In Dungeons & Dragons, there are magic spells that can wipe a person's memory, snuff out their life force, or destroy their mind completely. The creators of Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor might have been trying to emulate the evil necromancers of D&D, as their game would destroy a PC whenever it was uninstalled.

There have been a number of Dungeons & Dragons video games released over the years, some of which are hailed as classics (like the Baldur's Gate series), while others were critical and commercial failures. One D&D video game that was panned at launch was Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, which was released for PC in 2001. The titular Myth Drannor is an elven city in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which was invaded by an army of devils and left in ruins. The story of Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor involved a party of adventurers entering the city to foil a plot to take over the world, as an undead dragon and a powerful sorcerer are trying to use the forgotten magic within Myth Drannor as a weapon.

Related: Why D&D's Palace of The Silver Princess Module Was Recalled

Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor received mediocre to negative reviews, despite the fact that it was connected to the Dungeons & Dragons license. The third edition of Dungeons & Dragons had been released the year before and fans were eager to see how well it translated to the world of video games, so expectations were high for Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor going in. The word soon got out that Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor was to be avoided at all costs, as it contained one of the most dangerous glitches in video game history.

Pool of Radiance Myth Drannor Dungeons & Dragons Screenshot

Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor Uninstalls Windows System Files

As pointed out in the Ars Technica review for the game, Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor had a bug that destroyed Windows. If the base version of Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor was installed and a patch wasn't applied, then it would uninstall system files whenever the player tried to uninstall the game. This was back in 2001, way before games would automatically receive updates when installed, so it was easy for players to run into this glitch. The fact that Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor was a bad game meant that uninstalling it seemed like a likely prospect, leaving players exposed to an incredibly nasty glitch.

Now, Dungeons & Dragons video games are coming back in a big way, with the upcoming release of Baldur's Gate III and Dark Alliance being two of the most highly anticipated titles of 2020. The current edition of the game is selling incredibly well, and the game has received more exposure than ever, thanks to popular tabletop gaming streaming shows. Wizards of the Coast will be releasing seven or eight new Dungeons & Dragons games in the future, and a return to Myth Drannor might be on the cards in one of them. We just hope that none of the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons video games are as poorly made as Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor. 

Next: The Bizarre Reason Why D&D Clerics Couldn't Use Swords

Source: Ars Technica