The Temple of Elemental Evil Updated Impressions

Gen Con LLC's all-new Indianapolis version of its long-running hobbyist consumer show is under way, and heavy-hitter game companies like Atari are on hand to show off their games to the tabletop and collectible-card game players in attendance. We were able to spend some time with a new version of Troika's upcoming Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game The Temple of Elemental Evil, which looks just as good as when we last saw it.

We were able to see a few different levels with a few different parties, including a small but powerful group consisting of an elf fighter wielding two maces and a dwarf warrior carrying a battle axe enchanted with fire magic. The game's spell effects and ambient fires, such as torches and campfires, will be presented with particle effects for both the animated flames and the smoke. All options in battle can be pulled up from a radial menu by right-clicking on the active character, which, according to an Atari representative, actually seemed intuitive enough for new players at the convention, especially since each item on the radial menu is clearly labeled as a heroic feat, a magic spell, or another option.

The Temple of Elemental Evil seems to be coming along well. The development team at Troika is currently in the process of polishing the code and fixing bugs, and the game seems to be on track for its scheduled release later this year.