The Northern lands of the realm of Arkania are in trouble. The orc tribes, previously scattered and unorganized, have been united under strong leadership and are planning a large-scale attack on human settlements. A sword known as Grimring, or the Blade of Destiny, is the only weapon powerful enough to defeat the orcish chief and his minions. However, the whereabouts of the sword are unknown, with only one treasure map torn into pieces providing a clear clue. Hetman Tronde Torbensson, the leader of Thorwal, hires a party of adventurers to find the map pieces, locate the sword, and stop the invasion of the orcs – all within two years.
Blade of Destiny is the first in the row of role-playing games based on the German pen-and-paper RPG system Das Schwarze Auge (“The Dark Eye”). The player generates a party of six characters divided into “archetypes”, which combine characteristics of classes and fantasy races. Alongside seven “positive” attributes (such as strength, wisdom, etc.) commonly encountered in RPGs, each character also possesses “negative” attributes, which include various phobias as well as traits such as avarice or violent temper, all of which affect the character’s behavior and reaction during the course of the game. In addition, each character has skills ranging from weapon proficiency to lying and knowledge of geography.
The game itself takes place in pseudo-3D environments. Towns and dungeons are explored by moving through those environments from first-person view. However, monsters do not appear within them and each hostile encounter takes the player to a separate isometric battle screen. Battles are turn-based and tactical, allowing navigation on the field as well as taking into account details such as the direction the combatants are facing, their current physical state, etc. Traveling between towns and other areas of interest is done on a 2D map. Characters eventually become hungry and tired, and can also get sick, so travel planning and provisions are essential.
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