The Dark Heart of Uukrul
DOS - 1990
Also released on: Apple II
Description of The Dark Heart of Uukrul
Arguably one of the best RPGs ever, this game has managed to somehow be excluded from every single Hall of Fame lists. Dark Heart of Uukrul rivals the best RPGs out there!
Turn-based combat with great (albeit difficult) puzzles and original spells are only the beginning. Your mission is to collect all fragments of the evil Uukrul's heart in order to destroy him. There are many innovations in the game that sadly aren't well known since the game did poorly in stores.
For starter, the writings, although few and far between, are excellent. You'll periodically find clues or magical writings by the late sorceress Mara, which are crucial to solving puzzles and measuring your progress. And what puzzles there are! To illustrate how original and unique puzzles in Uukrul are, let me just give one example: in one area, you'll come across strange riddles on different walls. After looking at the automap and matching riddle positions to the map, you'll realize that the area is one giant crossword puzzle, and the riddles are clues to each word in the puzzle! When I discovered this, I shook my head in amazement at how ingenious the designers are. Typical dungeon riddles, move over :)
The game also shines in every other respect-- many spells and prayers for your wizard and cleric to cast, a lot of tough monsters and loot, and excellent automap and teleporter features. The only disappointment I had with the game was the fact that character creation was somewhat weak. But given how difficult the game gets in later stages, perhaps it's all for the best.
Uukrul is a definite must-play for any dungeon master or anyone remotely interested in the genre. Two thumbs up!
Review By HOTUD
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
Nicho 2018-10-08 0 point
Is this DOS version cracked? Even when I fail the copy protection check at the sanctuaries I am able to use them to save my game. I have not got far enough to see if i can still use them to increase experience level. What is supposed to happen when you fail the copy protection?
Kalam 2017-03-25 -2 points DOS version
Hi, I downloaded the game but it cannot run on my PC. Any suggestions?
LazyBeerNutz 2017-01-31 0 point DOS version
I finished it....once. It took a very long time and I had to put it down and come back some months later. I didn't have many problems with it crashing but I do remember every time I entered a sanctuary, saving multiple times and making a backup multiple times, just to be sure. I ran it originally on an IBM XT clone pc with a monochrome monitor. My buddy had a 286 with EGA graphics...running it at his place....woah.
bob 2017-01-15 0 point
I always liked the originality of the copy protection and spells. It was damned hard though!
Ghost sdoj 2016-09-16 0 point
In order to enter a sanctuary there is a code wheel response required. But the code wheel answers are not included.
rednut 2014-08-30 0 point DOS version
played this heaps, my bro before me, neither of us could finish it. used to write the spells n maps in books to help remember them
Danath 2013-08-09 0 point DOS version
I never crahsed with this game, and I played it on a 386. Yet, it is SO long, not even with a walkthrough I finished it.
A Wise Old Man 2013-02-21 0 point DOS version
It was good, but it was slow as hell on even a 386-33. It also tended to crash randomly on ATs for some unknown reason, which neither DSL or Broaderbund would bother to debug and release a fix. Probably explains why it doesn't appear on even any of the "Top 100" lists.
Write a comment
Share your gamer memories, give useful links or comment anything you'd like. This game is no longer abandonware, we won't put it back online.
Buy The Dark Heart of Uukrul
The Dark Heart of Uukrul is available for a small price on the following website, and is no longer abandonware. GOG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM, please buy from them! You can read our online store guide.
Game Extras and Resources
Some of these file may not be included in the game stores. For The Dark Heart of Uukrul, we have the following files:
1 MB (DOS)Other Releases
The Dark Heart of Uukrul was also released on the following systems:
Apple II
- Year: 1989
- Publisher: Brøderbund Software, Inc.
- Developer: Digital Studios Limited
Similar games
Fellow retro gamers also downloaded these games:
