Darklands

So you think you're a hardcore RPG fan? You’ve romanced a bear in Baldur’s Gate 3, shouted people off cliffs in Skyrim, and played Pathfinder until your brain herniated from feat trees? Cute. Let me introduce you to Darklands—the 1992 MicroProse classic that slapped you into 15th-century Germany with nothing but a rusty sword, a poorly dressed monk, and a prayer to Saint Boniface that maybe—maybe—you won’t die in a ditch outside Hamburg. This game doesn’t hold your hand. It doesn’t have a hand. It bit off its own hand to survive the Black Plague. You start by creating four characters using the most unintuitive, masochistic character generation system imaginable. Want to play a pious knight? Cool, better start him off as a peasant stableboy for 30 years and hope he doesn't die of old age before you even click "Start Game." And once you're in the game? Boom. You're dumped into a gritty, plague-ridden sandbox where Satan is real, alchemy is volatile as hell, and your map is just “Germany” scribbled on parchment by someone with severe tremors. You don’t get a main quest. You get vibes. The game basically shrugs and says, “I dunno, go punch a robber knight or pray to St. Wenceslaus until something interesting happens.” Combat? Oh, sweet summer child. It’s real-time with pause, except no one explained that to your party. Half the time, your monk is trying to fistfight a demon, your alchemist is bleeding out because he drank his own fire potion, and your sword-wielding warrior is somehow locked in mortal combat with a goose. Good times. The inventory system? Designed by someone who hates you and possibly life in general. You'll spend half the game trying to figure out if the potion you just drank was for healing or spontaneous combustion. Surprise! It’s both. Alchemy? Absolutely. Want to make a potion? Hope you enjoy memorizing a random assortment of Latin-sounding chemicals, half of which explode if you breathe wrong. One minute you’re crafting a potion of invisibility; the next you’re on fire and everyone in the party is blind, screaming, and legally dead. Religion? Welcome to medieval Catholicism: the game. Your prayers are real, your saints are picky, and if you sin too hard, you lose the ability to call divine lightning on witches. Unless the witch is hot—then it’s a moral gray area. Oh, and the quests? They’re all text-based, beautifully written, and borderline deranged. One minute you're rescuing a nun from a demonic cult, the next you're in a duel with a cursed knight whose name is 78 characters long and ends in "von Mörderblut." And the game doesn’t care if you’re ready. It just throws you in like: “Good luck, idiot. Hope you brought Saint Sebastian.” Graphics? It’s 1992. You’re here for the vibes, not the visuals. But somehow, it works. The grim pixel towns, the foggy roads, the weird little menu icons that may or may not represent sin and/or cholera—it all adds up to an experience that’s deeply immersive and aggressively hostile to your sanity. Final verdict? Darklands is an unholy fusion of historical sim, open-world sandbox, and “oops, I accidentally worshiped Satan again.” It’s ancient, brilliant, and unforgiving. It will chew you up, spit you out, and make you thank it for the experience. This is not a game for casuals. This is a game for the deeply unwell. 11/10. Would absolutely die of alchemical diarrhea in Bohemia again. Wanderlust? Nah, friend. It's Wanderlust with Werewolves.

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St. Matthias, pray for us. St. Barnabas, pray for us. St. Luke, pray for us. St. Mark, pray for us. All you Holy Apostles and Evangelists, pray for us. All you Holy Disciples of the Lord, pray for us. All you Holy Innocents, pray for us. St. Stephen, pray for us. St. Lawrence, pray for us. St. Vincent, pray for us. St. Fabian and Sebastian, pray for us. St. John and Paul, pray for us. St. Cosmas and Damian, pray for us. All you Holy Martyrs, pray for us. St. Sylvester, pray for us. St. Gregory, pray for us. St. Ambrose, pray for us. St. Augustine, pray for us. St. Jerome, pray for us. St. Martin, pray for us. St. Nicholas, pray for us. All you Holy Bishops and Confessors, pray for us. All you Holy Doctors, pray for us. St. Anthony, pray for us. St. Benedict, pray for us. St. Bernard, pray for us. St. Dominic, pray for us. St. Francis, pray for us. All you Holy Priests and Levites, pray for us. All you Holy Monks and Hermits, pray for us. St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us. St. Agatha, pray for us. St. Lucy, pray for us. St. Agnes, pray for us. St. Cecilia, pray for us. St. Anastasia, pray for us. St. Catherine, pray for us. St. Clare, pray for us. All you Holy Virgins and Widows, pray for us. All you Holy Saints of God, pray for us. Lord, be merciful, Lord, save your people. From all evil, Lord, save your people. From all sin, Lord, save your people. From your wrath, Lord, save your people. From a sudden and unprovided death, Lord, save your people. From the snares of the devil, Lord, save your people. From anger, hatred and all ill-will, Lord, save your people. From the spirit of uncleanness, Lord, save your people. From lightning and tempest, Lord, save your people. From the scourge of earthquake, Lord, save your people. From plague, famine and war, Lord, save your people. From everlasting death, Lord, save your people. By the mystery of your Holy Incarnation, Lord, save your people. By Your Coming, Lord, save your people. 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Bring back to the unity of the Church all those who are straying, and bring all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel, Lord, hear our prayer. Strengthen and preserve us in your holy service, Lord, hear our prayer. Raise our minds to desire the things of heaven, Lord, hear our prayer. Reward all our benefactors with eternal blessings, Lord, hear our prayer. Deliver our souls from eternal damnation, and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors, Lord, hear our prayer. Give and preserve the fruits of the earth, Lord, hear our prayer. Grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, Lord, hear our prayer. That it may please You to hear and heed us, Jesus, Son of the Living God, Lord, hear our prayer. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord! Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord! Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. Christ, hear us, Christ, graciously hear us Lord Jesus, hear our prayer Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy on us Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us Lord, have mercy on us

