Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of The Eternal Sun - Gameplay

Gameplay

The player controls a party of four player characters (PCs). There are three distinct styles of gameplay: outside adventure mode, outside combat mode, and dungeon mode.

In the two outside modes, the player has an isometric view on their characters as they travel around the locations on the world map, including open fields, forests, jungles, cities, and swamps. The party is controlled as one, and each member will follow the lead character's movements.

In the outside adventure mode, the movements of the party are in real-time. When the party encounters random battles or set events (such as a Beastman camp or an ambush on a bridge), the game will switch into outside combat mode.

The outside combat mode is turn-based. A PC is highlighted with a white box when it is that PCs turn. This selected character can move a short distance, attack, or both as the player chooses. The combat system is based on an automated version of the D&D rules, so each character and enemy has hit points and an armor class rating. If the enemies are killed or flee, the party is awarded experience points and occasionally treasure. If the PCs are killed in battle, their tombstones will be displayed, and the game will end. The player can attempt to flee the battle by moving the characters away from the enemies.

The dungeon mode differs from the other modes, as it uses a first person view. The game switches to this mode when the party enters a cave or building. The screen displays what the party can see in the dungeon, along with a compass and textual information describing the surroundings. Encounters with enemies become real-time events in dungeon mode, moving the focus away from slow and strategic combat of the outside mode to a faster-paced style. In addition, weapons and spells can have different effects in this mode; for example, the lightning bolt spell will bounce off the dungeon walls and possibly backfire on the party. The party also needs to be cautious of traps and hidden doors while exploring the dungeons.

In all game modes, the party's portraits, weapons and hit points will be displayed on the right hand side of the screen, along with any status effects they may have (such as being poisoned or under the effect of a sleep spell). Pressing the "Start" button calls up the camping menu. From here, the player can manage the party's inventory, command them to rest and heal, save and load games, transfer items between characters, view the world map, and configure game options.

The game has save game slots, which allow up to four games to be saved.