Demon Stone


Hack and Slash action in Faerun.

Yesterday I tried out the PS2 AD&D action game, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. Set in the land of Faerun, the game puts you in control of a 3-member party consisting of a human fighter, a sorcerer and a female half-drow thief. Unlike similar games where you create characters from scratch, you basically work with these pre-set heroes and follow their story as they get thrown into a quest to stop a couple of evil, powerful Otherworlders (a Slaad Lord and a female Githyanki general) from unleashing their darkness upon the Forgotten Realms.
This game is more similar to the past Lord of the Rings games from Electronic Arts, which is more Final Fight than an RPG-type actioner like Champions of Norrath or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. You basically work through a chapter with your three heroes, using various attacks and special techniques such as spells or the drow's ability to become momentarily invisible when passing through shadows. Controls are a bit on the slippery side, but the action is fast-paced and the screen is usually choked with tons of enemies to kill.
The game boasts some top Hollywood voice talent, such as Patrick "Jean-Luc Picard" Stewart as the archmage Blackstaff, and Michael Clark "Kingpin" Duncan as the evil Slaad. The graphics are pretty good, as is the music and sound effects. Playability is fine, with lots of attacks, combos and special techniques to dish out the punishment. I would have wanted the ability to customize your heroes more (such as getting the slinky drow in her skivvies. Heh...), but this is a good hack-and-slash action game to take out your frustrations at the end of a hard day.