Darklands is a role-playing game produced by MicroProse. Released in 1992 for the PC/DOS platform, Darklands is set in 15th Century Medieval Europe. While the geographic setting of the game is historically accurate, the game recreated this time period using elements that were popular features of storytelling at the time, including witches, alchemy, miracles, dragons as well as other supernatural elements.

Designed by Arnold Hendrick , Darklands' unique geographic and historic groundings set it apart from role-playing games inspired by fantasy literature, such as the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. For example, there are no alternate species available in character creation – all players are human and are differentiated by occupation.

Rumors of sequels to the original Darklands were common in the years following its release. These rumors were spurred by the manual itself which says the designers were planning a number of sequels to expand the game into new regions, including other areas of Europe, Russia and other locations. These projects never materialized. Fans frequently called upon to Spectrum Holobyte / MicroProse to release the source code to the Darklands community when it became clear there were no further plans for the software, however these requests were not granted.

While never a large commercial success, Darklands’ unique game play won it acclaim from role-playing game fans of the time. While the majority of the game uses text-based menus – enhanced with hand-painted illustrations – describing your party’s available actions, the party’s movement between cities and during battle utilized a graphical user interface.

Notable features that set Darklands apart from other games of the era include:

• The game does not end. However, there are a limited number of quests available, causing the game to become highly redundant after extensive play. (Similar to the more recent game Morrowind.)
• A non-linear plotline: there is no set path for a player to follow.
• The player is free to complete quests that will give them a positive reputation, or to pursue a negative reputation by performing evil deeds. (Similar to the more recent game Fable_(video_game).)
• Age is a factor in this game. Characters will begin to lose physical prowess as they age.