I recommend playing this game, but some where else... FOR FREE. This game is that old and that much of a masterpiece that it is ACTUALLY in a museum. This COPY of this game is very full of bugs that were not in the original experience, because the DOSBox that runs this Copy is done sloppy and as cheap as possible (probably free). There isn't any known plans to fix the DOSBox so that it doesn't crash frequently, and no known plans to remove/modify the copy protection feature in the game to where you do not have to alt+tab out of DOSBox to search manuals for codes to keep playing, adding risk to DOSBox crashing and you losing all your progress. Unless you save and delete files because if you save to many times, you may risk all your saves becoming corrupted. There are missing sound files right away in this COPY, during the intro sequence. So this game is just... NOT WORTH BUYING AT ANY PRICE. Not when you can play it for free on some curator websites. This is 100% a game I recommend playing, you can REALLY get into it. You probably wont find another RPG like Darklands. It has incredible depth, open ended story play, deep character and level progression, a huge map to explore, a great retro soundtrack... but in the state that it is in here, AVOID THIS GAME ON STEAM.

I have never spent more time in character creation than with this stupid game. I think making your party IS the game, all the boring crap that comes after that is just window dressing. I love Darklands, I think it was ambitious and amazing, but if you aren't at least 40 you probably won't have the patience to appreciate it.

Worth playing? Oh yes, just bear in mind it's a 30+ year old game, so you'll have to do some homework with the manual before you can even hope to make your party. Be sure to check the steam guides for further help. Also, keep [url=https://www.oldgames.sk/images/oldgames/rpg/Darklands/Docs/symbols.gif]this[/url] handy so the copy protection doesn't catch you with your pants down. With all that said, the game is a fun romp through the Holy Roman Empire in the late middle ages, right at the turn of the century. It's quite ambitious in the amount of ground it tries to cover, but the underlying design is pure RPG goodness, even if it gets repetitive with copious amounts of grinding.  Give it a try, but I wouldn't blame you if you decide to call it quits after a while.

I've always loved this game, which I've played off-and-on since it was created. Although it's very retro game design, I love the immersiveness that the developers create - in lots of ways, this is the closest a video game has come to virtually re-create the real life feeling of a traditional game of Dungeons and Dragons. Except it has a way-better character generator than is in D&D. One tip: you absolutely need to have access to the game manual, either electronically or analog.

I played this game on PC almost 30 years ago. It has respectable depth, although even then it had some problems which would cause crashes. This port wasn't handled well and the game on Steam is too buggy to enjoy. As some other reviewers have mentioned, there is copyright protection on this which requires the manual. One of the issues that occurs is that you know where you want to click through the menus, so you're quickly navigating that, and then the copyright protection pops up and just closes the game. You lose a lot of time that way. Also, the game crashes sometimes when loading. The save/load system is difficult to navigate so you have to name your games precisely or you don't know where you were in some of the important areas. There is no quest tracking, so you have to write it all down (I don't mind that part too much, but it's worth noting). It still runs as though you're running it on a 486 DX: It's SLOWWWWWWW. The game really should have been cleaned up. The underlying gameplay could be quite fun, but the bugs and sloth of it all are too much. A rebuild would be worthwhile. (I played this for nostalgia and ended up giving up because of all the problems above. I definitely do not recommend.)

