Created by Markus 'Wayne' Schlegel
Reviewed by Dormammu Review Posted on 2006-11-28
Quick Pros:
Detailed, in-depth play. Lots of unique items and creatures.
Quick Cons:
Main storyline can be a tad confusing at times. Sometimes you can get moved along a little too quickly.
Summary (No Spoilers)
Number of Players: 1
Hours of Game Play: 30+
Character: Hadhodrond, Neutral Evil Rogue/Barbarian/Blackguard
Start Level: 5
End Level: 23
Hak Size: 120 MB
Death: Normal
Resting: Normal, but limited in some areas.
Requires: SoU, HotU, CEP v 1.53
Menzoberranzan is in complete chaos and disrepair as a small band of Drow, headed by an ambitious priestess, fight their way to the mysterious surface world to recover a powerful artifact that will make them the most powerful in the Underdark.
Your character is needed to help forge the path and blaze the trail for this motley crew of Dark Elves. He or she will be enlisted to scout, kill, explore, and survive the depths of the deadly Underdark all the way up to the unknowns of the surface world.
Author Description:
Did you ever want to play the dark side? How about being one of the most evil, dreaded, despised creatures of Faerun? How about being a drow? Find out in this roleplaying module series.
Review (Spoilers)
The game starts within the halls of “The Sage”, a storyteller and keeper of balance for your PC as he or she moves along throughout the series of modules. The Sage will make sure you are properly leveled to 5 and equipped before you head to the camp and report for duty.
After you report for duty, get ready to buckle down, because you are going to be busy for a long time coming. Your actions will not only draw the favor (or reprimand) of your Matron, but Lolth and other unworldly beings will be taking notice of your deeds as well!
Gameplay : 9
The gameplay in this module is akin to a pebble that rolls down a mountain that culminates to an avalanche. Your character stays still only long enough to rest when you are playing, and the more you play the more opportunities to play unfold.
You start out innocently enough, rounding up and killing goblins in the area. Not so fast! Not even the goblins would be the normal “run in and rout” mission that so many are. A theme that holds true to the well-balanced, well-thought-out, and carefully weighed nature of these modules. Your character is constantly pushed to the limit of his or her abilities, and constantly on the move as the adventure takes it’s twists and turns though the Underdark and the story line.
Unlike any other module(s) I have played, no more so has this been able to not only keep up the pace throughout the whole time of gameplay, but to be able to “ramp it up” in critical situations. You simply keep it going, and keep it going well, the whole time. Nothing is as it seems, and you don’t feel like you are in another “cookie-cutter” product. Simply outstanding.
Roleplaying : 7.5
Another really solid part of this series is how your choices and actions can effect not only yourself but so many things around you. Your alignment can take bold directions within choices of conversation, and different quest opportunities will present themselves based upon the result of your actions. Your PC is absolutely instrumental in how the group of Drow you are associated with will fare, and what rewards you may receive from “higher beings”.
A couple of small things I would like to be critical of here goes as follows: First, whereas many, if not all, classes are supported, it is heavily implied in the gameplay and combat balance that a mixture of Rogue and Fighter elements are called for. I tried a couple of different builds before I settled on Rogue/Barbarian/Blackguard, and met with very limited success or failure (especially because combat is so difficult in this series).
Also, one thing that really caught my attention was how relaxed the relationship between male and female Drow was. Quite frankly, there were things that I said to the “Matron” as a male that probably should have gotten me killed, or at the very least flogged. I was slightly disappointed with this deviation of the Drow social structure.
Action : 8
Excellent, absolutely excellent. Not only are the confrontations and enemies diverse and mixed well, but battle tactics can be used on both sides (and often are) and the melee is just brutal. With the exception of a minority of the goblins at the beginning, I can think of no creature encountered that didn’t undergo some craft by the author (another trend that grows as the series progresses).
Combat holds surprises, ambushes, outlandish creatures, powerful mages, unique NPCs, and the threat of defeat in many situations. You can expect that many of the enemies will be as well equipped as you are, as well (which can make for some fun looting!).
Visuals : 9
Akin to how the gameplay and story evolve with each chapter, the visuals are just phenomenal by the time you reach part six of the series. Specifically, there are the cutscenes and intro movies, the elaborate settings, and the custom tilesets that were very impressive.
As you move along between modules, there are neat little movies that will chime in and sort of recap the story as it has progressed. The cutscenes are strategically placed to help add tension or drama to a situation. Both of these were essential tools not only for story telling, but as a trademark that sets this series apart from all others.
The settings and the tilesets sort of go hand in hand, and were beautifully crafted/implemented. Even from the beginning, you start to notice things like a well-made sidecave which houses a team of dangerous spiders, and within their deadly surprise. Did this look like every other cave in NWN? No! It was hand-forged to give you the sense and feel that this was the spookiest little cave you might find. That is the idea behind many of the settings, all the way up until the lovely ruins of Myth Drannor (using a dazzling series of custom tilesets for elven cities and ruins). No time was taken off, and no area overlooked during the creation process. This simply evolved into a picturesque setting for fantasy play.
Sound : 6
Shockingly absent was the profound attention to detail here that was given to so many other aspects of the series. Still, it is well used and pleasant, but not nearly as alarmingly gratifying as the visuals (for example).
Replayability : 7
Given the ability at the end of part five to definitively direct your character a certain way (you are given the choice of three deities to follow), one might feel compelled to see how the “other choices” pan out. That being said, I don’t feel incredibly confident that, as a whole, a different character and “deity selection” will do a lot to change the experience as a whole. However, playing a “Good” aligned character will make for a very different outcome than that of an “Evil” aligned character.
Documentation : 7
Another one of the quizzical omissions is a readme (comprehensive or otherwise). However, because of the use of the intro area and having the “Sage” figure fill you in on the requirements, it goes a long way to making things understandable. Also, the author made wonderful use of the map pins, making navigation MUCH easier for the player. In fact, it is probably one of the best and most logical implementations of the map pins I have run across.
I do want to point out that there are in fact some misspellings and, well, unorthodox approach to grammar. Being that the author is German, this is very easy to look past and really not that big of a deal. I hold on to my point about the readme, though, as my one criticism..
Solo : 9
This is the place where I rate how this series fares against other single player modules I have played/reviewed before (and I have played a lot of them). This rates among the elite of modules I have played. In my own mind and preference there might be one or two modules I prefer over this series, but as a *series*, these modules that comprise “A Hunt Through the Dark” pretty much stand alone.
Multiplayer : N/A
Fun Factor : 8
Yes, of course this is fun! The one little caveat I might place here is that if you are not quite as familiar with the Drow as many NWN enthusiasts are, there are certain choices and the reasons you make them in this series that might elude you. Even with the criticisms I have made of how well Drow society translates into this play, it is still incredibly accurate and well constructed. If, just if, you can’t quite grasp the terror of the Drow and their sadistic ways, it just might not be as fun for you.
Then again, when a series of modules holds as much as this one does, it is hard not to understand and have fun. Well deserving of it’s “Hall of Fame” rank.
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