Dungeon Master

"Same interface, new quest"

Dungeon Master is a basic Dungeons & Dragons game that focuses on gameplay, not the story. You start the game with a small introduction, then progressing right into the game, choosing from 24 characters (only having four in your party). Hardcore D&D players may like this game, and possibly some people who have never played any games of this series before.

Story (3/10)

Basically, you are told what you must do. After that, you go out and do it. The next time you really see anything about the story is when you are at the end of the game doing what you were told to do in the beginning. People who don't like having a story to waste time with, will like this.

Gameplay (6/10)

When playing this game, you fight monsters for items and experience, solve puzzles containing levers, buttons, and other traps, and you attempt to try to find anything that will help you throughout the game. This is the only thing you do in this game.

The game also contains Food and Water factors, dropping when you rest (to regain Stamina, Health, and Mana). You will find many food items throughout the game, so this shouldn't be a real problem. Throughout the game, you will find a series of weapons, throwing items, magic items, potions, and clue scrolls. Using these items is the key to success in this game. All of the items you find can be used for something in one way or another.

For magic, there is a combination of runes. There are four sets of runes, only one rune allowed to be used on a certain set once for that spell. Spells range from Magic Missile to creating VI Potions (Vitality Potions).

Your character gains levels as certain classes. If you use Ninja abilities for example, your Ninja experience will rise. You may only have four classes for a character (there are only four in the game anyways).

Controls (7/10)

The controls in this game may seem hard to get used to at first, but it gets easier as you progress through the game. Like most D&D games, you have two modes of moving--using your pointer on the arrows or pushing Select and moving with the D-Pad and L and R buttons. Controls for this game are very basic, and shouldn't be much of a problem.

Graphics (6/10)

The graphics of the game are fair, but nothing too great. All of the graphics have enough detail to give you a pretty good idea of what everything is.

Sound (3/10)

This is what most SNES D&D games lack - sound. Though you can hear sounds when you do something (sometimes), most of the game is mute in the aspect of having sounds. You will have to rely on what you see instead of what you hear.

Music (7/10)

The music in this game is fair, but not that great. It does a good job at showing the emotions of the current situation. The music is good for a SNES game.

Replay (4/10)

You probably won't find this game much different, even when you use different characters and master them at different classes. The traps, items, and monsters are always the same along with being in the same locations. If you want to do a few challenges (like an all-spellcasting party), then you may replay it a few times before eventually tiring of it.

Overall (5/10)

Dungeon Master concentrates on people who like to get items, solve puzzles, and fight monsters. It's a game for people who don't want to listen to parts of the story in between the game. Overall, Dungeon Master is a fair dungeoncrawler.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/04