Gameplay
Archer

In Throne of Darkness, players must clear the land of the Dark Warlord's influence across multiple types of terrain and environments, ranging from decimated towns to shadowy wildernesses to the bowels of the Dark Warlord's Fortress itself.

Players will have the option of fielding up to four samurai out of a total of seven. In combat, the player can switch between the four characters, personally taking command of the selected character.

Samurai which are not being used will be located in the initial Shrine Level of the character's castle. Characters left behind will automatically be healed, rejuvenated of their ki (magic) energy, and they can be teleported from the battle as necessary. However, transporting a character takes a certain amount of ki energy (magic) from the Daimyo's Ki Pool. The amount used is dependant on the range of the character from the castle. The farther away, the longer it takes. Players also have the option of using portal points, which allow cheaper teleportation.

Each character is capable of using three different types of weapon. Additionally, players will also have access to more than 75 spells, and a variety of tactical Plays.

Real-time Tactics

Mage Play Buttons Plays are small unit tactics which allow more comprehensive control of the four active characters without the necessity of switching between each one and telling it where to go or how to act. Plays are activated by hitting the Play button, and multiple types of Plays will be available. For example, one play specifies that each character will attack a separate monster on the screen. When activated, a player can target one monster, while the three other computer-controlled samurai will automatically seek out their own monsters to attack individually. Other Plays allow the gamer to set a guard at specific locations, or to specify specific formations that take advantaged of ranged attacks by the Archer or the Mage.

Certain characters (mainly the Leader and the Swordsman) have a higher charisma then others, allowing more advanced Play Calling. While all characters have a limited ability to do play calling ("Retreat", "Attack my target", "General Attack"), the Leader and Swordsman will have advanced play calling ability. This includes calling Plays such as "Ranged Support", where one or two characters are selected to use ranged weapons, and stay at a distance, while all other characters attack via melee combat. Plays will not be executed until the character selects the play.

Creating Magical Items

During the game, players will obtain various types of treasure from killing monsters. The treasure from these monsters will vary from gold, to weapons, to armor, to even parts of monsters. Players will be able to offer the gold to the Gods, gaining various favors (spells, etc.). Weapons and armor may either be used immediately, purified (magic weapons gained from killing a monster are tainted with the Dark Warlord's evil and must be purified before using it), or given to the Blacksmith. The Blacksmith will then take the item and combine them with the Monster Parts, giving the Player an opportunity to create a custom weapon or armor of their own. The Blacksmith will automatically offer magic weapons and armor that can be made with the ingredients he has, but the Player can also use these "base" magic items and upgrade them. For example, the Blacksmith can create a Kappa Destroyer sword using 3 swords and 3 units of Kappa. If the player chooses, the sword can be further upgraded with additional units of Kappa, making the bonus against Kappa even higher. Creation of items does take time, and the more complex the item, the longer it takes to make it.

Spellcasting

Magic is cast by selecting a spell from the available list. Each character will have different spells, with some commonality. Spells use Ki, or magic energy, and if the spell involves a weapon component, it will also detract from the weapons durability.

Spells are divided up into four major categories.

Water
Water: These spells are given by the god Susano-o.
Water
Fire: These spells are given by the goddess Amaterasu.
Water
Lightning: These spells are given by the god Raiden.
Water
Earth: These spells are given by the god Okuni-nushi.

Additionally, the Mage will begin the game with the capability of casting general spells such as Healing and Cure Poison that exist outside the flow of elemental energy.

Spells are obtained by making offerings to the gods. The gods will then take favor on the Clan and reward it with spells. Spells are different for various characters. As the favors are increased, more spells will be rewarded. The spell level attainable will plateau at level 4, unless the player is able to find the Primary Shrine Object, allowing "true offerings" to be made. Each God will have a Primary Shrine Object, located in a cave that the player must retrieve during a quest.

At certain points, the player will be rewarded with special Combo spells if they reach the same level of "offering" for two different gods. For example, if a player has been dumping offerings into Susano (Water) and Amaterasu (Fire), bringing favor with the gods up to level 4, he will then automatically get a special "Water-Fire" because of this. Special combo spells will be available at level 4, and then every 2 levels above that.

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