Eye of the Beholder (video game)
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Westwood Associates |
| Products | Eye of the Beholder (video game) |
| Parent | Strategic Simulations, Inc. |
Eye of the Beholder is a role-playing video game created by Westwood Associates and released by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1991 for the MS-DOS platform. It was subsequently adapted for the Amiga, Sega CD, and Super NES. The Sega CD iteration features a soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima. An additional port for the Atari Lynx, developed by NuFX in 1993, was completed but never made available to the public. In 2002, Pronto Games produced a version bearing the same name for the Game Boy Advance.
The game led to two follow-up titles: Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon (1991) and Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor (1993). Following the acquisition of Westwood Studios by Virgin Interactive in 1992, development on this series was discontinued as focus shifted toward the Lands of Lore franchise.
Plot
Adventurers are commissioned by the rulers of Waterdeep to explore a sinister force lurking beneath the city. Upon entering the sewers, their access is blocked when Xanathar—the titular beholder—causes a collapse. The party delves further through territories inhabited by Dwarf and Drow groups, ultimately reaching Xanathar’s domain for a decisive battle.
Once the beholder is defeated, players receive a brief message celebrating their triumph and safe return. While the original conclusion was text-only, later releases on platforms such as Amiga included an animated ending sequence.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Eye of the Beholder presents a first-person viewpoint within a dungeon environment rendered using 3D computer graphics, bearing strong resemblance to Dungeon Master. Initially, players manage a party of four characters through point-and-click combat mechanics, with opportunities to increase party size to six by reviving skeletons from fallen non-player characters or recruiting others encountered during exploration.
A distinctive feature of this series is expanding the party via NPC recruitment. Additionally, players have the option to transfer their party from Eye of the Beholder into its sequel The Legend of Darkmoon, and subsequently into Assault on Myth Drannor, allowing for continuity throughout all three installments.
Development
The visuals for the MS-DOS edition were produced utilizing Deluxe Paint. The audio experience is enriched with more than 150 sound effects generated through Adlib technology.
Critical reception
Upon release, Eye of the Beholder garnered widespread critical praise. In issue #171 of Dragon, it achieved a flawless rating of 5 out of 5 stars. In April 1991, it topped the Software Publishers Association’s chart for best-selling MS-DOS games, marking it as the final SSI Dungeons & Dragons title to reach that position. Dennis Owens from Computer Gaming World commended its "stunning, brilliantly graphic and agonizingly tricky" design, particularly highlighting its VGA graphics and sound card audio as significant advancements for IBM PC users seeking an experience akin to Dungeon Master.
While reviewer Scorpia admired its immersive visuals and sound design, she expressed dissatisfaction with aspects such as the spellcasting interface, abrupt ending, combat system, storyline, and NPC interactions. Nevertheless, she predicted that future enhancements would elevate the Legend series to prominence within CRPGs. By 1993, Scorpia referred to it as "an impressive first effort" with considerable potential.
Jim Trunzo from White Wolf awarded it a perfect score of 5 out of 5, emphasizing its challenging dungeon exploration alongside exceptional audiovisual presentation. The Amiga port received a 92% rating from The One, which favorably compared it to Dungeon Master, praising its emphasis on puzzle-solving and faithful adherence to AD&D gameplay mechanics, deeming it essential for enthusiasts of the series.
In console-focused reviews, Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the Super NES version 6.2 out of 10 for its three-dimensional graphics and character options, while assigning a 7.2 out of 10 score to the Sega CD edition. The latter was praised for customizable character creation despite some audio limitations and noted for its steep learning curve. Meanwhile, Computer and Video Games described the Sega CD release as "a highly ace role-player," although not quite matching titles like Snatcher.
By 2004, GameSpy acknowledged that despite some initial shortcomings, most players found it rewarding overall. IGN placed it at number eight in their "Top 11 Dungeons & Dragons Games of All Time" list in 2014; similarly, Paste magazine ranked it eighth among the greatest D&D video games in 2015. Back in 1991, PC Format included it among their selection of 50 best computer games ever released, calling it a "classic romp through dungeons dealing with monsters, puzzles, traps and things mythical."
Commercial performance
By mid-1991, SSI had sold 129,234 units of Eye of the Beholder, with global sales exceeding 150,000 copies. The complete Eye of the Beholder franchise, which includes two follow-up titles, had surpassed 350,000 units sold worldwide by 1996.
Promotion
In January 1991, the cover artwork for Eye of the Beholder created by SSI earned first place in the Computer Gaming World's Top Ad competition, despite objections from the publisher. Between February and October, SSI organized the "Beholder Bonus" contest, awarding prizes valued at $100 to the first 50 players on both PC and Amiga platforms who uncovered all 12 bonus features within the game.
Legacy
Sequels
The series was continued with two additional installments: Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon introduced an updated game engine that incorporated outdoor environments and improved player interaction, placing greater emphasis on role-playing mechanics.
Unlike its predecessors, Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor was developed internally by SSI rather than by Westwood Studios.
In 1995, SSI reissued all three games together as the Eye of the Beholder Trilogy on CD-ROM for MS-DOS. Later, Interplay packaged these titles along with other AD&D games in compilations such as The Forgotten Realms Archives (1997) and Gamefest: Forgotten Realms Classics (2001).
Related games
Several fan-created remakes of Eye of the Beholder have been produced as modules for the 2002 release Neverwinter Nights. Furthermore, an independent development group led by Andreas Larsson developed a free fan adaptation specifically for the Commodore 64 system.