Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes

Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes
Developer(s)	Atari
Publisher(s)	Atari
Platform(s)	Xbox
Release date(s)	September 2003
Genre(s)	Hack and slash
Mode(s)	Single-player, Cooperative multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen

Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes is a hack and slash video game with RPG elements. It was released by Atari exclusively for the Xbox in 2003. It is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe and is playable solo or with up to four players. Players take on the role of four reincarnated heroes brought back to life to fight their former nemesis, a wizard named Kaedin. The game has been compared to the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series.^[1]

Gameplay

This game is made for four players (unlike Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance which is 2-player) on the Xbox. It bears a striking resemblance to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance in gameplay, but you can adjust the camera more readily. The weapons and armor are similar to Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance in that you get a bonus to hit and defense, but it really doesn't help that much as you get hit A LOT. The healing potion is the same, but here you get "mystical will" potions that help you recover "mystical will." Mystical will governs your special attacks and magical spells. Also, unlike Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance where you start off with bad weapons, in this game you start off with Ancestral Weapons (the weapons that you defeated Kaedin with). They are decent, and you can regain their former glory by finding "Soul Shards" throughout the game. There are 20 in all, and at the end your weapons will kill Kaedin in a few hits. There are also powerful weapons in the game, but pale in comparison with your ancestral weapons. At points you will come across decent blades and staves, but once you gain the next Soul Shard the weapons become obsolete quick. You can also attach certain Gems to your ancestral weapons later on in the game to increase their power as well.

Plot

Prologue One hundred and fifty years before the present, the wizard Kaedin had opened four portals leading to different planes of existence. He harnessed power of the four planes to create "Planar Gems," each with the same power as the planes they came from. He then created a fifth Gem to control the four Planar Gems and entrusted a beholder to protect it. Beholders are long-lived, and this one still protects it to this day.

Kaedin became more powerful and malevolent with the four Planar Gems, and conquered town after town. The Kingdom of Baele called for its best and brightest, and four souls answered the call (your characters in the game). They traveled to Kaedin's castle and killed him. As Kaedin died, he casted a final spell that killed the four heroes. With Kaedin dead, the heroes were buried with full honors and the Gems were banished to the planes where they remain. Castle Baele was built over the site of the four portals and Kaedin's body is thrown into an unmarked grave.

Chapter 1-Crypts and Swamp

One hundred and fifty years later, a group of evil clerics sought to channel the dead wizard's power, but Kaedin revived and killed them all. Now a group of good clerics revives the four heroes to go after Kaedin. The four go through the crypts and fight the Bulette. After heading out into the swamps, They find a shadowy rogue who gives you information on the castle and who to contact there. At the end of the swamps, They enter Castle Baele.

Chapter 2-Castle Baele

Upon arriving at Castle Baele, the four travel to the shoppe and chat with Rik, the shopkeeper. He informs the four that they need to get the Planar Gems. Although, you need to attain certain keys first. The four head to the Dragon's Tankard to talk with the rogues (of which one is Lidda, featured in the Dungeons and Dragons PHB, the halfling rogue). She gives the heroes the key to the Great Hall in exchange for killing all of the Trolls in the marketplace, and the heroes go there. After clearing out the Great Hall, the heroes return to Rik and he tells them that they must collect the four Scepters to open the portals to the first plane. After clearing out the Treasury, Barracks, Church of Pelor and the Dungeons, the four return to Rick with the four scepters.

Chapter 3-The Portals

After attaining the scepters, the four kill the beholder guarding the Gem of Winds (the fifth Gem Kaedin made) and take it back to Rik. He explains how to open the first portal, and the heroes go to the Wilds and kill the Yuan-Ti. They fight to the top of the trees and then to a bluff where they fight a dragon. After defeating the dragon they take the Gem of Nature.

The Gem of Nature opens the portal to the Forge. This is a hot and fiery level. The four fight their way to a red dragon and defeat it. They claim the Gem of Fire and open the portal to the Frostbound.

After fighting frost giants and frost wolves, the heroes come to a sorceress who wants some Ice Golems dead. After killing the Ice Golems the heroes make their way to the Frost Worm's Lair, and they kill the Frost Worm and take the Gem of Ice.

The Gem of Ice opens the portal to Bone Necropolis. After fighting many undead and such, the four come across the Bone Temple. Inside are very powerful creatures but can't match the power of the four. In the inner sanctum the four come across a Lich, and defeat it with upgraded ancestral weapons and claim the Gem of Death.

Chapter 4-Shadow Keep

Upon returning to the Shoppe, the heroes find out that Rik is actually Kaedin! He betrays them and opens the gateway to the Shadow Keep. The four decide to follow him and end this once and for all. They fight many beasts and pull many levers until they face Kaedin once. He flees further into the castle and leave the four to find him again. The four find him in another tower and fight him until he leaves a second time. Upon fighting him the third time, he uses the Gems to call upon the power stored in them. The four defeat Kaedin and destroy the Gems leaving Baele in peace, and the heroes help to rebuild the Castle and help the surrounding communities.

Characters

There are four playable characters in the game:

• Human Fighter-He is from Castle Baele originally, after losing his father in the Far North on the island of Axion. He arrived in Baele as Kaedin rose to power, and helped defeat the wizard the first time (and losing his life in the process). 150 years after, he was resurrected by the dwarven clerics to battle Kaedin again.
• Elf Wizard-Raised in Baele, this elf trained with the staff and magic. She accepted the call to kill Kaedin when the head of her Guild called, "If your power be equal to Kaedin, bring yourself forward." 150 years later she steps forward again to kill Kaedin once and for all.
• Dwarf Cleric-He was raised in mountain halls, and trained as a Cleric of Moradin. He went to Baele seeking a drink after clearing out some evil dwarves and heard about an evil wizard named Kaedin conquering town after town. He decided it was Moradin's Will to kill this wizard. 150 years later, Moradin's Clerics raised him from the dead to seek out Kaedin and kill him again.
• Halfling Rogue-Orphaned at the age of 5, this rogue was left in the care of the Seven Stars Crew, a feared gang of rogues. She was trained, and then helped a wizard of some renown to attain some amulets. 10 years later she found out that the same wizard had destroyed her village. Kaedin was his name, and she left for Baele to exact revenge. 150 years later, her conviction to kill the wizard is still as strong as ever.

Each hero has a unique ancestral weapon which lost its power when Kaedin placed a curse upon it. Throughout the game, players collect Soul Shards to upgrade the weapon's power. Heroes all have some unique abilities which can be leveled up as the game progresses.

References

1. ^ GameSpot review

External links

• Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes at MobyGames
• HonestGamers Review (7/10)
• IGN Review (8.3)