The Temple of Elemental Evil

"A bit too faithful to the old module..."

The Temple of Elemental Evil is a bit different than most of the RPGs that are coming out as of late. TOEE was actually a very popular module for Dungeons and Dragons. Troika decided to make a modern Computer Role-playing Game based on the old module and using the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. And they succeeded at that, but have come up a bit lacking in the CRPG category.

Gameplay: The gameplay of TOEE is much better than most of the RPGs that are coming out today. TOEE is very faithful to its Dungeons and Dragons heritage and as such uses a turn-based system. This drastically changes the game from the watching of a battlefield you do in other d&d games (such as Icewind Dale 2) to more of a turn-based strategy game. You could probably beat the game using nothing but offensive spells and attacks, but it would be too difficult. No, TOEE requires you to actually plan out a good portion of the battle.
I remember the first battle where I really did have to plan out every single attack (until that point it was the careful usage of area effect spells found in other CRPGs). A horde of enemies (and by horde I mean there were about 20 or so strong enemies. Another good point, TOEE has massive battles) were attacking, leaving me no chance of survival should the bulk of them reach me I would be dead. However, with the careful use of spells to hinder their movement followed by area effect spells I was able to weaken the enemies to the point where my warriors were able to slay them. The excitement of hoping they would not reach me before my ranger could cast entangle was beaten only by the beauty of my fighter smashing in their skulls as we waded into the battle. This is just an example of the battles you face in The Temple of Elemental Evil.
However, the same basic strategy can be used for most battles, and as such only a real strategist would ever try anything new.
Gameplay: 8/10

Story: As with many games that use the d&d ruleset, story is a big part of it. The game begins in one of nine ways (depending on your alignment) some of which might make the evil side of us chuckle. However, all nine of these opening vignettes lead to the same town, and will eventually have you on the same quest, although for different reasons. One party may be searching for a powerful artifact that they must destroy; another may be on a quest to rescue a damsel in distress.
One of the most annoying things about most RPGs is ''Why would an evil party want to stop this person?'' The Temple of Elemental Evil finds a way to work around that, an example being the old fashioned ''We have to live here too you know,'' or just you having made some random person angry. However, it never feels like you are being forced to save the world. Half the time any good deeds you do can be interpreted as saving your own skin.
However, as I said earlier, Troika Games has succeeded at creating a CRPG of the pen and paper module. But one of the greatest parts of the pen and paper RPGs were that there was always a Dungeon Master around to make sure that the story would actually change to fit your party. The modules were usually just a guideline to follow, and not the entire game. As such, many parts of TOEE feel as though the story is out of your control. Usually that is to be expected, but the game does such a good job of making you feel like you are playing Dungeons and Dragons that it really will hurt the experience.
Story: 8/10

Graphics/Sound
The graphics of TOEE while above average everywhere, truly shine with the spell effects that put most games to shame. The moment you see the arc of a fireball followed by the explosion and burning of a web you will be impressed. Even the turning of undead is amazing as the blast of light and the subsequent explosions of the victims are breathtaking.
The sounds are also superb, but can indeed get a bit annoying at times. Every single line of NPC dialogue has voice acting to go with it, all of which leads to a great atmosphere. Everything from the sultry voice of a maiden you are trying to seduce to the angry voice of a god is beautiful and almost perfect. Even the cowering of a man who is begging for his life seems realistic. The ambient background noises, while great, can really get annoying. In one of the towns you will hear a cricket chirping at night. It is great the first few times, but it gets annoying very fast. I actually needed to take some medicine for my headache after a while. However, I am sure that there is an option to disable those noises, and everything else far outweighs it.
Graphics/Sound: 9.5/10

Playtime/Replayability
This is where TOEE truly fails. The game itself is far too short (I don't time my games, but I would say that it is ten hours at most). Don't get me wrong; I am not saying it is bad. The nature of the story does not lend itself to being extended any further. However, more side quests would have been nice. As the game currently stands you only have a few dungeons and then the game is over.
Also, the game, while having an ending that invites replayability, is a bit too monotonous to do so. The quests are for the most part still the same, even if you can solve them in different manners. Also, the lack of surprises makes the game too easy. No longer must you make a gamble on what spells to memorize, now you know exactly what you need and where you need it.
So while there are multiple endings, the effort required to earn them is just too much.
Graphics/Sound: 6/10

Final Notes
Overall TOEE is a must have game for any dungeons and dragons fan. I have played many games using the various rulesets, and this is the closest to the actual pen and paper game. Most generic RPG fans may or may not like it; it really depends upon what you want in an RPG. If you want endless gameplay with a very defined story grab a Final Fantasy game. If you actually want to roleplay, then this is a good game for you. The gameplay and atmosphere are amazing. It really feels as if you are leading the battles and adventures rather than watching from the sidelines. However, the atmosphere can occasionally be a bit too much (stupid crickets). The story while great, is not really meant for a CRPG and as such is not too much fun to play through multiple times.

Final Score: 7.875/10
Final Recommendations: In conclusion, I would say that this game is worth at least thirty American dollars in its current form. If multiplayer or a toolset are ever released then this will be worth at least fifty dollars. If you have a friend who owns it, ask to borrow it and see if you like it. If you don't have a friend, then by all means try the demo, but remember you have much more freedom in the full game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/03