Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
Encyclopedia
Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun is a console role-playing game developed for the Sega Mega Drive
by Westwood Associates
in 1992. It is based on the Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D) game rules, and uses the D&D Hollow World campaign setting
.
s (PCs). There are three distinct styles of gameplay: outside adventure mode, outside combat mode, and dungeon mode.
In the two outside modes, the player has an isometric view on their characters as they travel around the locations on the world map, including open fields, forests, jungles, cities, and swamps. The party is controlled as one, and each member will follow the lead character's movements.
In the outside adventure mode, the movements of the party are in real-time. When the party encounters random battles or set events (such as a Beastman camp or an ambush on a bridge), the game will switch into outside combat mode.
The outside combat mode is turn-based. A PC is highlighted with a white box when it is that PCs turn. This selected character can move a short distance, attack, or both as the player chooses. The combat system is based on an automated version of the D&D rules, so each character and enemy has hit points
and an armor class
rating. If the enemies are killed or flee, the party is awarded experience points and occasionally treasure. If the PCs are killed in battle, their tombstones will be displayed, and the game will end. The player can attempt to flee the battle by moving the characters away from the enemies.
The dungeon mode differs from the other modes, as it uses a first person
view. The game switches to this mode when the party enters a cave or building. The screen displays what the party can see in the dungeon, along with a compass
and textual information describing the surroundings. Encounters with enemies become real-time events in dungeon mode, moving the focus away from slow and strategic combat of the outside mode to a faster-paced style. In addition, weapons and spells can have different effects in this mode; for example, the lightning bolt spell will bounce off the dungeon walls and possibly backfire on the party. The party also needs to be cautious of traps and hidden doors while exploring the dungeons.
In all game modes, the party's portraits, weapons and hit points will be displayed on the right hand side of the screen, along with any status effects they may have (such as being poisoned or under the affect of a sleep spell). Pressing the "Start" button calls up the camping menu. From here, the player can manage the party's inventory, command them to rest and heal, save and load games, transfer items between characters, view the world map, and configure game options.
The game has save game slots, which allow up to four games to be saved.
, lizardmen
, and dinosaurs
.
army (composed of humans, elves
, dwarves
, and halflings
) and the goblin
army are at war. The goblins are making a final push into Duke Barrik's castle, and the Duke believes that they will overrun his defenses and kill all of his people. However, before the goblin attack begins, the ground begins to shake, the sky tears open, and both armies are sucked into a void.
Duke Barrik's castle is transported to a valley enclosed with impossibly tall cliffs and a brilliant red sun overhead (the "Eternal Sun" of the title). The goblins are nowhere to be seen, and the humans appear to be stranded in this new world.
The Duke requests that the four player character
s explore this strange environment in order to find allies. During the party's quest, they will explore dungeons, volcanoes, and ancient cities, and discover new enemies. While they are adventuring, an unseen force is slowly turning the Duke's people against them. They grow increasingly insane and eventually hostile throughout the course of the adventure. The player characters must unravel the mysteries of this new world and locate the creature known as the Burrower in order to survive.
, fighter
, magic-User
, thief
, dwarf
, elf
, and halfling
. The player can decide the name and gender of their characters and choose between red, blue, green, or yellow clothing. These are cosmetic details that do not have any effect on actual gameplay. The abilities of the different character classes are based on the rules of the original Dungeons & Dragons game.
The characters' ability scores
—strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma—are determined during the character creation process via simulated dice rolls. The maximum ability score at the start of the game is eighteen. The ability scores affect gameplay. For example, characters with a high strength score can cause more damage in combat, and characters with a high constitution will receive more hit points.
Fighters are the most skilled in battle and generally have the highest strength. They can use all weapons. Dwarves are as strong as fighters and are also accomplished warriors.
Characters in the magic-user and elf classes can cast spells. Magic-users begin the game with the magic missile spell, and elves begin with the sleep spell. As the characters progress through the game, they gain access to more powerful magic and an increased number of spells per spell level, up to a maximum of four lower level spells, but less for higher level spells. These new spells can be learned from magic scrolls
found during the adventure. Magic-users can learn more magic than elves, while elves are stronger fighters than magic-users. Magic-users are physically weak and can use few weapons, although they have the most magic items available to them.
