Thoughts and praises - The Dreadful Tales
12-24-2024, 09:04 PM
The modifications from this series were the ones I was looking forward to the most. As a fan of horror, thriller and ambiguous, subliminally scary stories, I had to try them myself. Especially since everything indicated that it would be a more sophisticated version of a horror gameplay than a mindless hack & slash. Each of these mods tells a different story, showing Domains of Dread through the prism of different elements, different places that make them up. This makes each of these stories unique and engaging. Ravenloft and the rest of the Domains truly have an unprecedented amount of potential just waiting to be explored in this way. Lava - thank you for working on these mods, giving us an unforgettable experience. Regardless of whether you want a new companion to shake up the current formation, or you want to be sent through a portal to a mysterious place filled with fear and uncertainty, you've come to the right place.
Once again, below, I will rate each element in terms of the availability of quests, the complexity of each mission, level of intrigue and integrity with the entire game and the world itself.
In Love, Undeath - A very nice mod with a plot that is well spread throughout practically the entire game, up to being sent to Hell. We will meet a new companion here - Xzelë Melaenitt. Depending on what you care about, you can establish a friendly or romantic (only with male PC) relationship with her. Even though I didn't want to replace Nalia at first, I decided to take Xzelë with me. And I didn't regret that decision for a single second. The paladin has a lot of interactions both with group members and with the world, and quests. Especially those related to the undead creatures and death. Her reaction to my character telling her that they prefer men (I play a male PC) was quite a breath of fresh air. She referred to this issue several times during our conversations, wanting to understand my character's perspective on love and the future related to it. The Evening Glory cult is an interesting concept that sheds a completely new light on the issue of undeath. It's worth checking out this mod and giving your new companion a chance. The only thing I missed was Lhannd interjecting when my character told Xzelë that he was with someone. Of course it could work with every single active romance. ~ Rating 9.8/10 (just missing some little things that would made this mod a perfect one)
Juniper and the Stone Leech - The story of Har'Akir presented in this mod is very interesting. I didn't know much about this part of Domains of Dread before, so it was nice to experience something completely new, previously unheard of (by me). As a big fan of Egyptian mythology, I had a lot of fun with everything related to the history presented through the locations in Har'Akir. Every room, every map was filled with the right atmosphere - from walking mummies to the fight with... No spoilers. ^^' This mod includes archaeological, anthropological, occult and religious themes. All this is interwoven with the appropriately dark atmosphere of Domains of Dread. Juniper is an interesting companion. She has a lot of interactions, so it's a good idea to recruite her as soon as you meet her. She comments on the events of the Throne of Bhaal, and female PCs may develop a romantic relationship with her. My biggest problem with this mod was its use of AI-generated stuff. I'm not a fan of this type of treatment, I talked to Lava about it and I know what his position is. This does not change the fact that the story and dialogues written by Lava are of a high standard, like all the mods he has recently released. ~ Rating 6.5/10 (lower rating, 'cause AI stuff was not doing it for me but I really enjoyed the story)
The Bloodied Stings of Barovia - Probably my favorite mod from this series. This was also largely influenced by the fact that I romanced Lhannd in the same playthrough, which allowed the themes of both mods to overlap. Traveling through this part of Barovia was filled with tension, anticipation and fear of what might await me in the next location. All gameplay elements were well balanced, maintaining the classic horror theme throughout. Once again I was impressed with how your imagination works Lava. How you implemented the theme of beekeeping into a classic story with a horror twist. If you plan to romance Lhannd in the same game, be sure to take him with you on this mission. You won't regret it! The mod contains several simple but addictive side quests that only enrich the main plot. The final fight is very atmospheric, perfectly ending the entire adventure. It is worth doing all the tasks and visiting each location, you can find a lot of interesting, magical items and learn a little about the history of the place. ~ Rating 9.8/10 (I think that it might be a bit less enjoyable without Lhannd, but overall amazing mod)
With that said, having played all of these adventures, one thought occurred to me at the end of my playthrough of BG2 with the expansion. If you ever had the energy and desire to create, I would definitely like to play your mod, in a similar style to Dreadful Tales, but with more occult themes. The game definitely suffers from the lack of companions who are sorcerers, and therefore some of your other mods that add items dedicated to this class do not have much use. Plus, a tiefling sorcerer (or not) with power from Asmodeus himself? Me likey. ^^'
Once again, below, I will rate each element in terms of the availability of quests, the complexity of each mission, level of intrigue and integrity with the entire game and the world itself.
