Throne of Darkness (2001)
Throne of Darkness is a party based action RPG set in feudal Japan that pits your seven Samurai against the demon warlord Zanshin to fight for all of Yamato!
First released
Sep 24, 2001
Aliases
ToD
Developed by
CLICK Entertainment
Published by
Sierra
Platforms
PC
Genres
Action, Adventure, Role-Playing
Themes
Fantasy, Martial Arts, Medieval
Rating
PEGI: 12+, ESRB: M
Releases
- PC - Throne of Darkness United Kingdom
- PC - Throne of Darkness United States
Community reviews
The best RPG I have played in my life.
Throne of Darkness is the best RPG I have played in my life.
Not only because it brings back so many good memories from my childhood and it defined the RPG genre for me, but also because it is still as good in 2022 as it was back then.
Throne of Darkness is described as a “Diablo 2 rip-off” and a “Diablo 2 wannabe” but I reject those claims. It has many similarities yes, but it has too many unique features that makes it stand out. Personally, I even think it is better than Diablo 2.
The game has a very nice atmosphere and makes good use of the medieval Japan theme in terms of the surroundings, music and various types of enemies and accurate dynasty houses of the time like Oda, Mori and Tokugawa. The developers really did their research on the mythology of ancient Japan and although this is still a fantasy RPG, it has many historically accurate elements that I really like about it. Examples are the use of Oni’s as enemies, Kappa’s, Concubines in traditional clothing and Yama Inu’s.
The game has a classic, but solid storyline that builds up the tension over time. It is not the best or most original story ever but it works really well and keeps you motivated to keep playing.
The graphics and combat animations were, and still are, fairly decent and aged well. Yes, its old, but still looks fine for a 2D RPG. The 3D elements here and there, blended in with the 2D graphics almost make it feel like full 3D. The game is also very gory and dark sometimes, with disturbing graphics and background corpses. It is rated 12+ as far as I know, but as a child, I was sometimes terrified of all the horror that was going on in the background when exploring.
A special note must be made for the sound effects and music in this game. Yet again, it blew my mind back then and still continues to do so until this day. The grunts, the weapon sounds, the sounds of your electric spells blasting enemies away, it’s perfect.
I also really like the Blacksmith and Priest system. Rather then teleporting back to a town or base, you can pick up everything from the ground and giving it straight to one of the vendors in a special overlay, so they can process it to raw materials for the blacksmith or offering point for the priest. This system works very well and is one of the unique and well thought of mechanics in the game.
The difficulty in Throne of Darkness is very well balanced. Enemies get stronger over time and some boss enemies can easily kill you off with two hits, but you get enough time and experience to prepare for it. The choices you make for your character development defines your progress in the game. When you unlock higher weapons and armour earlier on by investing in strength for example, it can make your journey a lot easier.
But the best feature, the thing that makes this game stand out, and the only game I know to have this feature, is the customization system. When you kill enemies, they sometimes drop components. Some components are generic and can drop from any enemy, but some are creature specific like claws, teeth or blood. Those components can be used to enchant your gear and can give you great advantages throughout your adventure. You can boost your strength, increase your elemental resistance, deal more damage and the list goes on. Combining the components with boosters like specific stones or ingots greatly increases those effects.
I have beaten this game at least 15 times and will do so any time, any day without it boring me.
Like I said at the beginning, I think this game is massively underrated and for me, it is still in my personal top 10 of best games I have ever played. It will always have a special place in my heart.
Definitely recommend to give this old gem a try.
Not only because it brings back so many good memories from my childhood and it defined the RPG genre for me, but also because it is still as good in 2022 as it was back then.
Throne of Darkness is described as a “Diablo 2 rip-off” and a “Diablo 2 wannabe” but I reject those claims. It has many similarities yes, but it has too many unique features that makes it stand out. Personally, I even think it is better than Diablo 2.
The game has a very nice atmosphere and makes good use of the medieval Japan theme in terms of the surroundings, music and various types of enemies and accurate dynasty houses of the time like Oda, Mori and Tokugawa. The developers really did their research on the mythology of ancient Japan and although this is still a fantasy RPG, it has many historically accurate elements that I really like about it. Examples are the use of Oni’s as enemies, Kappa’s, Concubines in traditional clothing and Yama Inu’s.
The game has a classic, but solid storyline that builds up the tension over time. It is not the best or most original story ever but it works really well and keeps you motivated to keep playing.
The graphics and combat animations were, and still are, fairly decent and aged well. Yes, its old, but still looks fine for a 2D RPG. The 3D elements here and there, blended in with the 2D graphics almost make it feel like full 3D. The game is also very gory and dark sometimes, with disturbing graphics and background corpses. It is rated 12+ as far as I know, but as a child, I was sometimes terrified of all the horror that was going on in the background when exploring.
A special note must be made for the sound effects and music in this game. Yet again, it blew my mind back then and still continues to do so until this day. The grunts, the weapon sounds, the sounds of your electric spells blasting enemies away, it’s perfect.
I also really like the Blacksmith and Priest system. Rather then teleporting back to a town or base, you can pick up everything from the ground and giving it straight to one of the vendors in a special overlay, so they can process it to raw materials for the blacksmith or offering point for the priest. This system works very well and is one of the unique and well thought of mechanics in the game.
The difficulty in Throne of Darkness is very well balanced. Enemies get stronger over time and some boss enemies can easily kill you off with two hits, but you get enough time and experience to prepare for it. The choices you make for your character development defines your progress in the game. When you unlock higher weapons and armour earlier on by investing in strength for example, it can make your journey a lot easier.
But the best feature, the thing that makes this game stand out, and the only game I know to have this feature, is the customization system. When you kill enemies, they sometimes drop components. Some components are generic and can drop from any enemy, but some are creature specific like claws, teeth or blood. Those components can be used to enchant your gear and can give you great advantages throughout your adventure. You can boost your strength, increase your elemental resistance, deal more damage and the list goes on. Combining the components with boosters like specific stones or ingots greatly increases those effects.
I have beaten this game at least 15 times and will do so any time, any day without it boring me.
Like I said at the beginning, I think this game is massively underrated and for me, it is still in my personal top 10 of best games I have ever played. It will always have a special place in my heart.
Definitely recommend to give this old gem a try.