Clerics can also cast spells and have access to their own type of magic, which is focused on healing and controlling enemies. They do not receive spells until they reach their second level. They can learn reversed versions of many of their spells, producing opposite effects to the original spell. This reversal can make healing spells cause damage, cause the light spell to create darkness, and so on. Clerics are stronger than all classes besides fighters and dwarves in physical combat.
Thieves can hide in the shadows (which allows them to make sneak attacks on enemies) and also search for and disarm traps in the dungeon mode. When they reach the tenth level, thieves are capable of casting spells from scrolls found while adventuring. They cannot memorize these spells like magic-users, and the spell can only be used once, after which it disappears from the scroll.
Halflings are similar to thieves: they can hide in shadows and are capable, but not impressive, in battle.
.
In a 2008 retrospective on Dungeons & Dragons video games, IGN.com
called Warriors of the Eternal Sun a "mixed bag", complimenting the battle system and graphical style, but calling it a "crib sheet" effort which was not preferable to other RPGs available at the time.
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
by Westwood Associates
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...
in 1992. It is based on the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D) game rules, and uses the D&D Hollow World campaign setting
Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings
The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons rules means that Dungeon Masters are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. For those who wanted a pre-packaged setting in which to play, TSR, Wizards of the Coast , and other publishers have created many settings in which D&D games can be based...
.
Gameplay
The player controls a party of four player characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s (PCs). There are three distinct styles of gameplay: outside adventure mode, outside combat mode, and dungeon mode.
In the two outside modes, the player has an isometric view on their characters as they travel around the locations on the world map, including open fields, forests, jungles, cities, and swamps. The party is controlled as one, and each member will follow the lead character's movements.
In the outside adventure mode, the movements of the party are in real-time. When the party encounters random battles or set events (such as a Beastman camp or an ambush on a bridge), the game will switch into outside combat mode.
The outside combat mode is turn-based. A PC is highlighted with a white box when it is that PCs turn. This selected character can move a short distance, attack, or both as the player chooses. The combat system is based on an automated version of the D&D rules, so each character and enemy has hit points
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
and an armor class
Armor class
In some role-playing games, armor class is a derived statistic that indicates how difficult it is to land a successful blow on a character with an attack...
rating. If the enemies are killed or flee, the party is awarded experience points and occasionally treasure. If the PCs are killed in battle, their tombstones will be displayed, and the game will end. The player can attempt to flee the battle by moving the characters away from the enemies.
The dungeon mode differs from the other modes, as it uses a first person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
view. The game switches to this mode when the party enters a cave or building. The screen displays what the party can see in the dungeon, along with a compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
and textual information describing the surroundings. Encounters with enemies become real-time events in dungeon mode, moving the focus away from slow and strategic combat of the outside mode to a faster-paced style. In addition, weapons and spells can have different effects in this mode; for example, the lightning bolt spell will bounce off the dungeon walls and possibly backfire on the party. The party also needs to be cautious of traps and hidden doors while exploring the dungeons.
In all game modes, the party's portraits, weapons and hit points will be displayed on the right hand side of the screen, along with any status effects they may have (such as being poisoned or under the affect of a sleep spell). Pressing the "Start" button calls up the camping menu. From here, the player can manage the party's inventory, command them to rest and heal, save and load games, transfer items between characters, view the world map, and configure game options.
The game has save game slots, which allow up to four games to be saved.
Setting
Warriors of the Eternal Sun is set in the Hollow World campaign setting. Creatures and enemies from this world appear in the game, including the Blacklore elves, the war-mongering Azcans, beastmenBeastmen
Beastmen can refer to: -*Beastmen in Final Fantasy bestiary *Beastmen in the Warhammer Fantasy setting*A Beasts of Chaos army in the Warhammer setting*Beastmen in Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun...
, lizardmen
Lizardfolk
Lizardfolk are a fictional humanoid species in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:...
, and dinosaurs
Dinosaur (Dungeons & Dragons)
In numerous campaign settings of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, dinosaurs, based upon the actual-life extinct reptiles of prehistoric ages, are present. Some of the dinosaurs used in D&D, such as Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Ankylosaurus, are real ones which used to exist...
.
