The Dink Network

Stone of Balance

Back door entrance for Dan Land of Reverence
May 26th, 2024
3.07
Score : 9.7 exceptional
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Robj
Jester He/Him Australia
You feed the madness, and it feeds on you. 
This will be a review on Stone of Balance redux. I never got around to playing Stone of Balance before the redux version so I can't make any comparison.

Stone of Balance redux was an overall enjoyable Dmod, which I'm glad I finally played and completed.

The story was compelling, and each area completion gave the player the feeling they were moving towards the end objective. Racing against the evil apprentice, who was also trying to collect the stones gives the story more thrill; rather than just have Dink do something, Dink has to do something before someone else does, "better hurry, but also don't screw up" is the feeling it sorta gives. There were your usual(and also unusual) obstacles spread throughout that you must pass to progress the dmod, and they weren't too difficult to overcome. Some stuff required a bit of back and forth to figure out, but that depends on the individual play style of the player really, and nothing felt unfairly difficult. I actaully didn't mind the riddles in this Dmod. While I'm not a fan of having too many riddles in a dmod as part of the main story (required to advance), Stone of Balance only had a few that were mandatory to solve, and they weren't too difficult, I actually liked them in this cirumstance, their placement made sense too; A wise sorceror in a strange realm? Of course he would want a battle of wits! A strange tree on a lone island? A battle doesn't make sense either, solve my riddle! Great use of riddles in this Dmod and the answers came to me quickly, found them logical and not cheesy in any way, like some riddles can be.

The music was well placed, complimented the areas nicely to bring together the atmosphere. I like the extra sound effects sprinkled around here and there to add to the depth of things. That's one thing that I think is under appreciated in Dmods, every one is always banging on about graphics and scripting, well yeah they are good. But sound effects do more for a scene than people give them credit for. Beats the old *Text in asteriks to tell you what Dinks doing*. Great use of sounds in this Dmod.

I did find a few bugs in my playthrough, but SimonK addressed everything I found, so won't be taking those into account because they won't exist anymore!

The mapping was good, there were a few mismatched tiles I found here and there, couple of cave tiles, few forest ones, but overall nothing too bad that will take away from the dmod.

A great Dmod. Recommended to anyone who hasn't played, or anyone that played an older version and gave up, or anyone that played it before and wants to see the changes made in this version (again I can't compare though).
April 22nd, 2004
v2.14b
Score : 9.7 exceptional
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sjoerdje
Peasant He/Him Netherlands
Lava pig to the rescue! 
Just finished the game, so it's time for a good old review

Graphics: Well, they were just great, really one of the best I have ever seen. From new enemy's(like the boobs) to a dink/bird form. It was all very nice. Adding the trees etc. was really great. Also you added a new kind of bow lore, very cool mate! I would have to give you a 10,0 for this!

Story: A stone that breakes and needs to be repaired. If you hear this you think about a small quest to get all the pieces, but you managed to put a lot of fun things in it, so that the game won't last short.. You did this brilliant. The story is well thought. I will give you a 9,0 for that.

Midi's: It seems like you have been doing a lot of searching because you have added many new midi's and they were all good. Also, you menage to put the excact right midi at the right spot. Well done. I'll give you a 9,5 for that...

Gameplay: Well, it was just great! You have putted a lot of missions/quests in the game what kept me busy some time. Some were boring(as you had to walk back, go away, walk back etc. a lot) but most of them were cool and funny. Adding the fact that you can pee on the king was the best of the game Just piss in his castle and he reacts! Never thought he would, but you added a lot of funny "eastereggs" like these. 10 for the gameplay.

Humor: Well, there is A LOT of humor in the game(Glad there is!!) Like I mentioned before, pissing in people's houses is one of them. I'll give you an 8,5 for that.

Maybe a little bit too much sex..But who cares about that! (Go dink, bang all the woman to save the world...)

Overall: It's the best game I played so far on dinknetwork. A lot of humor, fighting and searching, what makes this look special, in every single way... 9,7

I downloaded this game together with Pilgrim's quest..(Only found out it was yours too yesterday) So I'm gonne lay my hand on that game now. Expect a review there too.
June 18th, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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Binirit
Peasant She/Her
 
Sob

Storyline: Dink has to travel to different worlds in other to put together the Stone of Balance which holds the world into balance.

Map and graphics: The map is good. It is not beautifully decorated, but al that you need is on it. Other D-mod authors who do not make any new graphics, have to be inventive to do new things with old graphics, but clearly the author of this D-mod did not need to worry about that since there are many, many new graphics that are outstanding: sprites, backgrounds, weapons and magic. So that is why I think this map is good, but not outstandingly good decorated since there is a difference between making graphics and decorating a map.
I already saw a lot of graphics in screenshots and graphic packs, so perhaps that is why I was most impressed by the simple tumbleweeds. They really give this impression of a desert where the wind is blowing and the way they seem to hesitate a while on the hills before they continue is really very good.

Music: The music is fair to good and suits the different kind of situations, but is not outstanding. Some music started to irritate me after a while, such as in the maze, whereas the music in the desert is not really music you expect in a desert.

