Overview

Full Name: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: DeathKeep
Code:
Type: Action, Dungeon crawl, Role-playing game
Developer: Lion Entertainment
Publisher: Strategic Simulations, Inc
Language: English
Release Date: 1995
Region: NA
Barcode: 0 16685 03232 8
Local Title:
Rarity: 1
Notes: The EU version basically is the US version with a European barcode and Games rating slapped over the US Barcode

Summary

DeathKeep is a 1995 video game based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was released for the 3DO console, and later converted to the PC. The game is a sequel to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Slayer.

AD&D: Deathkeep is a 1st person perspective single-player "shooter" game with a touch of medieval AD&D gameplay in a full 3D environment. It is a follow-up to AD&D: Slayer, and the final AD&D game published by SSI.Apparently another hero is stuck in a underground cavern crawling with monsters (what else is new?). This time they have to defeat an evil Necromancer located somewhere in the lower levels. To get to him they have to fight through 25 dungeons (each 8 floors) filled with horrific monsters who never heard of dental care.Three different characters can be chosen as the hero:

Dwarven male Fighter
Half-Elven male Fighter
Elven female Mage

These classes offer different combat capabilities:

The Dwarven Fighter focuses more on melee close combat with minimal (axe-throwing) ranged and almost no magical capabilities.

The Half-elven Fighter, or more precisely Ranger, focuses on non-magical ranged combat with his favorite bow. Possesses medium melee combat capabilities and some magical capabilities.

The Elven Mage focuses all her might in magical offense and defense. Spells may be found or learned as experience grows. Don't get too close to the enemy since a walking stick doesn't do much damage to bloodthirsty monsters.

Gameplay consists mostly of adventuring and flattening every living and non-living creature in your way. Destroying monsters allows the character to level-up and become more powerful as well as gain new spells. The dungeons are filled with traps, streams, caverns, ledges, and every possible obstacle to cause the player to lose their way in this maze of mazes.

Plot

The evil Necromancer escaped from his frozen prison. From sitting in the refrigerator, he did not become kinder, and immediately went to the ruins of the dwarf sanctuary in order to regain his long-lost strength. There are three towers in the sanctuary, each of which may contain spherical keys from the legendary gnome portal. No one knows where this portal leads, but according to legend, it gives the traveler unheard of strength and can transport him over great distances in the blink of an eye. You are one of three adventurers summoned by the Oracle of the Citadel. Time to hit the road, comb the DeathKeep that the villain has infested with wild creatures, find the orbs and slay the Necromancer.

Gameplay

DeathKeep is a first-person dungeon crawler where the player can choose to play a dwarven fighter, an elven mage, or a half-elf fighter-mage

Reception

Reviewing the 3DO version, a critic for Next Generation praised the graphical textures but said the game is frustratingly difficult, particularly criticizing the imprecise controls when making the character come to a stop and the need to pass over some objects multiple times before the game registers the contact. However, he concluded, "While these aren't minor problems, the dungeons are ingeniously designed, the game is huge, and on the whole, it's interesting enough to warrant a look in spite of the annoyances." GamePro's The Game Elf gave it a rave review, applauding the huge amount of content, accessible menus, "smooth" control, rendered graphics with fully 3D point-of-view, detailed visuals, and "unnerving" sound effects. He concluded, "With a solid plot and great animation, Death Keep is to die for."

Andy Butcher reviewed the PC version of Deathkeep for Arcane magazine. He commented that "the original version for the 3DO console was less than inspiring, and this substandard conversion to the PC is even less so". Butcher concluded, "Unfortunately, Deathkeep suffers from awful graphics, low-quality sound and uninspiring gameplay, all of which combine to create one of the worst games released on the PC in some time. Try as you might, there's simply nothing you can find to recommend it. If you want a fast-paced fantasy game that's heavy on the combat and light on the rules, Hexen is infinitely better than this". A Next Generation critic similarly said that the 3DO version was passable but the PC conversion is poor, with "jerky play control, blocky and pixelated graphics, and awkward keyboard configuration".

According to GameSpy, DeathKeep was "the last Dungeons & Dragons game for SSI, and it was a pretty ignominious end for a pretty distinguished run".

Credits

Lion Entertainment, Inc.

Executive Producer: Douglas Grounds
Produced by: Ronald Bolinger
Directed by: Ronald Bolinger
Technical Director: Bob Pendleton
Technical Lead: Glen Merriman
Programming: Glen Merriman
Artists: Sara Farr, Cecile Rader, Kim La Cava, Daniel Bourbonnais, Rebecca Price
Dungeon Design: Ronald Bolinger, Scott Hazel
Cinematics: Sara Farr, Clay Connally, Kim La Cava, Joan Crixell, Cecile Rader
Musical Score: Billy Wolfe
Voices: Randy Tow
Sound Editing: Joan Crixell
Additional Programming: Bob Pendleton

Strategic Simulations, Inc.

Director: Bret Berry
Producer: Jan Lindner
Associate Producer: Joshua M. Cloud
Manual: Jonathan Kromrey
Manual Editor: Mark Whisler
Test Manager: Glen A. Cureton
Lead Tester: Forrest Elam
Product Testers: Sean Wyman, Anathea Lopez
Additional Support: Lee Crawford
Graphic Design and DTP: Louis Sakow
Design: David Boudreau, Leedara Zola
Special Thanks to: Maurice Jackson, Tena Lawry, 3DO

Passwords

Easter Eggs: God mode. Yes, God mode. Digital Press players expect nothing less. To become immortal, simply open your backpack during a game by pressing X, then hold L + R simultaneously then press C, X, P, C.

To use these codes, open your backpack, hold L + R and input the code: