Darkstone (1999)
Darkstone is a 1999 role-playing (rpg) video game made by Delphine Software and Gathering of Developers.
Lord Draak's forces have seized the seven crystals of Uma, and the land is sliding into chaos. Darkstone is a top-down action RPG in the mould of Diablo: you pick a hero, descend through randomised dungeons, and hack through Draak's henchmen to recover what was taken. Delphine gave the game a fully rotatable 3D camera unusual for its genre in 1999, and built in co-operative play, letting two players share a screen split diagonally across a single dungeon. The loop is familiar but the execution kept it competitive in a year dominated by its obvious inspiration.
Quick answers
What is Darkstone about?
Lord Draak's forces have seized the seven crystals of Uma, and the land is sliding into chaos. Darkstone is a top-down action RPG in the mould of Diablo: you pick a hero, descend through randomised dungeons, and hack through Draak's henchmen to recover what was taken. Delphine gave the game a fully rotatable 3D camera unusual for its genre in 1999, and built in co-operative play, letting two players share a screen split diagonally across a single dungeon. The loop is familiar but the execution kept it competitive in a year dominated by its obvious inspiration.
When was Darkstone released?
Darkstone was released on 31 July 1999.
Who made Darkstone?
Darkstone was made by Delphine Software, Gathering of Developers and Take-Two Interactive.
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A few thoughts on Darkstone
Tales of Phantasia: The Animation shares the same quest-to-restore-a-corrupted-world premise, compressed into OVA form, and carries the warm, party-driven spirit that makes dungeon-crawling RPGs satisfying. Magical Circle Guru Guru leans comic, but its affectionate riff on dungeon-delving tropes lands for anyone who enjoys Darkstone's genre.
Sword-and-sorcery adventures with monsters behind every door
Darkstone sends a lone hero, or two sharing a split screen, through randomized dungeons hacking apart Lord Draak's forces to reclaim the crystals of Uma. The Witcher 3 and Skyrim scale that same swords-and-monsters loop up to a full open continent. God of War trades the top-down camera for a tight over-the-shoulder view but keeps the same steady grind, and Brisingr adds a dragon to the hunt.
Anime and epic TV built around questing parties
Darkstone follows a classic party-quest shape, pick a hero, descend, fight your way back to what was stolen. Tales of Phantasia: The Animation comes from the same JRPG lineage Darkstone borrowed its structure from. House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender scale that quest up into sprawling political fantasy, while Hunter x Hunter keeps the tight, level-by-level progression Darkstone runs on.
Fantasy novels about heroes descending into ancient ruins
Darkstone's heroes descend through randomized dungeons to undo Lord Draak's theft of the seven crystals. Wizard and Glass and Oathbringer send their own wanderers through ruins and battlefields chasing something taken from them, Redwall stages a siege on an abbey worth defending, and The Girl Who Drank the Moon builds its own tower of old magic waiting to be found.
Music with the doom of a dungeon crawl
Darkstone's dungeons need a soundtrack with real menace behind it, since Lord Draak's forces are never far off. The Return of the King score carries that same sense of a world under siege. King Crimson's prog grandeur, Cradle of Filth's symphonic black metal, and Riot's sword-and-sorcery metal all share the theatrical dread that suits a hack through cursed ruins.