Good: The one thing I like most about this D-mod is that you get different reactions or different hints from different characters depending on what part of the story you are in. For example, if you are asked to find a lost girl, you can talk to everybody in that town and they will say something about the lost girl. If you have found the girl and you talk to the people again, they will say how nice it is that you have found her. And that interaction part is worked out throughout the entire game and it is something I like very much. Nothing is so boring to get the same reaction from a character whether you still have to find the girl, looking for a hint or having found her already –that is what some other D-mods lack, but that this D-mod excels in.
Another thing I particularly liked about this D-mod is that everything is worked out so well. If Dink goes on a boat ride, you do not just get warped to next spot, but you actually see him in the boat and you also see the boat actually moving. Things you have to imagine in other D-mods, you get to see in this one.
And the third thing I loved about this D-mod is that it is a very elegant D-mod: everything is correct, in what people say and do and what you see on the map. It just all fits together, just like the different pieces of the 'Stone of Balance' do that Dink has to find.

Not so good: The option 'maximum life' from the genie froze the game. And I could not use the pick on the graves to get the skull.
The emphasis on sex gets a bit boring after a while; it seems that everything can be solved with sex in this game – and the fact that a lot of woman that Dink saves, immediately want to have sex with him is wishful thinking.
You have to walk very, very long distances over and over again between certain spots and that gets tedious very quickly.
It is often not clear what to do as you have to figure out for yourself what to do instead of getting useful hints - and if you do get any hint, a lot of times you can not tell it is a hint since it very vague. This is why you wander and wonder aimlessly in certain places.

Overall: An outstanding D-mod.

Fit for: Everybody who wants to have hours and hours of adventuring!
December 26th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.4 exceptional
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Graphics:
I have to say that the graphics were the best I've ever seen. The quicksand is a very good idea. The gold graphics were excellent. The graphics in Story 6 stunned me. I liked the three armed trees that looked funny, the blue feathers, bouncing boobs, the leaches who attacks with their tongues, and the crystals.
10.0

Story:
The story is very good. It's excellent. The mini-games were good too and the mini quests are very good.
The different "stories" are a good idea too.
9.0

Gameplay:
The gameplay in this adventure is outstanding. I had to walk a lot several times but that doesnt matter. However, the freezing bug at the end was not good , there were to many word-puzzles and some areas were boring. However, the whole place was decorated like hell. It was a very good dmod indeed! Some places are a bit too much decorated, but that doesnt matter.
9.0

Music and sound:
Now the midis were the best! And those sound effects were neat too. I gotta admit it, finding all those midis is very difficult. The midis are also used on the right time.
9.5

Strengths:
The music, story, gameplay, argh EVERYTHING!!! This is the best dmod you can find on the dink network, but wait when TNH will come out! However, there were some weak points

Weakness:
The many puzzles! I almost lost all my hair thanks to this dmod! Sometimes I forgot where I were and I was then after 15 min, I thought, Ah I remember, I had to do "..."

Overall:
A outstanding dmod, if you want a dmod, download this dmod and be stunned. I hope Simon releases another cool dmod like this one! Good work simon!

TOTAL: 9.4

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
September 1st, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.6 exceptional
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Ah, SoB. Well, before I state my mind I'll say something: SoB is much, much too attached to sex. From what I heard by some of the other reviews, I expected a DMOD, almost better than POTA. However, for the sex/nudity in the game, I'm lowering the score. Ok, on with the review.

Story 1- Brilliant! Truly brilliant! It very well balances humour, gameplay, and sound. The storyline of this plot: the queen as made a declaration that everyone must sing. If you talk, she'll throw you into prison. Final Verdict: the best part of the game (9.8

Story 2- This land is called the Maze of Deadalus. Simon, I think, did a very good job on this. Who would have thought that a boring, overused, maze, could be so fun. Simon added fireballs that shoot through the maze, and really added to the excitment. Final Verdict: Good, but not that great. (9.3)

Story 3- This next land is named: the Desert of Thirst. It's also very good, but still, not as good as a few others. The plot of this story is people are freezing because of double-insalated stone walls. You first, have to collect firewood, I won't tell the rest if you haven't played it. Final Verdict: A great part of the game, but still, not the best. Final Verdict:
The concept was original, but it wasn't as fun as the others. (9.5

Story 4- This is my 2nd favorite part, The Land of Reverence. 4 religions in one land isn't a totally new concept, but Simon, like Story 2, could really spice it up. Final Verdict: I wasn't disappointed, and you won't be, either. (9.7)

Story 5- The next land, The Touch of King Midas, wasn't so fun, but I still enjoyed it. You probably could tell what it's about from the title, but here I go anyway: A curse has been put upon King Midas, and anything he touches turns to gold. You, being a hero and all, have to lift the curse. The puzzle was brilliant, and it's hard to figure out. Final Verdict: Most definately not as fun as the previous stories, but still very entertaining. (9.5)

Story 6-
Ok, this story is sick. I didn't really like it, but I kept oging in hopes that the next land would be much more fun. There's not much to say about it, but if you're under say, 14, I wouldn't reccomend it. Final Verdict: Too attached to sex. (7.0)

Story 7- The final boss. This is mildly amusing, but don't expect a motherload of gameplay. You fight a strange enemy, and recievethe final fragment of the stone of balance. The boss is very tough, but there is a good way to kill him I won't reveal. Final Verdict: A good way to exersise your abilites, but not much gameplay. (8.6)

Overall- A great epic, not as good as POTA, but better than LoT and AGAE. Download this epic if you tire from the short, boring romps. (9.6)
July 4th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.3 exceptional
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IceMan
Peasant He/Him
 
Stone Of Balance, a great D-MOD, a very very GOOD D-MOD. This D-MOD has many features that makes it stand out from the crowd. The main one that I can think of, has to be its graphics. Absolutely, brilliantly done here. The graphics really show SimonK knows what he is doing when making D-MODS. There are goods, there are bads, here is what I think...