Story
The humanHuman (Dungeons & Dragons)
Humans are a race available for player characters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although short-lived by comparison, humans are the most populous of all Dungeons & Dragons races. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specializations like...
army (composed of humans, elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, and halflings
Halfling (Dungeons & Dragons)
The halfling is a fictional race found in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Halflings are similar to humans except about half the size...
) and the goblin
Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of...
army are at war. The goblins are making a final push into Duke Barrik's castle, and the Duke believes that they will overrun his defenses and kill all of his people. However, before the goblin attack begins, the ground begins to shake, the sky tears open, and both armies are sucked into a void.
Duke Barrik's castle is transported to a valley enclosed with impossibly tall cliffs and a brilliant red sun overhead (the "Eternal Sun" of the title). The goblins are nowhere to be seen, and the humans appear to be stranded in this new world.
The Duke requests that the four player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s explore this strange environment in order to find allies. During the party's quest, they will explore dungeons, volcanoes, and ancient cities, and discover new enemies. While they are adventuring, an unseen force is slowly turning the Duke's people against them. They grow increasingly insane and eventually hostile throughout the course of the adventure. The player characters must unravel the mysteries of this new world and locate the creature known as the Burrower in order to survive.
Characters
The party of PCs can be made up of any combination of the following character types: clericCleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
, fighter
Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)
The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
, magic-User
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
, thief
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
, dwarf
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, elf
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, and halfling
Halfling
Halfling is another name for J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit which can be a fictional race sometimes found in fantasy novels and games. In many settings, they are similar to humans except about half the size. Dungeons & Dragons began using the name halfling as an alternative to hobbit for legal reasons...
. The player can decide the name and gender of their characters and choose between red, blue, green, or yellow clothing. These are cosmetic details that do not have any effect on actual gameplay. The abilities of the different character classes are based on the rules of the original Dungeons & Dragons game.
The characters' ability scores
Attribute (role-playing games)
An attribute is a piece of data that describes to what extent a fictional character in a role-playing game possesses a specific natural, in-born characteristic common to all characters in the game. That piece of data is usually an abstract number or, in some cases, a set of dice...
—strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma—are determined during the character creation process via simulated dice rolls. The maximum ability score at the start of the game is eighteen. The ability scores affect gameplay. For example, characters with a high strength score can cause more damage in combat, and characters with a high constitution will receive more hit points.
Fighters are the most skilled in battle and generally have the highest strength. They can use all weapons. Dwarves are as strong as fighters and are also accomplished warriors.
Characters in the magic-user and elf classes can cast spells. Magic-users begin the game with the magic missile spell, and elves begin with the sleep spell. As the characters progress through the game, they gain access to more powerful magic and an increased number of spells per spell level, up to a maximum of four lower level spells, but less for higher level spells. These new spells can be learned from magic scrolls
Scroll (parchment)
A scroll is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper which has been written, drawn or painted upon for the purpose of transmitting information or using as a decoration.-Structure:...
found during the adventure. Magic-users can learn more magic than elves, while elves are stronger fighters than magic-users. Magic-users are physically weak and can use few weapons, although they have the most magic items available to them.
Clerics can also cast spells and have access to their own type of magic, which is focused on healing and controlling enemies. They do not receive spells until they reach their second level. They can learn reversed versions of many of their spells, producing opposite effects to the original spell. This reversal can make healing spells cause damage, cause the light spell to create darkness, and so on. Clerics are stronger than all classes besides fighters and dwarves in physical combat.
Thieves can hide in the shadows (which allows them to make sneak attacks on enemies) and also search for and disarm traps in the dungeon mode. When they reach the tenth level, thieves are capable of casting spells from scrolls found while adventuring. They cannot memorize these spells like magic-users, and the spell can only be used once, after which it disappears from the scroll.
Halflings are similar to thieves: they can hide in shadows and are capable, but not impressive, in battle.
Reception
GameRankings has an aggregate ranking of 62.50% for Warriors of the Eternal Sun, based on two reviews. The game is rated as 'Average' on allgameAllgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
.
In a 2008 retrospective on Dungeons & Dragons video games, IGN.com
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called Warriors of the Eternal Sun a "mixed bag", complimenting the battle system and graphical style, but calling it a "crib sheet" effort which was not preferable to other RPGs available at the time.