Menzoberranzan Review
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In terms of actual role-playing, there wasn't a lot of it, which is odd for an RPG. The decisions of my characters had no effect on the direction of the story, and conversations with NPCs only really served to advance the storyline with information needed to finish a quest, or to add a character to my party. In fact, a lot of the time I was given the chance to try every dialog choice within a single conversation. Gameplay in general is a bit dizzying, and I found it difficult to get used to a first-person view when I was controlling 2-4 characters. I kept asking myself, (Which of my guys is that Bugbear attacking?) or (Where did that Verbeeg come from?) Combat was also confusing. Try to picture the game Doom, but turn-based. As long as too many creatures aren't attacking the party at once, you can keep up. Otherwise you have to keep spinning around to see what's coming next. It's enough to make you a little nauseous.
It is a hack-fest though, which can be fun if you're in the right mood. You don't even have to worry about missing some important piece of information, since the game prompts you to talk to a creature before you kill it, if the creature has something to say. They tricked me a few times into talking when I didn't have to, but hey, I knew what we were getting into when I went searching for my lost brethren. The monster and NPC graphics do seem a bit cartoonish, and you never quite feel like you're battling evil or that the urgent nature of your ultimate quest is all that serious. For all you know, your fellow villagers are partying with the Drow at club Underdark.
As far as sound effects and music go, I would suggest turning down the sound on your PC, and turning on the stereo. Maybe try a little early-90's grunge to get yourself in the mood. The music in the game can best be described as annoying, and I can't even forgive the age of the game this time. It was computer-generated noise. I'm reminded of the music from King's Quest, with the beeps and boops and lack of chords. There were no battle sound effects, although the music did change when the party was entering a dangerous situation.
For all of the minor problems I had with Menzoberranzan, I overwhelmingly found it very addictive. It was refreshing to play a game that was so straightforward, yet ultimately rewarding. Could it be that I'm so full of myself because I've finished so many other (better) games that I couldn't just abandon this one merely because it's old and dated? Although the game doesn't possess a whole lot of reasons to be played through multiple times, I did very much enjoy my initial journey through.
Fortunately, if you ever get the itch to play Menzoberranzan, the game can be found on a compilation package of Forgotten Realms classics. It even includes a demo of Baldur's Gate, for nostalgic purposes if nothing else! I paid $15 for it, and received fourteen of the original SSI games. Now that's how you stretch your game budget! For the game ratings, I tried to focus on the total game experience and kept an open mind on the age of the game. Overall, Menzoberranzan is a solid RPG that allows you to experience the Underdark (and journey with Drizzt Do'Urden) firsthand.
