The Dark Eye: Skilltree Saga is a representative of the cRPG genre with elements of roguelike games, but it is intended for a younger, casual audience. The action of this title was set in the fantastic world of Aventuria, created for the needs of the RPG system The Dark Eye (German: Das Schwarze Auge), and in our industry known mainly from the Drakensang series. This production is the work of a small German studio Silent Dreams, known mainly from the tactical Grotesque Tactics series.

In Skilltree Saga, the plot plays a secondary role. The hero chases orcs and goblins led by the Dark Lord Sargul, who attacked the city of Griffonford and kidnapped the daughter of the ruler Baron Griffontrue. Unfortunately of the wicked man, the woman is the beloved protagonist, who will not rest until he reaches the seat of Sargul in an inaccessible tower and does not bounce back from his hands. Our character’s chances are further enhanced by the fact that at the beginning of her adventure she is given an opportunity to join the Knights of the Elements and possess extraordinary powers under the eye of the master of this elite brotherhood.

We start the game by determining the race of the hero – there are man, elf and dwarfs to choose from, and in each of them there are differences in the preferred fighting style and available skills. During the journey we visit various locations – barns, temples, dungeons, cemeteries, etc. – and our activity in them boils down primarily to a series of turn-based clashes with randomly generated enemies. Victories are rewarded with experience points, which we spend on acquiring and improving special abilities (including magical ones), divided into pairs of skill trees. There is also no shortage of looting vaults, collecting better and better equipment and trading with merchants. The most pronounced element of the roguelike in the game is permanent death – every death in the Skiltree Saga is the need to start the adventure from the very beginning.

The work of Silent Dreams studio is a low-budget product, so there is nothing to expect from it graphic fireworks. The storyline and exploration of the world are presented here on boards with static, two-dimensional graphics, while the duels take place in a 2.5D environment – little detailed three-dimensional characters fight in a side view against a non-interactive background.

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