Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession

Ravenloft: Strahd’s Possession is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment and published by Strategic Simulations for MS-DOS in 1994. Versions for FM Towns and PC-98 were released in 1995. It was followed-up by Ravenloft: Stone Prophet.

Gameplay

The game used 3D computer graphics and used a game engine identical to the later SSI title Menzoberranzan. Generally, the keyboard or mouse-driven directional arrows were used to move around or change perspective. As an early 3D game engine, it moved slowly and could appear cumbersome. However, there was an omnipresent map in the top corner which helped gamers from becoming too disoriented by the slow and cluttered progress of the game. The fighting system involved using the mouse to pinpoint enemies and click to attack, at which point party members would take turns attacking. This unique combat system presented some logistical problems for gamers, and seemed to involve quite a learning curve. A review in Game Bytes Magazine said: “Characters with weapons in hand will use them one by one […] However, since the characters have a go one at a time from left to right, and they take a varying amount of time to ready their weapon again after using it, depending on their dexterity, one often finds that characters who are ready to use their weapons cannot do so because the computer is waiting for the character whose turn it is to ready and use his weapons before going to the next one. Hence, one may be anxiously clicking away but no one is using their weapons”.

Plot

The game is based on the Ravenloft campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The game is set in the domain of Barovia. The player characters are servants of the Lord Dhelt, leader of the city-state of Elturel in the land of Faerûn of the Forgotten Realms setting. After a thief assaults the Lord and steals his patron god’s Holy Symbol of Helm, the player characters are sent in pursuit of the thief. Instead of simply catching the thief, however, they are somehow transported to the mist-shrouded land of Barovia, ruled over by the vampire Count, Strahd von Zarovich. As Barovia is surrounded by an impenetrable poison mist, the player characters have no choice but to explore the dark land of Barovia, which is crawling with undead and many more nasty things. Strahd, himself, seems interested in the characters’ quest for the stolen amulet and invites the party to his castle. The characters’ quest is to survive this hostile land long enough to unravel the mystery of the stolen amulet and somehow arrange safe passage out of Barovia.

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