Anyone who remembers big RPG boxes on store shelves knows the name: Pool of Radiance. Now Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, released in 2001 by Ubisoft and developed by Stormfront Studios, returns restored and arrives digitally for the first time, on Steam and GOG, on November 6. The restoration comes from SNEG, in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast, a Hasbro subsidiary.

You do not even have to wait: there is a demo in Steam Next Fest until October 26, and progress made in it carries over to the full game.

An old-school party RPG

It is a turn-based party RPG set in the Forgotten Realms, with official Dungeons & Dragons rules, species, classes and spells. After a Pool of Radiance resurfaces and spreads evil, the legendary wizard Elminster sends your party into the haunted elven ruins of Myth Drannor to find out what is behind it. You create up to four heroes and recruit two companions along the way, reach level 16 and cast spells up to 8th level. SNEG promises more than 100 hours of play.

For those who want more pressure, an optional turn timer speeds up combat.

What the restoration changes

The list is generous: widescreen support up to 4K, upscaled backgrounds for sharper visuals, full controller support, a reworked camera, an improved interface with a new action bar and extra tooltips, and adjustable combat animation speeds. There are also Steam Achievements, Cloud Saves, Steam Deck support and many bug fixes. And for purists, an optional “Legacy” mode keeps the original gameplay and visuals.

“Our goal with this re-release is simple: preserve what made the original special, fix what needs fixing, and make it accessible again to both longtime fans and a new generation of CRPG players,” said Artem Shchuiko, director at SNEG. The price is not on the Steam page yet.

See also our monthly game release calendar.

Source: SNEG.