Want a New Elder Scrolls? Play Queen's Domain | IGN Quick Review

If you're looking for a new Elder Scrolls experience, give Queen's Domain a try. This fantasy RPG is like an Elder Scrolls game made for the PlayStation 1, explicitly inspired by FromSoftware's pre-Dark Souls series King's Field. The game is slow, deliberate, and features punishing difficulty, which is FromSoft's signature.

After your ship is sucked through the sea by a demonic queen, you find yourself washed ashore on a jungle island alone and in danger. The early combat is tedious, but as you explore the tropical ruins, you'll find yourself making discoveries naturally. The world is pixelated, so important items are hard to identify, but you can find a belt of throwing knives that help you kill annoying eye plants and hit deep-seated switches.

As you progress, you'll find a spear that does piercing damage and a wooden club that does blunt damage, both of which complement the slash damage of your rusted sword. Weapon switching becomes part of the plodding combat dance, and stamina is the biggest factor in damage output. Each attack depletes your stamina bar, and you can't just spam attacks to get through enemies. The game emphasizes a calculated approach to combat.

In the underground crypt, things start to flow smoother as you understand the combat dynamic and get better at reacting to attack patterns. The game is designed to be primitive, with one-note attacks and predictable behaviors, making it challenging when you have to juggle multiple enemies. Defeating enemies and finding keys raises the tension, as there are no autosaves, and death means losing precious progress.

The key you find at the end of the crypt leads to a closed arena for the first real boss fight. Defeating it rewards you with a new, pristine holy sword that has an alternate attack letting you briefly glide through the air. This new sword opens up many pathways you thought were inaccessible, leading to important discoveries for the main quest and new magic torch weapons.