Darklands is one of those old-school RPGs that does things so differently it still feels fresh decades later. If you’re into classic games that are hard as nails but brimming with depth, this one is a must-play. Think of it as part history book, part folklore manual, and all RPG goodness—but it doesn’t follow the traditional fantasy route. Instead, it’s set in the Holy Roman Empire, mixing historical accuracy with the stuff people believed in at the time: demons, witches, saints, and alchemy. The Setting: A Medieval World Done Right Unlike most RPGs, Darklands takes place in a grittier, more realistic medieval Europe. Forget fireballs and elves—here you’ll find forests haunted by werewolves, alchemists brewing questionable potions, and saints who’ll lend divine favors (if you pray hard enough). The game’s world feels alive with detail. Villages, cities, and monasteries have their own vibes, all steeped in the superstitions and politics of the time. Travel is dangerous, roads are crawling with bandits, and every decision feels like it has weight. There’s also no clear “magic system” in the traditional sense. Instead, you rely on alchemical concoctions and the blessings of saints. Saints work like spells—you invoke them for things like healing or protection. It’s an ingenious design that fits perfectly with the medieval theme and adds an extra layer of immersion. Gameplay: Open-World RPG Before It Was Cool The game starts with creating your party of adventurers, and let me tell you, this system is chef’s kiss. You don’t just assign stats randomly—your characters’ skills and stats are influenced by their life choices. Did they spend years in the church, the military, or as a merchant? These choices determine how good they are at things like combat, persuasion, or Latin (yes, that’s a skill, and it’s crucial). The character creation alone can take hours if you’re like me and want to perfect every detail. Once you’re in, the game’s open world is your oyster. You can follow the main quest about uncovering and defeating a looming evil, but the side quests are just as engaging. Whether you’re hunting down bandit leaders, rooting out heretics, or helping villagers fend off supernatural threats, there’s always something worth doing. Combat is in real-time with a pause function, which allows for a mix of tactical planning and on-the-fly decision-making. It’s challenging but satisfying, especially once you start mastering the nuances of saintly blessings, alchemy, and positioning. You’ll need to think through every encounter, as charging in headfirst usually ends in a quick death. Survival and Strategy Here’s the thing about Darklands: it doesn’t care about making things easy for you. The world is punishing, and you’ll need to carefully manage your party’s health, equipment, and resources. Travelling between cities? Pack enough food or risk starvation. Got injured in a fight? Hope you have an alchemical salve or enough favor with a saint to heal up—otherwise, you’re limping into the next encounter. You also have to deal with your characters aging over time. This isn’t a game where you stay eternally young—your team grows older, and their physical attributes decline. It’s a small detail, but it adds a layer of realism that few games ever attempt. One thing to keep in mind: read the manual. Seriously. It’s over 130 pages, but it’s packed with information you’ll need to survive. This game doesn’t hold your hand, and diving in blind is a recipe for frustration. Once you get the hang of the mechanics, though, you’ll appreciate the depth and complexity. Quests and Random Encounters The quests are where Darklands shines. Sure, there’s a main storyline involving dark forces threatening the empire, but the real meat is in the side content. You might stumble across a village terrorized by a werewolf or uncover a heretical cult’s secret lair. These encounters are often tied to the medieval lore that makes the game so unique. Even the random events are memorable. Travelling through the wilderness can lead to bandit ambushes, strange omens, or the occasional brush with the supernatural. And because the game doesn’t scale to your level, every journey feels dangerous. You might get cocky after a few easy fights, only to run into something far beyond your capabilities. It’s this unpredictability that keeps you on your toes. Visuals and Sound The graphics are simple but effective. For a game from 1992, the detailed maps and character portraits hold up surprisingly well. The text-heavy interface is a bit clunky by modern standards, but it’s part of the charm. The sound design, with its period-appropriate music and atmospheric effects, helps pull you into the world. Final Thoughts [b]Darklands is not a game for the faint of heart. It’s hard, it’s deep, and it demands your full attention. But for those willing to put in the effort, it’s one of the most rewarding RPGs out there. The historical setting mixed with folklore is a breath of fresh air, even today. Whether you’re chasing down bandits, solving alchemical riddles, or trying to survive a brush with the supernatural, every moment feels meaningful. If you’re a fan of classic RPGs and want something that stands out from the usual fantasy fare, Darklands is a must-play. Just make sure you have patience, a manual on hand, and a love for medieval history. 9.5/10 – A towering achievement in classic RPG design.[/b]

DARKLANDS deserves the DAGGERFALL Unity treatment, however most of the time I drop Dos games, but this one I couldn't resist it's charm even with all it's flaws from minor technical issues to it's (not so much) crashes, it's truly a magnificent experience that'll live forever. To me this game is the ideal historical simulator, it combines my favorite elements into one unique game. The game director, Arnold Hendrick was working on a spiritual successor to DARKLANDS, but unfortunately he died recently in 2020, however the game development will continue according to his friend "https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/darklands-creator-arnold-hendrick-has-passed-away.133220/page-2#post-6751260" For those who want another historical experience sharing not much far location of DARKLANDS must play KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE, it's 15th century and it's the Holy Roman Empire.

This remains the best RPG of all time. It should be revived.