AD&D Curse of the Azure Bonds (PC DOS)
Finished! Overall, I enjoyed the game, but felt it was quite a step down from Pool of Radiance.
I'll get the bad out of the way first. The structure of the game is actually pretty lame. It's "nonlinear" in that you can tackle the middle portion of the game in any order, but there is a clear order you are meant to progress through the game (there is even a location you can visit telling you which "boss" you should kill next 🤣). You do have some optional locations to explore, but they are just mazes without any interesting encounters—simply a way to gain experience and treasure.
One of the biggest letdowns with this one is the lack of a true wilderness to explore. Pool of Radiance really feels massive and open in comparison, with a large wilderness to explore step-by-step and plenty of interesting locations to find. Curse of the Azure Bonds, in contrast, has you selecting a handful of locations from a map menu.
Now for the good. I was impressed that there was still plenty of room for my party to develop; they were nearly unstoppable at the end of Pool of Radiance, so I was happy to see enemies still putting up quite a fight. Really excellent encounter design in this one, even if it does rely too heavily "hold person" and "poison" (basically instant death if unlucky).
The final battle was a nightmare. I didn't take the time to roll up super characters back in Pool of Radiance, and I began seeing their limitations at the end of the game. The last boss is a storm giant surrounded by, I dunno, 30-40 margoyles (strong melee fighters) backed up by 12 high priests. The combat also starts you basically all bunched together up against a wall with the enemies all in your face, so that you have no chance to really reposition your party. If your rolls are unlucky, the combat starts with the boss throwing a lightning bolt at your party, which is 30-60 damage per person per direction (it bounces off walls). For me, that meant instant death if he targeted either of my magic users or even my strongest melee characters if they were unlucky enough to also get hit on the rebound.
After a half dozen attempts with me eking out every advantage I could though pre-combat buffing, I was getting nowhere. I had to resort to using the Dust of Disappearance, which isn't cheating per se (it's an item you find early in the game, and it isn't even really hidden) but it sure did feel like it. This makes your entire party extra invisible for an entire single combat; so invisible, in fact, that enemies cannot target you and can only engage in melee if you are right next to them. I moved my magic-users down the hall to pelt the enemies with a barrage of fireballs, sent my thief out to the boss, and within a couple rounds I had completed the game without taking hardly any damage at all. A cheap victory, perhaps, but it's not like the other side was fighting fairly themselves!
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I'll probably take a break from Gold Box games for a while. When I do resume the series, I will probably play in the order the game were released, so will start a new party in Champions of Krynn before continuing my adventures in the sequel to Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades.
Now it's time to think of what to play next. I'll probably go with Might & Magic II since I'm already a good ways into it.