In Love, Undeath - A very nice mod with a plot that is well spread throughout practically the entire game, up to being sent to Hell. We will meet a new companion here - Xzelë Melaenitt. Depending on what you care about, you can establish a friendly or romantic (only with male PC) relationship with her. Even though I didn't want to replace Nalia at first, I decided to take Xzelë with me. And I didn't regret that decision for a single second. The paladin has a lot of interactions both with group members and with the world, and quests. Especially those related to the undead creatures and death. Her reaction to my character telling her that they prefer men (I play a male PC) was quite a breath of fresh air. She referred to this issue several times during our conversations, wanting to understand my character's perspective on love and the future related to it. The Evening Glory cult is an interesting concept that sheds a completely new light on the issue of undeath. It's worth checking out this mod and giving your new companion a chance. The only thing I missed was Lhannd interjecting when my character told Xzelë that he was with someone. Of course it could work with every single active romance. ~ Rating 9.8/10 (just missing some little things that would made this mod a perfect one)
Juniper and the Stone Leech - The story of Har'Akir presented in this mod is very interesting. I didn't know much about this part of Domains of Dread before, so it was nice to experience something completely new, previously unheard of (by me). As a big fan of Egyptian mythology, I had a lot of fun with everything related to the history presented through the locations in Har'Akir. Every room, every map was filled with the right atmosphere - from walking mummies to the fight with... No spoilers. ^^' This mod includes archaeological, anthropological, occult and religious themes. All this is interwoven with the appropriately dark atmosphere of Domains of Dread. Juniper is an interesting companion. She has a lot of interactions, so it's a good idea to recruite her as soon as you meet her. She comments on the events of the Throne of Bhaal, and female PCs may develop a romantic relationship with her. My biggest problem with this mod was its use of AI-generated stuff. I'm not a fan of this type of treatment, I talked to Lava about it and I know what his position is. This does not change the fact that the story and dialogues written by Lava are of a high standard, like all the mods he has recently released. ~ Rating 6.5/10 (lower rating, 'cause AI stuff was not doing it for me but I really enjoyed the story)
The Bloodied Stings of Barovia - Probably my favorite mod from this series. This was also largely influenced by the fact that I romanced Lhannd in the same playthrough, which allowed the themes of both mods to overlap. Traveling through this part of Barovia was filled with tension, anticipation and fear of what might await me in the next location. All gameplay elements were well balanced, maintaining the classic horror theme throughout. Once again I was impressed with how your imagination works Lava. How you implemented the theme of beekeeping into a classic story with a horror twist. If you plan to romance Lhannd in the same game, be sure to take him with you on this mission. You won't regret it! The mod contains several simple but addictive side quests that only enrich the main plot. The final fight is very atmospheric, perfectly ending the entire adventure. It is worth doing all the tasks and visiting each location, you can find a lot of interesting, magical items and learn a little about the history of the place. ~ Rating 9.8/10 (I think that it might be a bit less enjoyable without Lhannd, but overall amazing mod)
With that said, having played all of these adventures, one thought occurred to me at the end of my playthrough of BG2 with the expansion. If you ever had the energy and desire to create, I would definitely like to play your mod, in a similar style to Dreadful Tales, but with more occult themes. The game definitely suffers from the lack of companions who are sorcerers, and therefore some of your other mods that add items dedicated to this class do not have much use. Plus, a tiefling sorcerer (or not) with power from Asmodeus himself? Me likey. ^^'
