The Temple of Elemental Evil

 PC
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 24
  3. Negative: 3 out of 24
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  1. PC Format
    74
    As close as you can get without pen and paper, but for diehards only.
  2. Game Over Online
    74
    A little boring. There are only two towns and two dungeons in the game, there is absolutely no story to drive things along (when I got to the end boss, I didn’t even realize who it was), and the quests are a joke.
  3. Game Chronicles
    72
    The music is better if your turn it off and the tinny sound effects are a bit disappointing, but at its heart there is a fun and substantial gameplay experience to be had if you have the perseverance to tough it out.
  5. Gamers' Temple
    70
    Fans of the dungeon crawling genre will have a blast getting lost in the world of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Those virgin to this type of game may be overwhelmed by the wealth of options and complexity of combat.
  6. Game Informer
    70
    From the graphics to the gameplay, in the eye of this beholder, Temple of Elemental Evil screams mediocrity. [Nov 2003, p.174]
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  7. Yahoo!
    70
    Ultimately what we have here is an excellent back-end and a beautiful graphics engine, with a combat-heavy, plot-light module and a few nasty bugs.
  8. GMR Magazine
    70
    The turn-based combat is fast paced, precise, and brutal—they throw the whole freaking Monster Manual at you, and the numbers these monsters roll are crazy deep.
  9. Computer Games Magazine
    70
    Which brings us to the game's greatest flaw, a smorgasbord of bugs, glitches, and blatantly missing features. [Dec 2003, p.82]
    All this publication's reviews
  10. GameShark
    68
    It's definitely the best translation of the traditional D&D game to the PC format. The incorporation of the D&D 3.5 Edition ruleset is great, and works a lot better that the severely lacking and awkward Ruins Of Myth Drannor, released earlier this year.
  11. PC Gameworld
    64
    Promises great things and delivers them patchily. Playing for any length of time is an exercise in frustration - especially since the concept is a great one.
  12. netjak
    63
    Incomplete, plagued by gameplay bugs and experiencing more technical difficulties than any other game since the infamous "Pool of Radiance 2."
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  13. Computer Gaming World
    50
    Yet another in the seemingly endless procession of PC games released before it was properly finished, with an unacceptably huge pile of bugs, imbalances, and performance problems that needlessly and stupidly obliterate any goodwill the game itself engenders.

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
29
#29 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 96 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 96
  3. Negative: 9 out of 96
  1. Zoso
    Jun 15, 2012
    10
    Definitely a premium RPG, and probably the most faithful translation of Dungeons&Dragons 3E rules to the computer ever.

    I wonder how anyone    Definitely a premium RPG, and probably the most faithful translation of Dungeons&Dragons 3E rules to the computer ever.

    I wonder how anyone can compare Neverwinter Nights (a wireframe RPG :-) to this jewel that is superior in every respect, from the graphics through rules/gamplay right up to the deep and immersive story.    … Full Review »
  2. mrrgl
    May 3, 2013
    7
    Definitely worth a playthrough if you apply community patches (look up "circle of eight"). Imagine Baldur's Gate, except with lessDefinitely worth a playthrough if you apply community patches (look up "circle of eight"). Imagine Baldur's Gate, except with less exploration/story and a much more interesting combat system. This is one of those games where the mechanics are so rich and complicated that you genuinely end up feeling that you can be *creative* in your party development and combat tactics. Really I've never seen a party-based combat system with this much variety and potential.

    I'd say somewhat luckily, the game will completely kick your ass right off the bat. To succeed, you've got to learn about what your characters are capable of and build your party accordingly. For the patient, ultimately a very rewarding experience.

    Cons; disappointing story line, few environments to explore.

    somewhat of a con: This is not a rail shooter. This is not easy. To succeed, you have to learn the rule system and apply intelligent combat tactics and character development.

    Ultimately, I'm quite sad that this engine did not see any more application. Troika obviously spent a ton of time creating the D&D 3rd edition rules in a PC environment, then introduced a single adventure to apply it in. Why on earth did we never see more games based on this engine?    … Full Review »
  3. night4
    Sep 22, 2018
    8
    This is tough to review because the combat, music, and mechanics are AMAZING while the bugs, pathfinding, and quests are not.

    But, I have    This is tough to review because the combat, music, and mechanics are AMAZING while the bugs, pathfinding, and quests are not.

    But, I have to give it a high score simply because there are almost no other turn-based fantasy games like this out there.    … Full Review »
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