Curse of The Azure Bonds - Reception

Reception

Tony Dillon reviewed the game for CU Amiga-64, giving it an overall score of 89%. He commented, "The graphics are more or less the same as PoR, which is no bad thing, and thankfully the game is still as entertaining and involving as the original." He noted that the game's first-person perspective is similar to that of The Bard's Tale, and also features an overhead view similar to that of Gauntlet. He concluded the review by stating, "I've said it before... but this is brilliant."

Paul Rigby of the British magazine The Games Machine previewed the game, noting that he was not happy with Pool of Radiance, which he felt was more like basic D&D due to certain classes, spells, and other elements being unavailable. Rigby said that Curse of the Azure Bonds allayed his criticism, as "Six extra character classes, 20 extra high-level spells and a bunch of new monsters make CAB a very promising product." In the following issue of The Games Machine, Rigby gave Curse of the Azure Bonds an overall score of 90%. He considered it to be a dramatic improvement to Pool of Radiance, with introduction of new classes, better storylines, and an improved combat engine. Rigby stated, "Overall, CAB is an excellent RPG, much improved and polished over POR." He concluded, "With a good storyline and excellent graphics, CAB is recommended whatever version you have."

Scorpia reviewed the IBM version of Curse of the Azure Bonds in Computer Gaming World No. 63. The review noted that transferring characters from Pool of Radiance is a good idea, as this "will give you a headstart in the game." Scorpia found the ending disappointing, as once Tyranthraxus is defeated the game ends. Scorpia also notes that the random number generator seemed to be weighted towards the low end for characters and towards the high end for monsters. She noted that the graphics and animations were improved over the first game, but felt the game speed was still a problem. She was also disappointed that that nothing much new had been added to the game except for the ranger and paladin class, and that the emphasis was still on hack-and-slash as opposed to puzzle-solving and genuine role-playing. Scorpia concluded the review by calling the game a "standard follow-up", saying it was "better than POR in some ways", but that "combat still predominates".

Zzap reviewed the Commodore 64 version of Curse of the Azure Bonds, giving the game an overall score of 86%. The reviewer felt that the addition of more character classes "allows the player more choice and a lot more scope to create a truly mixed band of adventurers, mirroring the original RPG well". The reviewer felt the monsters were better drawn and the game's plot had more depth than previous RPGs from SSI, although some innovation was lost because the game is a sequel. However, the reviewer stated "With its intricate plot and superb player interaction Curse creates a very strong atmosphere with authenticity lent to the proceedings by the mass of options and the well executed tactical combat display." The reviewer concluded by saying "Curse certainly proves a worthy sequel to one of the better RPGs around".

The game was reviewed in Dragon No. 149 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.

Doug Johns and Alex Simmons reviewed the Amiga version of Curse of the Azure Bonds for Amiga Action, giving it a 72% overall rating. Johns felt that it was a very good RPG worth getting hold of, although he felt it was a bit too similar to other AD&D computer games and less polished than Champions of Krynn. Simmons found the game decidedly average and less appealing compared to previous releases such as Champions of Krynn, but felt that RPG fanatics who enjoyed SSI's other titles should consider purchasing it. Judith Kilbury-Cobb also reviewed the Amiga version for .info magazine No. 37, giving the game four out of five stars. She felt that the graphics and animation were noticeably improved, and that combat encounters were still emphasized while being made more manageable. She concluded by stating that "Azure Bonds is the most playable AD&D game yet." Zzap reviewed the Amiga version as well, noting that this version of Curse is "a game that has fallen victim to the steady trudge of progress" while rating it 71% overall. The reviewer felt that the game was so dated by 1991 that Amiga AD&D devotees might want to buy the game to add it to their collections, but the reviewer could not "help but wonder why SSI have bothered to release this conversion when they should be concentrating on bringing prompt Amiga versions of their newer titles".

According to GameSpot, "In terms of gameplay and structure, Curse of the Azure Bonds followed its predecessor more or less directly, though it broadened the path considerably." They felt that the game system benefited from material that had been missing from Pool of Radiance, such as the ability for clerics and magic-users to attain higher character levels, the ability to enlist characters of paladin and ranger character classes, and the option for human characters to become dual-class characters.

According to the book, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, SSI ran into a play balance dilemma by allowing players to import experienced characters from Pool of Radiance. In order to make the game playable for both beginners and players with built-up characters, the designers had most of the characters' weapons and equipment stolen at the beginning of the game. SSI received criticism for this decision, and had to come up with new solutions to balance play in future games.

According to GameSpy, "Azure Bonds was a more than worthy addition to the series, and was, in many ways, superior to its prequel".