Darkstone

"Darkstone is a Diablo clone-- a good Diablo clone!"

When I saw this game, I knew it would be something special for PC. I never got around to buying it, so I waited for the Playstation release. It was only 9.99 and I got a great game.

The only thing I find bad about this game is how badly it rips off Diablo. The gameplay is almost exactly the same, the concept is the same, same spells, weapons, charactors, and even sound effects!!

Graphics - 9/10
The graphics are really good for PSX graphics. I was surprised. I liked the lighting effects in alot of the caves and dark rooms, lighting them up to give them that medievil feel. The monster's look like monsters, and the graphics are not 2D like Diablo's. But, even Diablo's 2D graphics look prettier. It tries to use Diablo's perspective of maze-like caves and dungeons to make eerie looking places, but it comes out good.

Sound - 6/10
Some of the music is great, and some of it is just plain annoying. It has the great medievil sound and rythym to it, something like you would find in Diablo. I give Dark Stone's sound so low because even the sound brings back memories of Diablo. When you swing the sword, it's the exact same sound as the sword swinging in Diablo. The monster's make the same grunting noises. The sound quality is great and all, but it's not original.

Gameplay - 7/10
This adds and deletes from Diablo's gameplay. First, the camera view is annoying as crap the first few times you play it, but it soon becomes alright. The environments are very similar to Diablo's, caves consisting of levels, feilds that stretch on forever. Weapon's are great, giving you a wide variety to choose from. Unlike Diablo, this game has a wide selection of charactors, from Warriors to Monks, Preistess' to Amazon's. But, the gameplay is not as smooth and compelling as Diablo's. The bosses can be horrundously hard, and finding certain item's can be a pain. My point is, imagine Diablo with bad camera angles and more charactors on Playstation.

Plot - 6/10
Even the plot isn't original, although this time it does not copy Diablo. A dragon named Draak was sealed in imprisonment years ago, and now Draak has broken the seal and is getting his revenge on the earth by summoning monster demons all over the world to enslave humanity. Sound familiar? It does get quite interesting talking to people though.

Replay/Fun - 8/10
I'm not going to say the game is more fun than Diablo, but I will say this: it darn sure comes close. After you have completed the game with one character, you can try one of the others to use. That is always great fun to test out another charactor, with new weapons, spells, and traits.

Bottom line - This game does not make a good rental because it is a rather long game. When I rent something, I usually intend on beating it, otherwise I would not have rented it. It is a must-buy for fans of Diablo, and any Medievil RPG fan that owns a PC or PSX. I enjoyed the game thouroghly, I hope you do too! Sorry if I mentioned Diablo like a million times!! Hahaha...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/25/02, Updated 11/25/02