A beloved Dungeons & Dragons PC game makes its comeback on Steam with significant updates.

The game that many consider to have signaled the decline of classic computer role-playing games (CRPGs), The Temple of Elemental Evil, makes a comeback with a refreshed and enhanced version, now available on Steam. Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts can once again explore the notorious mega-dungeon originally crafted by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer for the tabletop experience, and see if the numerous fixes, upgrades, and quality-of-life improvements can redeem its controversial legacy.

Originally released in 2003, The Temple of Elemental Evil was developed by Troika, a studio known for its intriguing yet often buggy titles like Arcanum and Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines. Their foray into D&D gaming was indeed plagued by issues, but it was also the first to accurately replicate the turn-based combat system from the tabletop RPG, updated to D&D 3.5 rules. Unfortunately, poor sales and diminishing interest in the genre meant this was the last major CRPG for nearly a decade (with the exception of Neverwinter Nights 2), effectively marking the end of an era for this style of gaming.

This Steam release is the result of dedicated efforts from modding communities like Circle of Eight and Temple+. It boasts over 1,000 fixes and enhancements, including improved stability and AI, smoother performance, a refined user interface, and a host of quality-of-life upgrades.

One of the main challenges The Temple of Elemental Evil faced was the adaptation of a tabletop module that wasn’t ideally suited for a CRPG format. Gygax and Mentzer’s module was designed as a sandbox mega-dungeon crawl focused on exploration, where the narrative emerged from player interactions with various factions within the temple. As such, don’t expect a grand storyline with memorable NPCs akin to those in Baldur’s Gate or Planescape: Torment, nor the expansive scenarios found in the Neverwinter Nights series.

Nonetheless, this game holds a significant place in the history of D&D adaptations and CRPGs overall. It is also one of only two D&D video games set in the Greyhawk universe, the original backdrop for Gygax’s modules. The work being done to port classic Dungeons & Dragons games, including the entire Gold and Silver Box series, is commendable. If you’re a fan of retro gaming and classic D&D, this new version of The Temple of Elemental Evil is worth checking out.