<s>
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
V	I-Application
:	I-Application
Darkside	I-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
(	O
originally	O
released	O
as	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
:	O
Darkside	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
science	O
fantasy	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
published	O
and	O
developed	O
for	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
by	O
New	O
World	O
Computing	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
the	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Isles	I-Application
of	I-Application
Terra	I-Application
game	O
engine	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
fifth	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
and	O
is	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
to	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Clouds	I-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
,	O
concluding	O
the	O
story	O
arc	O
started	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
Book	I-Application
One	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Secret	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Inner	I-Application
Sanctum	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
well	O
received	O
by	O
both	O
critics	O
and	O
players	O
for	O
its	O
large	O
game	O
world	O
and	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
among	O
the	O
earliest	O
games	O
to	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
both	O
animated	O
cutscenes	O
and	O
PCM	B-Algorithm
sound-based	O
speech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
unique	O
integration	O
mechanic	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
of	O
Clouds	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
both	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
a	O
combined	O
format	O
–	O
World	O
of	O
Xeen	O
–	O
was	O
considered	O
revolutionary	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
V	I-Application
uses	O
a	O
game	O
engine	O
based	O
on	O
that	O
used	O
by	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Isles	I-Application
of	I-Application
Terra	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
general	O
gameplay	O
is	O
therefore	O
similar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
it	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
alongside	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
with	O
characters	O
that	O
have	O
obtained	O
some	O
levels	O
and	O
other	O
enhancements	O
through	O
play	O
in	O
Clouds	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
,	O
gameplay	O
is	O
considerably	O
more	O
challenging	O
for	O
starting	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Darkside	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
concludes	O
the	O
story	O
arc	O
started	O
by	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
Book	I-Application
One	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Secret	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Inner	I-Application
Sanctum	I-Application
–	O
the	O
interstellar	O
campaign	O
against	O
the	O
Ancients	O
 '	O
renegade	O
creation	O
,	O
Sheltem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Picking	O
up	O
where	O
Clouds	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
left	O
off	O
,	O
the	O
adventurers	O
take	O
King	O
Burlock	O
's	O
advice	O
and	O
follow	O
Prince	O
Roland	O
's	O
trail	O
to	O
the	O
other	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
find	O
the	O
rogue	O
Guardian	O
of	O
Terra	B-Application
has	O
already	O
conquered	O
its	O
inhabitants	O
,	O
under	O
the	O
pseudonym	O
of	O
"	O
Alamar	O
"	O
(	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
king	O
he	O
impersonated	O
on	O
VARN	O
in	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
I	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Passing	O
through	O
the	O
city	O
of	O
Castleview	O
,	O
they	O
scale	O
the	O
tower	O
of	O
the	O
elven	B-Application
wizard	O
Ellinger	O
Hofenhager	O
,	O
an	O
ally	O
to	O
the	O
Pharaoh	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Castle	O
Kalindra	O
restored	O
by	O
Ellinger	O
,	O
the	O
heroes	O
enter	O
,	O
only	O
to	O
find	O
that	O
Queen	O
Kalindra	O
has	O
been	O
defeated	O
and	O
captured	O
by	O
one	O
of	O
Alamar	O
's	O
minions	O
,	O
the	O
vampire	B-Application
Count	O
Blackfang	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Invading	O
Castle	O
Blackfang	O
with	O
the	O
aid	O
of	O
the	O
knight	O
Ambrose	O
and	O
his	O
griffin	O
,	O
the	O
adventurers	O
slay	O
the	O
Count	O
only	O
to	O
find	O
Kalindra	O
has	O
been	O
turned	O
into	O
a	O
vampire	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
the	O
Cube	O
,	O
he	O
plans	O
to	O
land	O
Xeen	O
on	O
his	O
homeworld	O
,	O
Terra	B-Application
,	O
and	O
continue	O
his	O
rampage	O
against	O
the	O
empire	O
of	O
the	O
Ancients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Investigating	O
this	O
second	O
pod	O
,	O
the	O
adventurers	O
discover	O
Corak	O
,	O
Sheltem	O
's	O
nemesis	O
from	O
Might	B-Device
and	I-Device
Magic	I-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
III	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
IV	I-Application
and	O
V	O
are	O
installed	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
system	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
combined	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
combined	O
World	O
of	O
Xeen	O
game	O
contains	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
additional	O
quests	O
providing	O
an	O
epilogue	O
to	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
IV	I-Application
and	O
V	O
.	O
After	O
Sheltem	O
is	O
defeated	O
the	O
party	O
is	O
summoned	O
to	O
the	O
Ancients	O
 '	O
pyramid	O
by	O
the	O
Dragon	O
Pharaoh	O
to	O
complete	O
the	O
quest	O
that	O
Prince	O
Roland	O
had	O
been	O
on	O
all	O
along	O
:	O
the	O
uniting	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
sides	O
of	O
Xeen	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
continuous	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Swords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
is	O
a	O
bonus	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
1995	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
Trilogy	O
compilation	O
(	O
the	O
trilogy	O
refers	O
to	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
IV	O
,	O
and	O
V	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
began	O
as	O
a	O
mod	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
V	I-Application
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Swords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
exploits	O
some	O
quirks	O
of	O
the	O
engine	O
to	O
great	O
effect	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
morphing	O
monsters	O
by	O
using	O
the	O
regular	O
animation	O
of	O
one	O
monster	O
and	O
the	O
attack	O
animation	O
of	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Swords	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
on	O
an	O
entirely	O
new	O
world	O
that	O
is	O
under	O
attack	O
by	O
'	O
The	O
Source	O
 '	O
,	O
which	O
claims	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
genius	O
behind	O
Alamar	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
enemy	O
of	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
V	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
not	O
changed	O
from	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
V	I-Application
,	O
were	O
dated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
Scorpia	O
wrote	O
in	O
1993	O
that	O
Darkside	O
had	O
"	O
almost	O
trivially	O
easy	O
"	O
puzzles	O
,	O
criticizing	O
some	O
as	O
"	O
pointless	O
and	O
boring	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
nonetheless	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
is	O
a	O
satisfactory	O
conclusion	O
to	O
the	O
current	O
Might	B-Application
&	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
saga	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Darkside	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
Role-Playing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
award	O
in	O
June	O
1994	O
,	O
losing	O
to	O
Betrayal	B-Application
at	I-Application
Krondor	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Might	B-Application
&	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
:	O
The	O
World	O
of	O
Xeen	O
(	O
comprising	O
Clouds	B-Application
of	I-Application
Xeen	I-Application
and	O
Dark	O
Side	O
of	O
Xeen	O
)	O
was	O
reviewed	O
in	O
1994	O
in	O
Dragon	O
#201	O
by	O
Sandy	O
Petersen	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Eye	O
of	O
the	O
Monitor	O
"	O
column	O
.	O
</s>
