Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness

Shadows of Darkness is the fourth in a series of Adventure/RPG games by Sierra On-Line, emphasis on Adventure. They carry the gamer through a storyline involving dragons, brigands, warlocks and other mythical beasts.

I first played this game in 1995. At the time, I was a bit young. I managed to get about five minutes into the game before I was too frightened to continue. Now, five years later, I've beaten the game many times and every time, I always find something new.

The voice talents in this game are the best I have ever seen, and the artwork is spectacular. The combat system...eh. So-so. But the depth of the plot more than makes up for the gameplay.

The story is about you, the Hero, having been magically teleported to the lands of Mordavia. As time progresses, you discover ancient prophecies about Dark Ones and eternal night. Truly, this is a game to be worshipped.

As I complete this short review, I'd just like to say that this is one of the best games I have ever played. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Quest for Glory Anthology, you won't regret it.

This is most definitely my #1 favorite game for the personal computer! It takes place in Mordavia of Transylvania where the townsfolk are very suspicious and paranoid of the recent horrors that have been taking place. As the hero, it's your job to set things right and earn the villager's trusts. I wont spoil the game for you but it's worth playing! The graphics are absolutely beautiful considering they're hand-painted! And the game is nearing a decade old to date. The storyline is awesome and full of mystery that urges you to play more to find out what's really going on and who you can really trust. The music is sensational and nicely recorded. And the game itself has voice-overs the whole way through with a killer cast including John Rhys-Davies, Jennifer Hale, Russi Taylor, Diane Pershing and Many more!!! And the characters are very vibrant and fun to talk to so you never get bored with them along with excellent replay value which every Action/RPG should be blessed with. And puzzles that give you just the right challenge to make you think but not enough for you to strain for the answer. Everything is very well played out and all the cards are laid right on the table with this title. (As long as you know what you're doing.) If you can get a hold of a 486 PC with Windows 95 installed and working audio, you will have a blast and one of the best times of your life with PC gaming. I also forgot to mention that the day/night system is SWEET!!! Different events occur at different times of the day which is a huge help to layout of the game's plot. If you haven't played Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness, you don't know what you're missing! 10/10!!! It deserves it!

I've lost track of how many times I've played the Quest for Glory series. I think it's a nearly perfect blend of puzzle-solving, monster-slaying, silly jokes, and "fantasized" mythology from a wide array of different cultures. It's a shame that Sierra no longer makes products like this.

"Shadows of Darkness" is, by a narrow margin, the best game of the bunch. It takes place in Mordavia, a fictional land patterned after Transylvania. As you might guess, the setting has all sorts of fun and creepy Gothic trappings - werewolves, vampires, graveyards, mysterious castles, etc. Game creators Lori and Cori Cole did a good job blending these horror elements with more traditional fantasy fare.

Unusually for a computer game, the characterization is a highlight. The people of Mordavia initially start out being suspicious of you (the hero), but their attitudes soften as you perform various good deeds. In another pretty unique twist, the villain is actually quite sympathetic and has a complex set of motivations.

The game is somewhat infamous for having lots of "bugs," a problem you'll see mentioned in pretty much every review. While I'd agree that the DOS version was problematic, once I got the CD-ROM version (also available on the "Quest for Glory Anthology"), I never really had a major problem with bugs or crashes. I've managed to play the game as every character type available - Fighter, Wizard, Thief, and Paladin - without encountering any sort of technical problems to really stop me. So I'm tempted to say that the game's bugginess is exaggerated, though it's obviously a flawed product on the programming side.

Writing-wise, however, it's awesome. I should like to point out that the best character type to play is the Paladin - he gets a number of great side-quests, some of which involve helping characters in ways that are actually somewhat moving (if you can indeed be moved by the fates of pixel-people!) It's almost funny that the Paladin is so good, because in the preceding entry in the series, his noble powers were depicted as something of a joke...

Other high points include a pretty exciting combat system and a cool music score (if you can tolerate old-style midi). The graphics are dated but attractive in their own way; I actually prefer static VGA backgrounds to the more fluid, ugly polygon-filled environments that dominate modern games. But maybe I'm just a Luddite...

Yep - I'm a fan of this one, all right! Monsters, magic, and a cool vampire chick equals a classic in my book.

Quest for Glory IV is the first of the Quest for Glory series to introduce voices for the characters. John Rhys-Davies does an excellent job as the narrator. There are many interesting characters that you will meet, plus three people whose voices will some eerily familiar. Shadows of Darkness a very fun, entertaining, and just an all around great game.

I have grew with the Sierra games. First I was introduced to Leisure Suit Larry games, then Space Quest and finally Quest For Glory games. I have to say that Quest For Glory games are not only the best Sierra games but also the best Adventure and Rolegames what have been ever made. My personal favourite is Quest For Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness. It is one truly masterpiece. The story is perfect, characters are lovely and the whole Town of Mordavia where the hero this time adventures is the truly excellent and intelligent. I'd love to live in Mordavia. Hero's best friend is a young mysterious girl named Katrina. Actress Jennifer Hale does her best in the role of Katrina. Her voice is absolutely perfect for this role. She has such a strong, beautiful voice that I have ever heard. Her french accent in this game is wonderful. They couldn't have picked a better actress for the role of Katrina. However Katrina isn't like she makes the hero understand. She is truly the Dark Master who plans taking Mordavia over with the hero's arch enemy Ad Avis who "died" in Quest For Glory 2. There are many old faces in QFG4 like Ad Avis from QFG2 and Baba Yaga & Bonehead from QFG1. In the beginning the mayor of the Mordavia Burgomeister Dmitri Ivanov just seems like he's a bad guy but after hero does some heroining thing he's also becoming a nice person. I rated this game with 10 points! Absolutely perfect!! I LOVE YOU QUEST FOR GLORY SERIES!!<3