The Dink Network

Dink's world is being torn apart and Dink must go back in time to find the source of the problems.

This used to be my favorite dmod of all time, even surpassing the original Dink. After recently playing through it a third time, I have decided to write down this review.

Story:
Dink's (from an alternate future) world is suddenly destroyed, complete with a bunch of cool scripted sequences. He sent back into the past, to the time of the Goblin Wars, to stop the destruction of the future.

The dialog and plot is decent, but nothing spectacular... and not nearly as good as I remember it being. I guess it shows my growing sophistication.

Anyway, the story is still well above average and manages to get in bits of genuine humor (though falling behind the wit of the original Dink) mixed in with some excellent plot twists.

There are a couple of plot holes and disjointed scenes that I noticed on this runthrough, where you have to suspend your sense of disbelief, but overall, they're forgivable.

And for such a long epic, I am glad to say that the ending gives a full sense of completion for all your efforts.

Gameplay:
The combination of story, gameplay, (and to a lesser degree) music is what makes this dmod shine the most. During the game, you'll receive some really powerful, fun, and novel spells. Magic is very important in this game, so keep that in mind when you're leveling up.

You won't find much of a challenge or any particularly unique battles here, but you'll enjoy them none-the-less.

Look for plenty of new and unique scripting here that was revolutionary back in the days when Dink still had to be bought and played with a CD.

The terrain map is quite large and can be confusing if you don't know it as there is no ingame map in POTA. Thankfully, there is a hidden warp granting you fast travel between two far away places to shorten some of your long hikes.

Graphics:
This was one of the first dmods (aside from a few of Mike Snyder's) that showcased a myriad of new graphics. For it's time, this dmod had a lot of quality stuff.

Sound/Music:
This is another area this dmod shines. There are plenty of new sounds to be found here, and the music tracks are quite good for the most part, even if they are mostly pop tunes. They might not always fit the mood of the area, but at least they keep you grooving enough to stave off boredom during some of the long treks.

Overall:
While not nearly as polished and fun as I used to think, it's still very much a quality epic that's loads of fun.