Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon

Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon

Company type	Video game
Industry	Video games
Founded	1991
Products	Role-playing video game

Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon is a role-playing video game released in 1991, serving as the direct continuation of Eye of the Beholder. This installment employs an upgraded iteration of the original game engine, introducing outdoor environments and improved interaction mechanics within the game world, alongside more developed role-playing features. Its follow-up, Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor, was launched in 1993.

Plot

After completing their first quest, the protagonists receive a summons from Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun, the Archmage of Waterdeep, who requests assistance in locating a missing scout investigating malevolent forces at the Darkmoon temple. Upon being transported to this temple, players face off against antagonistic clerics and uncover that the chief priest, Dran Draggore, is animating skeletal legions with plans to assault Waterdeep. Advancement hinges on successfully passing a test administered by acolytes to gain access to deeper temple chambers; ultimately, players confront a red dragon as the final adversary.

Gameplay

The majority of gameplay unfolds within the temple complex, granting players unrestricted navigation through its crypts, upper floors, and three distinct towers—named silver, azure, and crimson. Consistent with its predecessor, Eye of the Beholder II was adapted for the Amiga system.

Music

Composed by Frank Klepacki, this title represents one of his earliest scoring assignments. Klepacki utilized Visual Composer software paired with the AdLib YM3812 sound chip to create the soundtrack. While Paul Mudra, who crafted music for the original game, contributed solely to sound effects on this occasion along with Dwight Okahara. The PC-98 edition features all tracks from the DOS version plus additional background music tailored for each major segment.

Reception

Eye of the Beholder II achieved sales totaling 73,109 copies through SSI. By 1996, cumulative sales for the entire series exceeded 350,000 units worldwide. In Dragon issue #179, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser awarded it a perfect score of 5 stars. While Computer Gaming World's reviewer Scorpia expressed reservations about the sequel's real-time combat controls, she commended its broadened content scope, diverse enemy roster, and expanded exploration zones, describing it as "a more substantial game" featuring an impressive conclusion. The publication recognized it among the top role-playing games of 1992 for its high-quality visuals and balanced gameplay. Scorpia reiterated in 1993 that it remained "a definite must for all EOB fans." GameSpy highlighted the game's distinctive ending despite citing an "almost insane level of difficulty."

The Amiga version received an 87% rating from The One, which praised its finely crafted graphics, smooth animations, immersive soundtrack, and user-friendly interface. Nonetheless, it criticized the title for lacking innovation relative to comparable RPGs such as Dungeon Master, calling for greater originality.

In White Wolf #31, Jim Trunzo reviewed the game positively, noting it fulfilled expectations by being "bigger...better...meaner than ever!", delivering an experience more enjoyable than its predecessor.