9th Dawn III: Shadow of Erthil is a massive open world RPG/dungeon crawler packed full of content – featuring more than 270 monsters to fight and capture, a fun card game with 180 cards to collect, and over 1,400 unique items to hoard!
The game allows players to allocate points into attributes like strength, intelligence, and dexterity, enabling them to create a wide variety of character archetypes. Whether players opt for warrior, mage, or rogue-like builds, the flexible skill system lets them unlock new abilities by finding skill orbs scattered throughout the world. This encourages experimentation, as players can freely mix and match skills to find their preferred playstyle.
The real-time, action-oriented combat requires players to actively aim and time their attacks against a roster of over 270 unique monster types. Each enemy has distinctive behaviors and attack patterns that players must learn to overcome. As players progress, they unlock new spells, abilities, and equipment that continue to keep the combat satisfying and challenging.
One of the game's standout features is the ability to capture and tame various creatures as party members. Players can have up to 10 active pets, which they can level up, customize, and utilize in combat to supplement their own abilities. Optimizing a party of loyal monsters adds an extra layer of depth to the gameplay, as players must consider the strengths and weaknesses of their companions.
The game's crafting system allows players to create a vast array of items, from weapons and armor to consumables and quest items. Crafting requires balancing success chance, resource costs, and desired outcomes, providing an engaging risk-reward loop. Exploration and looting are also emphasized, with players discovering over 1,400 unique items scattered throughout the world.
The game world is designed as a large, seamless open environment, packed with a variety of locations to discover, from ancient fortresses and dark dungeons to peaceful villages and sprawling forests. The lack of restrictive questing allows players to approach the game at their own pace and tackle challenges in their preferred order, fostering a sense of freedom and personal agency.