David Brevik on Eye of the Beholder: A Beloved RPG with a Disappointing Ending

David Brevik, the iconic designer behind Diablo, recently revealed his complex relationship with Eye of the Beholder, a 1991 Dungeons & Dragons RPG. While he admires the game's immersive dungeon-crawling and challenging gameplay, he also criticizes its abrupt and unsatisfying ending, calling it the worst he's ever seen. Despite this flaw, Brevik still loves the game and keeps it installed on his PC.

## A Classic RPG with a Flawed Finale

Eye of the Beholder, developed by Westwood Associates, was a groundbreaking RPG for its time. Released for MS-DOS in 1991 and later ported to other platforms like SNES, the game allowed players to take on the role of adventurers in the Forgotten Realms, hunting down a Beholder, a iconic levitating monster from D&D. The game was praised for its brilliant gameplay and challenging dungeon-crawling, but its ending left much to be desired.

Brevik shared his thoughts on Eye of the Beholder in a recent interview with PC Gamer. He revealed that he loved the game's premise of hunting a Beholder and was deeply engaged with its gameplay. However, he also expressed his disappointment with the game's ending, which he described as the worst he's ever seen.

> "I loved Eye of the Beholder. I mean, I love/hate Eye of the Beholder. I hadn't played it in a long time, but recently another game reminded me of it. Then I thought, 'Oh, I should try it again,'" Brevik said. "Eye of the Beholder was, in 1991, one of the best games I had ever played. I was totally hooked. The graphics, the immersion... This was before Wolfenstein 3D, so 3D things weren't common yet. However, the game had graphics that simulated a 3D effect while guiding your group through a dungeon; it was turn-based and used a grid system."

The problem, according to Brevik, was the game's ending. After an epic adventure, the final battle against the Beholder ended with a small dialogue box that said, "Congratulations, you have won!" and then the game closed and returned to the desktop.

> "I had mapped all the levels on graph paper. I was totally hooked. And then I defeated the final boss and a small dialogue box appeared that said, 'Congratulations, you have won!' or something like that. Then the game closed and returned to the desktop," Brevik continued. "So that is the worst ending of all the games I have played. But I love that game. It's incredible."

## The Hunt for Xanathar

Despite its flawed ending, Eye of the Beholder received praise from fans and critics alike for its immersive gameplay and challenging dungeon-crawling. The game's central antagonist, Xanathar, is one of the most recognizable creatures in D&D lore. Xanathar was sent by the Zhentarim, a criminal group in D&D, to the city of Waterdeep to plan the downfall of the Lords of Waterdeep and establish a governor loyal to their masters. However, Xanathar decided to disobey his orders, consolidate himself as a mob boss in the sewers of the city, and operate a criminal organization in secret.

Technically, the original Xanathar was defeated by another Beholder rival who adopted his name and took over the empire of thieves that had formed under the streets of Waterdeep. This story has given rise to several 'Xanathars' who have managed the criminal organization of Waterdeep over the centuries. Eye of the Beholder helped solidify the figure of the famous Beholder and gave players who craved new digital adventures in the 90s a memorable experience.

Interestingly, the flaw in Eye of the Beholder's ending was eventually fixed, although not many players got to see it. The Amiga version of the game was slightly modified to include an animation after the battle against the Beholder, providing a more satisfying conclusion to the hunt for Xanathar. While Brevik may not have seen this ending in his playthroughs, he is still satisfied with the overall adventure that Westwood Associates created in the depths of Waterdeep.