Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Products | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance |
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance is a 1988 title launched on various home computers and gaming consoles. The game draws inspiration from the inaugural Dragonlance campaign module for the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game, Dragons of Despair, as well as the first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
Gameplay
Heroes of the Lance features side-scrolling action gameplay.[1]
Players manage a group of eight heroes from the Dragonlance universe, though only one character is visible on screen at any given moment; upon that character’s defeat, control shifts to the next hero.[1] The game integrates statistics directly derived from the official Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks.[2] Among the team, three characters have unique capabilities (such as healing magic, wizard spells, and trap disarming), while the remaining five effectively function as additional lives, akin to classic action-platformer mechanics.
Plot
The narrative follows eight heroes as they traverse the devastated city of Xak Tsaroth to face the ancient dragon Khisanth and recover the Disks of Mishakal. Although it remains true to elements of the novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight, it deviates from the original Dragons of Despair RPG module that inspired the book.
Characters
The adventuring party includes:
- Goldmoon, a princess who wields the potent Blue Crystal Staff.
- Sturm Brightblade, a serious and honorable knight.
- Caramon Majere, a physically powerful warrior.
- Raistlin Majere, Caramon’s frail yet intellectually gifted mage twin.
- Tanis Half-Elven, an adept archer and natural leader.
- Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a kender thief equipped with a sling known as a hoopak.
- Riverwind, Goldmoon’s noble fiancé.
- Flint Fireforge, an experienced dwarven fighter.
Development
Inspired by Dragonlance novels authored by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Heroes of the Lance was created outside SSI's renowned Gold Box series, often categorized under their "Silver Box" lineup. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) adaptation was developed by Natsume.
Reception
Commercially, Heroes of the Lance sold 88,808 copies on computer platforms in North America. Initial critical feedback highlighted its impressive graphics and sound design, anticipating strong sales performance. Publications such as G.M. The Independent Fantasy Roleplaying Magazine and Computer Gaming World offered favorable reviews, while White Wolf awarded it 4 out of 5 stars for its detailed visual presentation.
In contrast, the NES version faced severe criticism and was listed among the poorest NES titles by Electronic Gaming Monthly columnist Seanbaby. IGN acknowledged that its strategic gameplay attracted some players; however, most fans favored the simpler RPG approach found in Pool of Radiance, which outsold Heroes of the Lance by a factor of three. GameSpy described it as an acceptable side-scroller for its era but pointed out its challenging difficulty and absence of save options.
Legacy
The storyline was extended through two subsequent releases: Dragons of Flame and Shadow Sorcerer.
Sources
External links
- 1988 video games
- Action-adventure games
- Amiga games
- Amstrad CPC games
- Atari ST games
- Commodore 64 games
- DOS games
- Dragonlance video games
- FM Towns games
- Master System games
- MSX2 games
- NEC PC-8801 games
- NEC PC-9801 games
- Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Side-scrolling video games
- Single-player video games
- Strategic Simulations games
- Tiertex Design Studios games
- U.S. Gold games
- Video games developed in Japan
- Video games developed in the United Kingdom
- Video games developed in the United States
- Video games featuring female protagonists
- Video games scored by Iku Mizutani
- ZX Spectrum games