Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone

Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone is a video game that was released in 2004 on many consoles, including the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is set in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, though the gameplay style is only vaguely modeled on Dungeons & Dragons. The story was written by R.A. Salvatore and features the voice of Patrick Stewart as Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun and Michael Clarke Duncan as Ygorl.

The hero of many of Salvatore's novels, the Drow Elf Drizzt Do'Urden, makes an appearance in the game; he is a playable character during a portion of one battle.

Demon Stone was nominated for awards by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and BAFTA.

Story
There are three playable characters in this game, each with their own unique abilities. The human fighter called Rannek is a master of melee combat. The sorcerer called Illius casts spells to protect his friends or attack his enemies. Finally, the drow / woodelf rogue named Zhai can easily escape into the shadows before sneaking up on her enemy for the kill.

The two villains in the game are as much an enemy to the heroes as they are to each other. One is named Ygorl and is the leader of the Slaadi army. The other is named Cireka and is the general of the Githyanki. The introduction of the game details how these two aim to take over the realm, but the only thing that keeps them from accomplishing their task is their hatred for each other. Fearing that if one would be able to defeat the other, the realm would be at the winning party's mercy, Khelben Blackstaff, a mage of great power, seals them both within a demon stone.

Afterward, the story develops for our three heroes as they meet in a battle between two orc armies near the jewel rich Gemspark Mines. A great red dragon sent by Ygorl leads the group to these mines to where they unwillingly release both Ygorl and Cireka back into the world. To undo their mistake, the three heroes must join forces and right the wrong they caused before their realm would be lost.

Story Line
Zhai, Rannek and Illius manage to escape the mines, Zhai then leads them to her hometown Cedarleaf, they arrive to find that it is being attacked by Cireka's army, Ygorl turns up saying that he wants Cireka's weapon the silver sword. The town is quickly destroyed but the three heroes manage to save as many elves as possible and escape.

The three characters go to Illius' mentor, Khelben, who tells them that they must get hold of a demon stone held by the Yuan-Ti people. Unfortunately, Ygorl turns up seeking revenge on Khelben. The three manage to escape using a portal that leads them to somewhere in the jungle, sadly it seems that Khelben did not escape. They travel through the jungle and come to the Yuan-Ti temple where the demon stone is kept.

After an encounter with the Yuan-Ti and an avatar of their god, they manage to get hold of the demon stone there.

Paying a visit to Mithral Hall, they find it under siege by a tribe of trolls, and assist Drizzt and the dwarves in battle. After the battle Drizzt tells the trio of adventurers, that he is needed at Mithral Hall, and can not go with them.

From there, they continue on to the underdark citadel to finally seek out the Ygorl and Cireka to try to seal them in the demon stone but during the fight, Ygorl sends Cireka through a portal stopping their souls from being trapped inside the demon stone.

The three warriors follow Cireka through the portal and come to the dragon lair where Cireka fights with Ygorl's red dragon, she dies, thus rendering the demon stone useless, but Rannek takes up Cirka's Silver Sword and with it kills the Red Dragon.

The three warriors then go to the mines where they first found the two warriors, they then go to Limbo, the Plane of Chaos using a portal there. There they engage in final fight with Ygorl. During the battle it is revealed that it was Ygorl who manipulated them into coming together and using them to bring him the Silver Sword, despite this they kill him. The warriors return back to Cedarleaf to find them recovering from what happened. Khelben is found to be unharmed and he brings them news that the King is very grateful and has given them command of "an un-tamed" realm, this is where the game ends.

Drizzt's Journal
One of the unlockables in the game, is the journal of Drizzt Do'Urden:

''Perilous forces are at work. The bards report that Khelben Blackstaff has gone missing, and that his tower lies in ruins. And I have received word that Illius, his protege and my friend from Silverymoon, is headed here with two companions: a human from Nesme and a half drow female. Despite my concern for Khelben and the danger these accounts fortell, I cannot resist a moment of pleasure at the thought that Illius is coming to me for help. I remember the trepidation in his eyes the first time we met. Well placed, I admit, when confronted by a drow. For I cannot deny that my people have earned the reputation that gives strangers pause. In Menzoberranzan, city of my birth, far below the surface, treachery and murder are ways of life. Is it any wonder that the elven gods long ago banished the drow? But Illius quickly learned that he needn't be afraid. For though I share the same birthplace and blood as the drow, I do not share their beliefs. Nor do I serve the Spider Queen, Lolth, whose tenets of enslavement and wanton destruction run contrary to all that I hold dear. Indeed, I came to the surface world to escape that, to find a life worthwhile and I expect that Lolth is not fond of my work here. For with my friends, Wulfgar, Cattie-brie, Regis and Bruenor, I serve the way of community, friendship and peace - three causes that boil Lolth's ichor. World has also reached us of a Slaad Lord of tremdous power moving through the East. And I hear wispers from underground of a fearsome Githyanki general making her way to an ancient stronghold of her people. Somehow these events are all connected, and their outcome will no doubt have far-ranging effects across the face of Faerun. In my heart, I sense that the three travelers haeding towards me are the key. I cannot abandon my duties at Mithral Hall in this uncertain hour. But if those travelers are searching for a way to find the Githyanki, then I must help them.''

Gameplay
You have control over all three characters from the game and can swap from character to character any time in the game (apart from the beginning until each character arrives). There are many fighting moves, in order to play the game you will need to use the different skills of the characters. Rannek can use a sword and break things apart with his gauntlets, Illius uses a staff and uses magic that you will need to hit certain targets that you cannot reach by foot, Zhai uses two short swords and has the ability to become invisible in the shadows which can be useful to sneak up on enemies and kill them. The bosses would overpower one character but with the combined power of all three you can beat them, although some have very annoying attacks that can leave a character pinned to the floor. Although much of the game is hack-and-slash, there are several tasks that require the use of various skills.

Reactions
Many people have said that this game is very similar to the Lord of the Rings games, and there are quite a few similar moves and the combat is almost the same, because the two games were both made by the same development team. However, in this game you have control over three different characters, while in the Lord of the Rings games you only have control over one character.

Characters



 * Cireka, voiced by B.J. Ward
 * Drizzt, voiced by Robin A. Downes
 * Illius, voiced by Christopher Nissley
 * Khelben, voiced by Patrick Stewart
 * Rannek, voiced by Dan Riordan
 * Ygorl, voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan
 * Zhai, voiced by Vanessa Marshall