Strengths
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Has to be the graphics, these graphics are really well put together and show just how good at graphics our SimonK really is. I feel that these graphics really improve Stone Of Balance, and think that if he were to ever make a sequel, then it would be equally as good. Graphics are not the only good thing about this D-MOD, I also think that the scripting and story scripts are very well put together. I think that the size of this D-MOD is tremendous. It keeps the game going on, and on. Making this adventure last yonks longer than it normally would. Not only this, but the way everything comes together is very cleverly thought out. From the strengths side, this D-MOD has a great set of EXCELLENT features. Very well done, 100% good. Well done SimonK, give yourself a pat on the back.

Weaknesses
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Hmmm, now this IS a hard one. The D-MOD is so well put together I do not know what to say in this section of the review. Hmmm, yes, maybe there is something. I did not like the way this D-MOD has been made, in ways of saying graphics. The rude language and graphics may be what some people call good, but from my point of view, this is very bad. A younger person may come to this page, download Stone Of Balance, play it, only to be offended by what he sees. I am thinking of re-writing SOB to make it suitable for a younger audience, as the way that it has been done here, is very bad. This does not make a D-MOD good, just makes it very offending to people that get offended by stuff like this. I will have to get permission from SimonK to do this, but for you younger authors, do not download this version. Wait untill the re-write comes out, otherwise, get another D-MOD. What this D-MOD contains may offend you, or your family. Stay clear here.

Overall
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A D-MOD packed to the brim with graphics. A Very well put together storyline, and a handfull of new scripts. Great game here, but, if you are young, then I would not recommend this game to you. For older people however, go and check this D-MOD out. A stunning addition to Dink Smallwood.

Total - 9.3
Grade A

End Comment "Young authors, do not download this"
June 7th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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Graphics: I have to be honest and say the graphics in this d-mod were the best I've seen. The quicksand took me totally by surprise. The gold graphics in Story 5 were very good. The color was overlayed perfectly. The graphics in Story 6 really blew me away. I liked the three armed trees that looked like they were lifting weights, the bouncing boobs that attacked, the blue feathers, the leaches who attacks with their tongues, and the blue/green/red crystals to name a few. SCORE: 10.0

Story: The story was well thought out. This adventure has several quests and in some of the quests are mini games that you have to play to proceed. These games aren't impossible, but some do have a twist. SCORE: 10.0

Gameplay: The gameplay in this adventure is very tedious. Not in a way that the player would want to give up though. But I encountered some unpleasant moments where I thought I would give up. Finding the entrance to see the soothsayer in Story 4 was a little difficult. Darn near impossible to be truthful. After posting on the board and finding the location, I still had trouble finding it. But I did find it and the game went on. (The two trees looked like one tree and that threw me off.) Another bad moment I had was trying to fight the end boss without the three immunity potions. I used the flamebow and beat him and the game froze. I tried again with the same results. After reloading to a previous save, I got the potions and the game played smoothly. ( I didn't know about the potions until I read the walkthrough.) And I've yet to find Multiblast in Story 5. But I'm not being critical of the game here. It seems to me that the harder the game is the more determined a player is to beat it. At least thats the way I am. SCORE: 9.5 (only because the game froze at the end)

Midi's: My dad don't want speakers attached to his computer. Go figure.
SCORE: N/A (sorry Simon. I bet the midi's are good.)

Overall:

Likes: I really enjoyed playing this game. I laughed, I cursed, I pulled my hair out, I had a great time. Thanks Simon. I highly recommend this game to anyone who wants to play a good game. I was glued to this game for hours on end and didn't want to quit when I had to.

Dislikes: The only major thing I disliked about this game is that you can only get the Secret Bow Lore and the three immunity potions at precise times in Story 6. ( I got the Secret Bow Lore in Story 5. It took a while but I got it.) But as soon as I killed the three red scorpions I went straight for the milk. As I'm sure most players will. Hmmmm....come to think of it, Simon must have concluded the same result. Thats why he added it at that precise moment. Good thinking Simon. I'll now have to turn my dislike to a gameplay bonus. Now, is there anything I didn't like about the game. Uh, lets see, wait a minute, I'm thinking............. Oh, yes. There is one
thing I don't like about this game. Dink gets laid more than I do!
OVERALL SCORE: 9.8
February 25th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 8.0 good
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Matthew
Peasant They/Them
 
