I have to admit that the first time I played Death Gate it proved to be quite the "thinking" challenge. As an enthusiastic reader of the book series this game is based off I was very pleased to find it. Its not often you find a game based off a favorite book series.
In Death Gate you play out the adventures of Haplo, a young Patyn man who has recently escaped the Labyrinth. Your mission is to travel the other worlds and find the pieces of the World Seal.
With this your master, Lord Xar, plans to unite the worlds back to their former glory and rule over everyone. Each world contains many challenges that you must figure out on your journeys.
Also this game brings the concept of "Patyn Rune Magic". This magic draws upon the endless possibilities of the universe and allows the Patyn to pull those possibilities into reality. In short, make what’s possible real. In the game you discover new runes and spell that aid you in your quest.
I would say that the things necessary for players to do make this game too complicated for a young player. Putting that aside it has a good storyline that follows the basics of the book. There are differences, but they do not distract from the
gaming experience. The commands and menus are simple and effective.
I was impressed with how well magic was integrated with game-play. As the player you have many possible ways to use the magic. One example would be casting heat on you and start sweating. There are also a variety of times where you can cast spells with no effect in game-play yet get a good laugh. The menu for casting spells has two options. You can pick a spell from your list or try combining the runes yourself for effects. The runes glow when you put together a successful structure. One thing I believe is worth mentioning is that the runes are put together exactly how Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman explained in their books.
The graphics in this game exceed others from its time by far. It is apparent that the designers strove to bring the stories to life in this game.
Would I play this game as a fan of the books? Yes. Would I play it as some one who’s never read the books? Yes. This older game is certainly one not to pass up.
