Prophecy of the Shadow

Game box cover
Publisher(s) Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Platform(s) DOS
Release date(s) 1992
Genre(s) Role-playing video game

Prophecy of the Shadow is a 1992 fantasy role-playing video game developed by Strategic Simulations, Inc. for DOS.[1] The game was released in both English and German versions. An Amiga version of the game was in process, but cancelled by the developers for technical reasons.

Plot

In Prophecy of the Shadow, the land is slowly dying, and it is the player's mission to find out what's wrong.[2] The player's character is a disciple of Larkin of Bannerwick.[1] When the player's master is murdered, the player has been blamed for his death. Unfortunately, the player has magical powers and the king has outlawed all magic.[2]

Gameplay

The game is similar in quality to Ultima VII: The Black Gate, with a top-down view.[1] The player character has three statistics: Health, Magic, and Agility. Health reflects the character's stamina, life, and strength. Magic is the amount of power the player possesses to conjure spells. Agility is the ability to dodge an enemy's blows. The game uses an overhead perspective, with icons to the left of the screen which allow the character to drop, use, or give items, attack or talk to others, and enter buildings.[2]

Reception

The New Straits Times in 1992 called Prophecy of the Shadow the game that Richard Garriott would have produced were he an SSI employee. It wrote that "Gameplay could not be better", citing the user interface, large world to explore, and use of humor. The newspaper concluded "I can wholeheartedly say, 'Good show, old chaps! Just don't give us any more recycled trash like Dark Queen of Krynn'."[1] QuestBusters called the game "a significant improvement over [SSI's] Gold Box series — and a lot of fun to play". It liked the "beautiful digitized graphics and over 50 sound effects", and user interface, and concluded that the game was "just plain fun".[3] The game was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #189 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.[2] Computer Gaming World called Prophecy of the Shadow "a refreshingly enjoyable adventure, targeted primarily at role-playing neophytes". The magazine stated that "the quality of the digitized animation is surprisingly good", and recommended the game both to new adventure gamers and those "looking for something new and refreshing".[4] It received a 4 out of 5 review in Datormagazin Vol 1992 No 14 (Aug 1992), reviewed by Göran Fröjdh.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Win, Lim Choon (September 10, 1992), "Apprentice in Search of Fame and Fortune", New Straits Times, American Commonwealth Company, p. 18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia & Lesser, Kirk (January 1993). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (189): 57–62.
  3. ↑ Brooks, Fred G. (September 1992). "Prophecy of the Shadow". QuestBusters. p. 3. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. ↑ James, Jeff (January 1993). "SSI's Prophecy of the Shadow". Computer Gaming World. p. 86. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  5. ↑ Göran Fröjdh (August 1992). "Prophecy of the Shadow Review". Datormagazin (14): 74.
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