Darklands

Darklands presents a role playing experience grounded in the historical context of the 15th century Holy Roman Empire. Its setting is a detailed recreation of the period's geography, society, and material culture, into which supernatural elements drawn from contemporary folklore, like alchemy and mythical beasts, are integrated.

Character development is a central and challenging long term process. Players form a party of four from a larger roster, defining each member through a life history of five year career blocks, from social origin through various professions. These choices shape attributes and a wide array of skills, which improve through practice and the manual allocation of earned experience. While no rigid classes exist, characters often gravitate toward martial, religious, or alchemical specializations, the latter involving potion crafting and the former involving prayer to saints for aid.

The open world allows complete freedom to travel across a vast map, represented by a lone figure, to visit towns, castles, and wilderness sites. Settlement interactions occur through text menus with background images, offering similar options everywhere but with outcomes heavily influenced by local conditions, party reputation, and character skills. Activities range from commerce and investigation to accepting quests, with player actions capable of increasing fame or infamy. The overarching narrative concerning a demonic cult emerges only after meeting specific conditions, making the primary driver the accumulation of renown to unlock higher ranked missions.

Conflict resolution offers multiple approaches, with diplomacy or evasion often possible depending on relevant skills. When combat occurs, it unfolds in real time on isometric screens but can be paused for tactical orders, creating a hybrid system. Weapon effectiveness varies against armor types, and defeat can result in permanent character death, requiring replacement. Dungeon areas, including mines and story specific locales, provide structured environments for puzzles and combat, though much of the game's activity happens through random encounters during travel.