Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor is best remembered for the wrong reason: an uninstaller that could wipe your hard drive. Twenty-five years on, it's getting a second shot, and Mortismal Gaming's seven-minute look at the re-release demo suggests publisher SNEG is taking the job seriously.
The short version: the re-release launches on 6 November on PC through Steam and GOG, according to RPG Site, which reports that SNEG is working with Wizards of the Coast and that the game was originally released in 2001 by Ubisoft. Mortismal's take on the demo is positive, with a full review promised for launch.
A game with a reputation
Mortismal starts with the history, which is fair, because it's hard to talk about this game without it. From about 0:46, he explains that SNEG has been re-releasing classic Dungeons & Dragons games, and recounts the original release's infamous bug, in which the uninstaller could erase the contents of a hard drive. He describes it as about as bad as game bugs get, which is hard to argue with.
Around 2:09, he places Ruins of Myth Drannor in the wider Pool of Radiance series, which goes back to 1988, and sketches the setting around New Phlan, Myth Drannor and Elminster. It's a handy primer if you only know the name.
What the demo shows
From 3:47, the video covers party creation, which follows Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rules. Mortismal thinks offering preset character builds instead of throwing every option at you is likely the right call for many players, given how dense those rules can be. At about 4:50, he moves on to the turn-based tactical combat and spellcasting.
The modern additions get their own section from 5:27: widescreen support up to 4K, an updated interface, Steam Deck support and a Legacy mode. RPG Site's report lines up with that list, adding full controller support, a reworked camera and cloud saves, and describing Legacy mode as an optional setting that preserves the original gameplay and visuals.
Mortismal's verdict on the restoration, around 6:32, is that SNEG has put a surprising amount of care into it. He's careful to frame this as a first look, not a review.
What the comments say
The comment section is full of nostalgia, and a fair share of it is for the 1988 Gold Box Pool of Radiance rather than this 2001 game, which says something about how much the name still carries. Plenty of viewers bring up the uninstaller bug, and a few recall copies that crashed or froze back then. One viewer says the demo crashed to desktop for them, so it's worth keeping expectations measured until launch. Others say they'd never heard of SNEG and now plan to look at its other re-releases.
Should you care?
If you played it in 2001 and gave up, this looks like the version the game should have been, at least on the evidence of one demo. If you're new to it and like turn-based Dungeons & Dragons games, it's a way into an older style of the genre, with Legacy mode there if you want it as it was. The real test is the full release on 6 November, and Mortismal's promised review.
From the creators
Watch the video
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