Eye of the Beholder is a classic grid-based dungeon crawler originally developed by Westwood Associates, with this SNES adaptation published by Capcom in 1994. Based on the 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ruleset, the game drops your party of four adventurers into the treacherous sewers beneath the city of Waterdeep to investigate a rising evil. You must navigate real-time combat, solve environmental puzzles, and manage your party’s survival as you descend deeper into the labyrinth.
How to Play
As a classic “blobber” RPG, your party moves as a single unit through a first-person, tile-based environment. The SNES adaptation uses a cursor-based interface to interact with the world and manage your party. You will need to toggle between moving the group through the dungeon and moving the on-screen cursor to click on weapons, spells, and environmental objects like levers or hidden buttons.
- Y: Lock/unlock the cursor. When unlocked, move the cursor to click items; when locked, the D-pad moves the party.
- D-pad: Move the party (when locked) or move the cursor (when unlocked).
- L / R: Strafe left or right when moving, or switch characters in the inventory screen.
- A / B: Select items, attack, or use held weapons.
- X: Open or close the character inventory screen.
- Start: Access the preferences menu to pause the game or change control schemes.
Tips
- Balance your party: Ensure your starting lineup includes a dedicated cleric for healing and a mage for offensive spells and utility. Pure physical attacks alone will not sustain you against tougher foes.
- Watch the walls: Secret buttons are often disguised as small loose bricks or odd textures on the dungeon walls. Finding these is crucial for acquiring better gear and progressing.
- Manage your food: Your party needs rations to rest and recover health and spells. Don’t waste food by resting too often, and always pick up any rations you find in the dungeon.
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