This is my review of worlds 1-4. The review for the rest of the game, with some notes on the game as a whole, would be right below, but there is a 2500-character limit for a review. The score reflects my evaluation of the game as a whole, including scores of 6.5 for World 5, 5.0 for World 6, and 9.5 for World 7.
I'll break this down by world.
World 1--This is the best part of the DMOD. It has LOTS of secrets, rhyming text, and a very original plotline. The only significant negative was that, if you missed certain secrets, then you were screwed for the rest of the game. 9.7.
World 2--This, on the other hand, was pretty much total crap. There were minimal secrets (an obvious genie, a useless map, hard-to-get and necessary magic) and way too much running in circles. The most infuriating part was the exorbitant cost of healing. The were also a bunch of bugs in this world, but Simon K. fixed these in patch 10. 3.5.
World 3--This board was really fun, with great and original music, some new items, and excellent humor. I loved the way that the enemies on some screens changed as the board went on--this kept it from becoming repetitive. Negatives included a bunch of walking around and the fact that the board was rather easy. 9.0.
World 4--This board was sadistically difficult. I still have no clue how to get the fourth stone without exploiting a bug that I found. And, oh Lord, there were WAY TOO MANY of those. Simon Klaebe says that he will fix them in patch 11, which is a must if you don't want to spend half of your time walking on water, teleporting to other worlds, or skipping parts of the plot. I missed the herb boots, which made the board annoying because I was so stuck at the end. This board is the last good chance to level up--I gained level 16 here, which is a good idea for the rest of the game. The social satire was wicked, the puzzles were mostly satisfying to solve, and the music was again very good. 8.0.
December 5th, 2001
v2.14b
Score : 9.4 exceptional
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redink1
King He/Him United States bloop
A mother ducking wizard 
Stone of Balance is a D-Mod you're going to love and hate at the same time.

Most of the new graphics are top-notch 3d renderings (the scorpions are particularly well made, as are the animated trees in one of the last worlds). This D-Mod wins graphically over any D-Mod that has ever been released, and will probably continue to do so for a very long time.

Sound is also very good... new sound effects throughout, and really well chosen midis.

Most quests are quite original, and enjoyable once you figure out what to do. And therein lies the problem.

The difficulty is way way way up there. It is in the way the game handles the puzzles and tasks. In one of the lands you are given a key to the back door of building. You can't see the back door, so you have to guess where it might be behind the building. Every other door opens by walking into it, yet you have to press space to go into the not visible back door. There are several other areas where you can be stuck forever, then doing the most arcane thing possible gets you past that area.

A couple of the areas weren't very fun (at least to this reviewer). The maze area was infuriating (imagine trying to get through an absolutely huge maze with fireballs wizzing all about). I found that the desert area went on too long (do this, do that, do this, go back here, do this, go back there, go here, go there, and so on).

But, like I said, you'll love playing it and hate playing it at the same time. There is so many things to do that you have to like at least one part of it.
August 30th, 2016
v2.14b
Score : 9.9 exceptional
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Baphomet
Peasant He/Him
I Like War. 
This d-mod is the best one I have played yet! It has all the making of a good quest, it's long, it has humor, a lot of sub-quests, and most importantly a great plot. Simeon Klaebe balanced it (no pun intended) at the right difficulty level. The obstacles are more than adequate.

The graphics are very well done, I enjoyed his genie graphics. Then there are the, uh, genital graphics but that is something you will have to find out for yourself. If someone wanted to play an epic that had a lot of fighting, humor, sex, this would be the D-mod I would recommend. Also it kind of inspires you to make an epic D-mod yourself.

The midi's he picked were fitting for what was going on in the game.

This is all that I have to say about the D-mod. I'll repeat what I said, I RECOMMEND IT!

Baphomet over and out.
March 23rd, 2011
v2.14b
Score : 9.5 exceptional
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Mrgantoe
Peasant He/Him Cuba
I'm simply a distraction. 
This d-mod was the best d-mod I have ever played I just have to say that I have played it eight times.

Gameplay and story:the gam play was phenomenal I just couldn't put it down till I was finished. The story was just lovely it was about how a Mage tries to steal the stone of balance and it's pieces get blown over the place and of course dink has to go find them as usual that is all I will tell you because I don't want to spoil this awesome d-mod.
Graphics:I loved all the graphics they to me they are better than forest of dooms graphics there aren't as much but they are just as good if not better .
Replay value:as I said I have played it eight times every single time was not a bore I suggest that you don't use a walkthrough from dink solutions because you might read to much and spoil something good and totally awesome which would be terribly bad for you and trust you you don't want that to happen now do you.
I have to say that Simon is a great D-mod author and you should defenitly play it.
Overall the d-mod made it in with my record books and I hope it does for you it is a must have and in my opinion it rivals even the original Dink Smallwood game.
July 25th, 2010
v2.14b
Score : 8.0 good
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hell7fire1
Peasant He/Him Botswana
It's like that. 
I loved the game but I think that the last part was unnecessary

Story
The stone of balance has broken into pieces and dink has to recover them

This is a great D-mod
The story is divided into 7 parts (not all D-mods do this but the original did, so it is a good idea).
You have to find 7 jewels so 1 part for 1 jewel.
Many riddles.
The last part was unnecessary.
Now some dinkers can not play the game.
I did not understand it completely.
8/10
bugs
Few (there shouldn't be any).
The ones that were there were major problems most needed a restart.
5/10
graphics
Lots and lots of new ones.
New tiles.
New sprites.
But some of them were not so good like the nude women (bad, pointless, annoying).
7/10
mapping
Wow.
Nothing but hard work was put into making it so good.

scripting
Another wow.
Very good.
I am speech less.
10/10
extras
Full of secrets.
You can cheat if you want to but nothing comes without a price (Cheaters beware).
There are a few (side) Quests to earn things.
10/10
40/50 / 5=8/10
________________________________________________________________________

To truly appreciate the mapping (and scripting) one should open it in one of the editors
-The bad points are over powered by the good points-
I have to say that giving this a low score would be an insult to SimonK

After you have played the game just think how hard the author worked

this is definitely worth your computer's space
August 13th, 2009
v2.14b
Score : 9.4 exceptional
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DinkKiller
Peasant He/Him United States
The world could always use more heroes 
Having finally completed this D-Mod 100% I wanted to rewrite my review.

Stone of Balance, one of the biggest, best, but most challenging D-Mods ever.

Pros:
This uses many cool new graphics, such as odd colored tiles. The story is really long, and quite well made in my opinion. Good music. Intresting new monsters, such as the ones in the 6th story. Some nice new magics.

Cons:
This D-mod is quite difficult. I think this would be nearly impossible without a bit of help, such as the walkthrough.

Overall:
Definately one of the best D-Mods, but just a bit too challenging.
March 17th, 2007
v2.14b
Score : 9.2 exceptional
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skull
Peasant He/Him Finland bloop
A Disembodied Sod 
Finally I get this through! Phew! Almoust the best d-mod ever I've played.
Even this is a good and EPIC d-mod I'll write a short rewiew.

Story: An apperentice wizard tries to steal Stone of Balance. But the stone blows up and lands to several places. The seven pieces must be together again, and so two priests from Temple of Balance sends Dink to find those pieces.

Good: Not so easy to get through.

Bad: To much walking town and back to wherever! In DESERT of thirds. it's really boring!

Overal: A very good d-mod with a great story in it! With also a great end Boss in it!

Fit for: For all what's in it!

I didn't give the full points cause it's not perfect! Nothing of nopody's perfect! Remember that! I'm on my way to play SOB 2: Pilgrim's Quest.
March 11th, 2007
v2.14b
Score : 9.7 exceptional
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WierdAl
Peasant He/Him
 
This Dmod has to be the best ive played so far. This dmod may be better than the original.

The goods: this dmod has really good midis, mostly original graphics, but the end level and the one before it are both full of new monsters and characters and i thought were really fun. the game was very understandable and it wasnt easy to get confused. the story was awesome and i really liked the three dink clones.

the bads: not many a few hardness errors but thats really all.

Graphics: 9.6 for the new monsters

Story: very hard to get lost and not too easy to understand. 9.8

Midis: Midis went very well with the scenes but should have been more loops. 9.4

Fighting: just right not too much not too little not too easy and not too hard. 9.9

overall: 9.7 best dmod ever
December 26th, 2006
v2.14b
Score : 9.9 exceptional
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GOKUSSJ6
Peasant He/Him Poland
Everyone should get a pizza for free in each week. 
This is my favourite D-MOD!
Story:
An ancient one(?) sended his servant to get 7 Stone of Balance fragment's(This remind's me of Dragon Ball Anime )*9.9*
GamePlay:
The gameplay is really GREAT!New enemies,new spells,options etc.*9.9*
MIDI/SOUND:
There are some new MIDI's sound's are really cool *9.9*
Good:This looks like Dragon Ball but in Dink Style.
Bad:NOTHING!

Overall:
*9.9*
August 8th, 2006
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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slayer4990
Peasant He/Him Canada
Foppery and Whim! 
all-in-all a great d-mod

story: excellent storyline, dink has to collect the shards of the stone of balance, which has been broken by an evil wizard, reminds me of a t.v. show i watched last year, cant remember the name.

Gameplay ifficult, played through the full game the first time with cheats, the second time my computer didn't havethe cheat menu and i got up to the part where you are in the desert, i couldn't get any farther because i sold my pick and was stuck in the part between the two pentagrams, anyway 10 in this section

Bug report: after you beat the boss in i BELIEVE its the second story, and it goes into the cutscene If medulak walks into one of those star things the boss shoots the game freezes and you have to fight the boss over.

Overall: excellent d-mod, much better than PQ in my opinion... 9.8

Extra Comment: waiting for necromancer, which i beleive is coming out tomorrow.
May 1st, 2006
v2.14b
Score : 9.6 exceptional
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This has to be one of the best DMODS I played. It's also the one that took the longest to finish. It has a lot of great ideas in it. I remember the mushrooms, the golden country, the churches, the singing, ... Part 6 was a bit strange (not really Dinkish), but still cool to play puzzle-wise, though a bit a shame that this part had to be in this DMOD instead of a separate one.

You can eat mushrooms and reload the game every time to get the best out of each 'shroom.

Great to search for secrets everywhere, and all that tree burning gets rewarded with hidden caves.

Also, great graphics, including the scorpions and the tumbleweeds.
February 27th, 2006
v2.14b
Score : 8.5 good
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Nice D-Mod.

Graphics. The scorpion is new, and when I saw Dink in quicksand I realized that he wasn't making graphics with Paint. And, there are also... some... inte...rest...ing... Down to the next subject.

Music. I can say nothing else but that it's good. There was a new music which made me jump.

Sound. Well, nothing new, so you can't really put much in here.

Story. Nice, as always. 7 adventures in 1 D-Mod. I just cannot put more into it.

Map. Big. And somehow entertaining.

Gameplay. Not too hard, but there are so many cheats.

Overall. Waiting for the next D-Mod... or, well, Necromancer right now...

Total. 8.5 is what I give.
April 9th, 2005
v2.14b
Score : 9.9 exceptional
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mikey
Peasant He/Him
 
I loved this dmod! I agree with what most everyone said about the sometimes very difficult maps like the religious one where I could not find the two trees in the Wicked Forest. The sexy stuff was fine by me, but I do agree that because of it, children should not be playing this dmod.This was a long epic and I too think it was better than the original! Great job Simon! I can't wait to play your next masterpiece!
August 30th, 2004
v2.14b
Score : 9.5 exceptional
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VaultDweller
Peasant He/Him United States
Wanderer of the Wasteland 
This is one of the best D-Mods ever made hands down! Everything is new and the Dinky plot is executed perfectly from quests to quips!

Pro's:
-All new music that fits scenes perfectly!
-All new graphics that make Dink look completely redone!
-All new enemy's and altered old one's that fit their environments!
-Hilarity everywhere!
-A great Dinky storyline thats just weird enough to laugh at, but sensical enough to play.

Con's:
-A bit hard at times.
-Somewhat hard to understand side quests.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
December 7th, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.5 exceptional
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As hard as a RPG can get. You can get all the dificult you want and tune it with the walkthrough.
I somewhat enjoyed the rated content but felt sorry about young dinkers not going to play this great adventure.
If you sell all the green mushies you lose the hellfire then need to start over. That start over thing is part of any good game but happened too much. It's an evil way to make the game bigger, specially in an already huge one.

Story One - Music
Good start. Low and mid level monsters - the scorpions are perfect!. After I got the throwing "invisible" hammer I had a good stay.

Story Two - Maze
A medium map if you go "straight" to the boss, a huge map if you want the golden hearts. The save machines were well placed. Blessed herb boots. If you like to be a fireball magnet you are in home here

Story Three - Desert
Great change of landscape, made forget the other two, great final.

Story Four - Religion
No way to finish this one without the walk. If you did you are a Seer. Full of resources to rebuild your stats. I had a very long and enjoyable stay on this one.

Story Five - Gold
Had to use the walk for the riddles. The NPCs could have some hints. Nasty bug with the lettuce, pick only one.

Story Sex err Six
Fine Woody Alen Boobs, when i first saw I thought they were gazers lol. The other two new monsters were more obvious.

Story Seven - End
Got killed enough, then start over for some eastern egg potions, then got freezed a couple more times. The game just dont wanted to end.

Overall: Great!
September 30th, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.2 exceptional
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yill
Peasant They/Them
 
Stone of balance-Simon Kleabe

First of all a warning;
This is a very hard nut to crack!Not only are there some pretty strong enemy's to destroy,you have to answer diffecult questions and riddles and the quests are down right impossible sometimes.I played this game in god mode cause I get pissed off when things take to long but if you are patience enough you'll be spending a lot of hours without a cheat on this game.

The story;
Its about evil that wants to take over the world by stealing the stone of balance.It breaks in pieces and Dink has to find the 7 fragments.Sounds easy?Guess again!

Story 1 is easy (compared to the others!) when you once know what to do and not so different from the original Dink game.However there are some new enemy's;The scorpions.Nasty little stingers they are.And Dink has to take a piss.Laught my ass off,pissing on a duck!You'll sing your way in this one.

Story 2 is just impossible without help from one of the cheat add on's (I played it in god mode from Mimi) and in the small maze you hear the sounds from mission impossible...very suitable.Running in a maze where fireball's blast your ass off and a end boss that just wont die is my interpetation of mission impossible.BIG TIME!However,after you beat
this story things get better and better.

Story 3 is about a small settlement in the dessert.Its great to be here after story 2.A lot of small quest's to do like picking up wood,find a pisspot and so on.Thank god we found herb boots in story 2 cause we have to walk a lot in this one.A new obstacle in this story;quicksand!
You'll drown in it when you fall in.Cool!

Story 4 happens in a big world with a lot characters who can help you.(loved the serventgirl that "tests" the guard)and a well made forrest.There are again a lot of little quest's to perform before you leave for the next world and some are very funny...(Give a priest whisky?) Really would hope to see a sequal where we meet the satin knights...

Story 5 you have to lift a curse from king Midas who turns everything he touches into gold.When you search the wizzard that has to lift the curse you bump into a new kind of inviormentwith small vulcano's and red grounds.It wasn't an exiting quest but I did like the change.

Story 6, finally I can wave my hands cause this is the story that I really rolled of my chair.When you enter this world you maybey think that someone put LSD in your drink cause Simon really got creative in this world.Collourd ground, cristals weird trees,you name it.Some really excelent new monsters;breast shaped and was that otherone what I think it was?There are 3 womanlike creatures that you have to find that where quite different than what I ever saw in a Dink dmod.I was amazed by graphics as well by the quest's he has to do.Dink becomes a father of some interesting kids.He sure gets layed often ;-p

Story 7 is very confronting...fight yourself 3 times basicly.Looks harder than it actualy is,fight the big one and there you go..you have saved the world!!

Add it all up and I find that the storyline is very well put together and exiting to play.

Graphics:`The worlds looked good and some even where amazing.Got stuck though a couple of times in the screen but no real problems there.(happens a lot in Dink games, even the original)

Midi:Again I do not pay any attention to music as long as its not annoying although there where some sounds that where well chosen.In world 6 the midi fitted right and in world 2 I feld extremely sorry for myself when I heard the mision impossible tune.And don't forget the goblins!

Bad:Yes,there are some things that almost drove me to trow my computer out my window.The whole big maze part in story 2 for instance.And without the walktrough you are helpless I think.Like I have sad, a very
hard nut to crack and sometimes mayby a little TOO diffecult.I do recomend a cheat when you play this game.You WILL go crazy!!

Overall this is a great dmod and I'm glad that I tried it a second time.Its a great adventure to play and you won't regret downloading it.And because the beatifull story 6 you sure deserve a 9.2 : )

Like to add personaly that I think Dink deserves the sex he had in this game...finally the hero gets rewarded...
September 23rd, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 8.9 good
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This Dmod is really good, even though it could get boring to run here and there all the time...

SOUND/MIDIS: I couldn't hear any sounds or midis because my speakers are broken.

GRAPHICS: They were really well-made... i really liked the quicksand even though i fell into it a couple of times.

STORY: It's about an evil sorcerer who sends a small twisted guy who tries to steal the Stone of Balance from the Temple of Balance. But when he touches the stone it shatters and are spread to the ends of the world...
August 23rd, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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Kat
Peasant She/Her Canada
We can out-drink most Americans! 
Stone of Balance v2.11z by Simon Klaebe

Pro's: A HUGE Epic, that never wants to quit. A variety of magic and different swords. SimonK's trademarks are all over this dmod. Just as you think you have uncovered a BIG secret AHA..another appears. Nice landscape. After awhile I had forgotten what I was suppose to do, but went on ahead anyhow.I don't no if there was music (my speakers again) but no matter as I usually put in a CD while I am playing.

Con's: It drove me crazy. Back and forth runing around like a chicken with my head chopped off. To many clues/hints/puzzles, I had to keep taking long breaks before attempting the game again. No real bugs that I could find (though I really hated that darn Maze).

Overall: A Great Dmod, worth the downloading time and playtime (but what is with SimonK's obsession with..err sex??)
April 3rd, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.9 exceptional
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SimonK is by far my favorite D-mod creater. I enjoyed SOB more than the original Dink, and I have to applaud Simon on the sheer amount of WORK that must have gone into every one of his mods. You can always expect something new with his adventures.

PRO: If you like humor in your adventure, then this is the D-mod for you. Not only is the humor good, but the grammar too! New graphics, new spells, new enemies, and new items! Lots of stores and oppurtunities to level-up. Lots of puzzles. Personally, I think an RPG should be ENTERTAINING, you know- keep my interest. Give me lots of treasure to find and all that. This mod really comes through.

CON: The humor was a bit, hmmm...MISOGYNISTIC. It did give the game a particularly Dinkish character, but perhaps Simon just needs a little sunlight or something- He probably doesn't get out much, spending all his time creating great D-mods for us!

Overall, if you are a Dink fan DOWNLOAD THIS NOW!!
February 24th, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.7 exceptional
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Soma
Peasant They/Them
 
This is one of the best d-mod games ever made. When i played this game, I didn't know how good it was. I read the reviews and then I though "this must be good". And I were right...

Graphics: I must be honest to say, that this game beat every record. The new cool monsters, and the floors, and backgrounds. Nice make, and no hardness lag in the whole game. But I didn't story world 2, all the great and beautiful graphics and then a crappy world 2. But it isn't going to destroy the great game it is

Story: Is there anything to say? It can't be better. I think the ending is very good, because you think you have won, and then there is a upcoming game. That’s REALLY good. I have played Pilgrim too, four times! I am looking forward to play the Necromancer game. I hope it have the same great style and the perfect storyline as this d-mod.

Music: AAAAHHHH!! I like the sound in my ears. Normally, I think dink music "sucks" but many different melodies give the game style. And if there only is an irritable sound all the time in the d-mod, you just won't play the d-mod. Try Dry! That is crap; because I get sick of the music, all in the game get me sick in my head.

Game style: I am a big fan of the game style where a big storyline is hide. I like to play d-mods when it takes over 15 hours to finish. I used many WEEKS to find out how to find the Whiskey in story 4. I just like large games...

Humour: What should I say? It’s a humoristic d-mod, with Dink Smallwood as main character. Fun in Dink is the best ever!

I didn't give this game higher because I think I will give Pilgrim 9.8 and if the Necromancer d-mod rules, I give that game 9.9.

This is a must game! Download it and you will have a exchange from Counter strike
February 23rd, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 9.7 exceptional
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This D-Mod is one of the greatest of all the Dmods available. Play it and you'll see. SoB is very long, though it gets sometimes boring. Lots of worlds, or "stories" to complete. Story plots are good. It's not big in MEGs, so anyone can download it.

PLOT:
*****
Aprentice wizard broke into Stone of Balance's Sanctum, trying to rob the stone. His hands were unclean, and the stone broke into seven pieces, flying every direction. Priests called Dink for help, to obtain those pieces. Howewer, one piece remains to wizard. He's master sent him to gather the stone pieces. There is something else, but I don't want to spoil it. Awesome! Plot is well made, and side-quests fit good to storyline. *Average: 9.7*

Graphics:
*********
New truly awesome and incredible graphics such as: Scorpions, quicksand, gold castles, trees and houses... Story 6 was full of new graphics like trees that have 3 arms, bouncing boobs, feathers... *Average: 9.9*

Sounds:
*******
Midis were great, and I mean great. They fit the situation perfectly. They were taken from other Dinks and some from who-knows-where. However, I usually don't recognize new sounds, but scorpion screams were new atleast. *Average: 9.5*

Other:
******
There was just too much sex in this D-mod. That lowers the score atleast a little. World 2 was the most boring world in my opinion. Run trough maze with full of fireballs bouncing around. Riddles were okay, not too hard or easy. If you miss secrets in story 1, it will be hard in later stories. End boss has cool graphics. When you had to stop when completing it, you don't want to. SoB2 Pilgrim's Quest is must download! (I might never be able to do so, my modem is so crappy, it will cancel the connection sometimes, I don't know why.)
FINAL SCORE: *9.7* <Exceptional>
January 29th, 2003
v2.14b
Score : 8.8 good
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this dmod has sevreal stregths but is just to sick to realey be enjoyed to its fullest

story-8 For the most part the story was realy good a big stone breaks you have to gather the fragments(alla legend of zelda) the only big drawback comes in the 6th level when the story turns from hummours to a low buget porno staring dink smallwood (segman freud might have something to say there)

graphics-8 prettey standard dink stuff with a few custom jobs thrown in i thought the beholders looked kinda of goofy until i figuered out they where bouncing boobs oh brother level 5 looked realy good all clad in gold.

game play 10 what can be said here this is dink smallwoods strong point its the best action rpg engine out the enemies are never to easy never to hard.

puzzels 08 the puzzels range from standard number gusseing games to finding a good place to pee nothing realy great the riddels where cool but they where all elementry shcool so i half to take 2 points there

maps 10 i liked the fact that instead of trying to make one huge world he made 7 well 6 well designed small worlds and one not so well one but over all the maps where exelent

extras-09 there are quite a few and i know i didnt find them all the multi blast was the coolest also there is a full nut not very well written walk through in the game package that you might need to use in certain parts.

if i did my math rite i get an avrage of 8.8333333
June 19th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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This is one impressive DMOD. Yep, its an epic in every sense of the word. 7 stories in one... almost 7 DMODs in one!

Most of the reviews have hit the right notes, Story 2 is the worst. Just gotta hate that one. Story 1 probably the best, but I gotta say, getting on with all the women (human and not so human) in story 6 was a trip.

Plus all the new graphics. And there is a lot of those. Sorta makes the worlds different and uniques. Bonus points for that - makes up for the Story 2 stuff.

Midis - not too bad. Most great. A couple just ok.

Gameplay - yep a lot of walkking at times. Had to use the walkthru here and there, but still it's got a lot of humour. Some very funny stuff.

Overall 9.0 but I think the extra graphics bump it up to 9.8. Well done Simon - gives up more!!!
June 5th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.0 exceptional
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WC
Peasant He/Him United States
Destroying noobs since 1999. 
This d-mods story line is your basic go to different lands and find crap to save the world, but with a nice twist. This d-mod will challenge you in almost every way possible, from hard enemies to mazes to riddles.

Graphics: Great, new 3d rendered enemy's, and remade old one's keep things interesting. Some of the landscaping was also redone making this d-mod complete.

Story: Most of it was great except for story 2, story two was only a run through a huge maze and get lost, but other than that.

Sound: Very original sound here, that fit the story completely! I don't think Simon stole any midi from any other d-mod. Oh, almost forgot, he also threw in a bunch of new effects sounds.

Game play: Original quests with a ton of comedy, does it get any better?

Overall: Great d-mod, and I’m giving it a 9.0, it would be higher if story 2 wasn't crap.

February 19th, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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This is THE most ambitious and most carefully designed dmod right now.
The graphics alone can almost top any other dmods.
Dink was summoned to a world where the balance was kept by the Stone of Balance. The stone was broken and the balance of the world depends on it...
Main scene is quite straightforward. Go find all 7 pieces of stones. But since the stones were spreaded all over the world, you need to go thru different quests to get all stone pieces. Most of the quests/missions are quite unique or original. You don't need to succeed in EVERY mission, but without having all stone pieces, the game can become quite difficult in the later mission. That's understandable. But somehow, IF you get all pieces of stone, the game will become a little bit too easy.
You have very detailed map content in every screen. You have very nicely fit music. You have extremely high quality graphics. The dialogues and converstaions are well done. Very few, if any, bugs can be found in this dmod, especially considering the size of the dmod... The praise can go on and on...
To say the least, unless you have anything personal against Simon, this is the dmod you just can't miss!
January 23rd, 2002
v2.14b
Score : 9.8 exceptional
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SimonK
Peasant He/Him Australia
 
Hmmm, should I review my own DMOD? Hell, why not. Graphics, well as everyone as said best new graphics around. Sounds, these too are good, midis - hey I chose them, they must be good. New magic - yep, that's there too. New weapons, a few, including the club with new graphics. Plot, well overall it's pretty simple, but down in the detail, it's pretty darn good. Humour, yes - I found it very funny . Problems? Well in hindsight I think I made it too hard and obscure it parts. I gotta take some off for that. But hey, riddles are great - if you like riddles - doh!
December 23rd, 2001
v2.14b
Score : 9.9 exceptional
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grrl
Peasant They/Them
 
Wow! The best DMOD ever. Better than POTA, better than LOT and better than the original Dink. The graphics were outstanding. New enemies – and great ones too: scorpions and a whole bunch of weird stuff at the end. New lands – the desert land was very well done. New magic – gotta love that multiblast. Insectoid wasn’t bad either. And many, many, many new items. Game play was excellent. Well thought out, some bits had lots of running around. But the humour and interesting maps made up for that. “Best jerky man in town! Eyes? They have my whole head!” Secrets too, with something new for any DMOD, interactive riddles. These I really like, maybe cause I like riddles . Quests were great, lots of them all fitting around the main quest of finding the bits of the Stone of Balance. I’m still playing FIAT, so I can’t compare the two yet, but it’s gotta be close. Give this 9.9 and Simon give us SOB2, PLEEEASE!!!