DROD RPG Tendrys Tale 1.1.0.54

DROD, a series known for its brutally difficult puzzles, has raised the bar with each release, delivering harder and more challenging tricks and traps to its puzzle-hungry fans. Prior to TCB’s release, series creator Erik Hermansen made no apologies for the game’s growing difficulty, going so far as to say the new title was “not really for new DROD players,” a game which “requires patience and intelligence from its players.” These patient and intelligent players, as we discussed with Caravel’s Mike Rimer, are always craving even greater challenges, and as Mike mentioned at the time, Caravel had just such a challenge in the works: DROD RPG: Tendry’s Tale. Now, with DROD RPG having launched on September 12th, it has to be said; Caravel knows what its fans want. The DROD team has taken its beloved franchise in a very new direction, offering a slew of new features and surprises for its fans, while at the same time unapologetically pushing the difficulty level to perilous new heights.

This is not a use of the review cliché, “If you liked the prequel, you’ll love the sequel!” No, this is a warning. Play the old DROD games before you attempt DROD RPG. Do not let this be your first entry into the series. DROD RPG will take new players and eat them alive.

DROD RPG is a very different direction for the series; for starters, as per the game’s title, you do not control the story’s longtime protagonist Beethro Budkin and his Really Big Sword. Instead, players are introduced to Tendry, a dedicated soldier in the Stalwart Army, last seen fighting an ill-fated battle against the mysterious Underground Empire in TCB. Also indicated by the title are a number of RPG elements now added to the gameplay — hit points, a small handful of statistics, power-ups and items, locked doors and associated single-use keys, and a persistent world.