. When you kill enemies, they sometimes drop components. Some components are generic and can drop from any enemy, but some are creature specific like claws, teeth or blood. Those components can be used to enchant your gear and can give you great advantages throughout your adventure. You can boost your strength, increase your elemental resistance, deal more damage and the list goes on. Combining the components with boosters like specific stones or ingots greatly increases those effects.
I have beaten this game at least 15 times and will do so any time, any day without it boring me.
Like I said at the beginning, I think this game is massively underrated and for me, it is still in my personal top 10 of best games I have ever played. It will always have a special place in my heart.
Definitely recommend to give this old gem a try.
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PC
Though it has few real role-playing elements to speak of and though some aspects of its gameplay aren't well implemented, ToD does succeed in offering plenty of good-looking combat sequences, which are repetitive but interesting nevertheless.
A strong offering for fans of mythology, samurai, or ancient Japan. However, the poor quality of the game's AI, the unbalanced multiplayer action, and the lack of customizable options, along with some gameplay issues, only slightly raise the product above an average "Diablo" clone.
In the list of Diablo clones – which includes the likes of Dungeon Siege, Revenant, and Nox – it ends up near the bottom for the simple reason that it lacks soul.
A solid, rather than remarkable, title with some intriguing spins on the established formula.
Imagine a murky graphics engine that blurs as it moves, is way too dark and missing a gamma setting, and gets frequently swallowed up by flashy spell effects.
I greatly enjoyed this party-based action RPG, it has a nice loot system and the characters are nice and diverse. You can craft your own items with components you find which is really awesome, and the way the computer controls your other party members is decent. The game takes place in a dark version of samurai-ruled Japan with undead roaming the lands which feels fresh and unique. The only downside is the game isn't perfectly balanced and the skill trees do not make much sense.
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PC
Very underrated at the time and stands up even today as one of the best ARPGs ever released on the PC. The setting and atmosphere is truly unique and the game offers a tremendous challenge, and particularly the end boss who will wipe out your samurai permanently if he kills them. The design is very original too, which is both good and bad really. Some of the design decisions are somewhat weird and slow the game down a lot. Particularly this applies to the absence **** way to replenish your chi. This leads to a lot of waiting, especially if you want your spell caster(s) to level up at the same speed as your other characters. And you really need him to if you want to use him. And you will because he becomes very powerful.
Anyway, apart form this slightly tedious part of the game there is a novel and well implemented crafting system which never lets you have enough of anything really, except ingredients to use for it which can fill two full inventories after a while. But it means you have to make important decisions which is always good.
If you can take the slightly dated graphics, which look pretty good still after 14 years, then Throne of Darkness is highly recommended. Make sure you can run it though. Compatibility issues abound with these old games.
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PC
A fighting lion by today's standards. It's up there with Dungeon Siege, Neverwinter Nights and Diablo 2. The loot, characters, story and atmosphere were put together really well. Also, near the end you get to fight a boss that will PERMANENTLY delete your characters if they die against him in combat (what an insane idea by the devs). THAT blew me away! I cursed and I screamed! I repeated the game and I was FREAKIN MAD. Oh how I miss those days! We need more 'real-man' games like this! Kickstarter anybody?
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PC
Ce machin qui remonte apparemment à 2001 est le « résultat » de deux ex-trous du cul de chez **** qui avaient, semble-t’il, travaillé sur le premier Diablol ; ils ont fondé leur propre studio, puis embauché les autres trous de balle restants et démoulé cette espèce de euh… de truc machin dans un univers féodal nippon et très mauvais.
C’est quasiment comme dans Diablol mais avec , soit-disant, des options « tactiques » supplémentaires… mais en fait ça reste peu ou prou (ou peu ou prout comme disait mon grand-père, ancien colonel dans la Légion) ça reste disais-je, pas stratégique pour un dollar et ça reste avant tout de la meeeeeeeeeerde.
Un jeu donc ennuyeux, répétitif, prétentieux, stupide, crétin et idiot, boulotté par des peigne-culs de mon cul. Une 2D isométrique, 256 couleurs à l’écran, une résolution fixe, une caméra fixe, une interface pas géniale et surtout un jeu capricieux au lancement… sur Windows XP. Après l’avoir mis en compat’ 2000, il faut en effet cliquer et recliquer plusieurs fois sur le message d’erreur pour qu’il se lance enfin !
Bref, si cette daube pouvait au moins servir sur le trône, on n’hésiterait pas à s’en servir ; faute de quoi, elle pourra caler quelques rouleaux de papier-cul.
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PC
Summary In the ancient land of Yamato, an aging and power-hungry warlord, in his desire to live forever, has unleashed an unspeakable horror-the demon Zanshin and his horde of monsters and undead warriors. The land is soaked in the blood of your people, and the seven samurai in your party are Yamato's only hope. Use magic, weaponry, and wits to ...
Rated M
for Mature
Platforms:
- PC
Initial Release Date: Sep 24, 2001
Developer:
- Click Entertainment
Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
Genres:
