PlayStation 2 hack-and-slash The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a mainstay of the ports being begged for on the GOG dreamlist (although it does not rank as excessive as bona fide classics like Silent Hill and The Simpsons: Hit & Run, in fact). Based on my recollections of 2004 it deserves the nomination, as a result of The Two Towers allow you to recreate the battle of Helm’s Deep and that is all the time superb whether or not you are modding it into Left 4 Useless 2 or taking part in Lego Lord of the Rings.
It is not going we’ll ever see a PC port of The Two Towers, however happily its creator, Stormfront Studios, made the same hack-and-slash shortly after and that’s on PC, with a rerelease by SNEG displaying up on Steam. It is Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, which can lack the cool moments the place film Viggo Mortenson transforms into polygon Viggo Mortenson and you then get to slice up some ringwraiths, however is in any other case very a lot in the identical mildew.
Which is to say it is a fixed-camera button-masher that throws you into epic fantasy battles with lots of orcs, although since that is primarily based on a Dungeons & Dragons setting there are additionally some bugbears and githyanki and whatnot. Proper from the off you are in the midst of a battlefield being divebombed by a dragon, with conveniently positioned conflict machines simply ready so that you can minimize the ropes and hurl medieval implements at individuals who most likely deserve it.
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The fight could also be button-mashy, however as somebody who resents video games that anticipate me to lock on to at least one enemy somewhat than wildly swinging my longsword/paired daggers/magic employees at everybody within the neighborhood, typically I am within the temper for that. As you biff dangerous guys in Demon Stone their armor flies off, which helps to promote the impression, and there are many alternatives to shove them off cliffs, into fires, down holes, or right into a magical pool of loss of life water that ought to most likely have a guard rail.
You play as three adventurers, a fighter, sorcerer, and half-drow rogue, caught in a conflict between two extraplanar armies. There’s the githyanki, dominated by a queen who’s all the things Lae’zel needs to be when she grows up, and the slaad, chaotic toad folks whose boss Ygorl is voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan from The Inexperienced Mile. (Patrick Stewart additionally narrates from the standpoint of native wizard Khelben Blackstaff.)
Although co-op was a regular function for video games like this, Demon Stone’s purely singleplayer. Meaning you’ll be able to swap between characters as you want somewhat than being caught with Gimli (although typically the celebration is break up and your alternative restricted). The place the fighter’s a primary sword-swinger and the sorcerer higher at vary, the rogue can duck into handy patches of glowing shadow to show quickly invisible, then get behind enemies for a one-hit kill. It appears ridiculous, however is definitely fairly enjoyable, which is Demon Stone throughout.
When it takes away your freedom of alternative, it is much less enjoyable. Having to guard the sorcerer towards countless waves of enemies whereas he does a magic factor, for example, or when a boss conveniently paralyzes celebration members, forcing you to change to others. The boss subject is not helped by each boss having manner too many hit factors—you be taught the sample to defeating them, then repeat it time and again. In each conditions there is a proscribed factor to do and also you simply must do it, the place the very best elements of Demon Stone are whenever you’ve acquired a alternative between attacking the orcs on the wall or pulling down the ladders earlier than the following wave comes and you’re feeling just like the move of battle’s underneath your management.
The 2025 re-release on Steam does include some enhancements the earlier model lacked, like a separate quantity slider for the music and each borderless and windowed show modes. It is also locked to the unique framerate of 30 fps, and if that is a dealbreaker for you then take pleasure in your life, I assume.
