The Dark Eye returns to PC. With DSA: Book of Heroes, a cooperative RPG adventure based on the Pen & Paper cult game will be released on Steam this spring. We take a look at the first trailer.
What is The Dark Eye? DSA, or The Dark Eye, is a Pen & Paper role-playing game developed by Ulrich Kiesow in 1984. Similar to Dungeons & Dragons, you create a hero from various fantasy races and classes and explore the fantasy land of Aventuria together with friends.
A game master, referred to as the “Master”, presents the heroes with challenges. Dice rolls and character statistics determine whether actions such as combat are successful. The Dark Eye still has a large and active fan base today. The rule system has now reached its 5th edition.
There is a novel series based on DSA, along with role-playing adventures and several computer games, some more successful than others:
- The “Nordland Trilogy” was released from 1992 to 1996, with “Shadows over Riva” being the highlight.
- The last DSA games were Blackguards (2014) and Blackguards 2 (2015) by Daedalic, strategy RPGs.
Finally DSA on PC again
What is DSA: Book of Heroes? The PC role-playing game immerses you in the world of the Pen & Paper game. You can expect numerous adventures in dungeons or enchanted forests. As in the original, you create a hero from multiple classes and races and set off to explore the game areas from an isometric perspective. This makes DSA: Book of Heroes feel somewhat like Baldur’s Gate.
Here are the features of the RPG: The role-playing game is based on the Pen & Paper rule system of the 5th edition, which has been slightly adapted for Book of Heroes.
- You choose from 12 professions, such as assassin, mercenary, priest of Rondra, knight, or sorcerer.
- You can choose from four races: elves, half-elves, dwarves, humans.
- Character development is based on the well-known Inrah cards from DSA. These are used in the game world for divination and character interpretation.
- Each character pursues personal goals that you must fulfill.
- Crafting plays a role and allows you to improve your equipment.
- You will find plenty of loot during your adventures. You can use the items or sell them.
- You will visit familiar places from the DSA universe and encounter figures from the history of Aventuria. However, there are also randomly generated dungeons.
- Combat occurs in real-time.
DSA: Book of Heroes is finally a role-playing game adaptation of the Pen & Paper original for PC, following the strategy RPG Blackguards 2 from 2015.
DSA as a cooperative PC adventure
What do the multiplayer features look like? Book of Heroes can be played either solo or cooperatively with friends. If you are playing alone, you can hire NPC assistance at the inn to the Black Boar.
If you want to play with friends, you embark on the journey as a group of four. It is important to assemble a good group. Only then can you overcome the challenges. These are not just combat; you also need to solve puzzles.
In combat, positioning plays a crucial role. Mages should stay in the back, while warriors charge forward. It is important to work together to devise an effective strategy to defeat the enemies.
When does the game come out? The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes will be released this spring through Steam. The developers have not yet announced an exact release date or the price.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 is also being released, a role-playing game that you can play cooperatively.
- Additionally, we have compiled a list of the most exciting cooperative games scheduled for release in 2020.
