Today’s game is actually three games in one; Realms of Arcania I, II and III, an RPG series that was released in the early to mid nineties. You can see the gradual improvement in graphics over the several years that these three titles were released, and the size of the games also reflects this. The first game Blade of Destinyis only 3.48Mb in size, the second title Star Trail was 18.4Mb and the third and final game in the series called Shadows over Riva weighed in at a whopping 445Mb. The first two games are relatively easily downloaded and installed, however the third is a little more complicated, but well worth the effort. The third title is divided into three downloads (199Mb, 199Mb and 47.4Mb respectively. The tricky part is actually downloading them; (the three files for the third in the series) because the download host is ‘rapid share’ which can be rather slow at downloading if you don’t have a subscription account; also you generally have to wait a specific amount of time in between downloads. Still it’s free. Pick the right time of day to down load and you can get them almost immediately. I’m not going to describe all the controls or how to play these games, as that would take far too long. I’m sure part of the fun is learning how to play these games. You may be able to find some walkthroughs on the net if you wish to try a decent search engine. If you decide to play the games chronologically, you can actually transfer the character you play in the first title to the second an then to the third game; though don’t ask me ho because I’m having difficulty getting the first game to run properly. The game loads, but I keep freezing on the character generation chart. Oh yea, I haven’t figured out how to exit from the first game either so have had to go into task manager to stop the game. Still, when something that’s reasonably decent has small problems like that, I’m sure the majority of us will be forgiving. :)
I did have some problems with the first two games, for example once the first title; Blade of Destiny was installed it froze quite a lot, and the second one comes with a legal crack, but I didn’t figure out how to set things up in the short space of time I’ve allocated to writing up and searching for this game. (It’s the replacement for Penumbra, the game I posted on Saturday), so you may have to settle just for the last in the title. You will have to make a note of where you decide to unzip each of the games so that you can then create shortcuts, though the third title, Shadows over Riva already installs a desk top icon.
=========================================================================
Realms of Arcania 1 – Blade of Destiny:
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny is a computer role playing game developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was the first game based on the German pen & paper RPG system Das Schwarze Auge by Fantasy Productions. The original German version of the game (German title: Das Schwarze Auge: Die Schicksalsklinge) was released in 1992. Due to its success it was translated to English and released by Sir-Tech in 1993.
Gameplay:
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny is a classical 3d party computer role-playing game that has up to six characters (plus an optional NPC that may be recruited) moving through 3d towns and dungeons. Travels between those 3d levels were simulated by showing a path on a regional 2d map. The game generally uses the same pseudo-3d-engine as Attic's 1991 game Spirit of Adventure, utilizing an increased resolution for the 3d part of the screen. The game also borrowed ideas from Eye of the Beholder (the inventory user interface) and Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (the main screen user interface layout). The game did not feature NPC/monster sprites in the 3d view (a shortcoming that can be found in the entire Northlandtrilogy) that were already introduced by the first 3d computer role-playing game - Dungeon Master - in 1987. Instead of visualizing fights in the 3d view, the game switched to the isometric perspective for a unique turn-based strategical combat simulation.
Story:
An Orc chief has united all tribes of the orcs and plans to attack the lands of the humans. The player is hired by Hetman Tronde Torbensson, the leader of the Thorwalians, to find the sword Grimring (the Blade of Destiny) and prevent an orc invasion on Thorwal. However, Grimring has been lost since the death of its bearer, the Hetman Hyggelik the Great. In order to recover the sword, the player must find pieces of a treasure map which shows the location of the sword. Once the sword is recovered the player needs to defeat the orc chief and his minions. If the player does not succeed within about two ingame years, the orcs will attack and the player loses.
reference from wikipaedia
The game combines all the best characteristics of most RPG’s, like an extensive story line, first person view mode, cave exploring, scenery and (of course) freedom over your own actions. This game was an immediate hit when it was first released, forcing the producers to make a new English version almost over night! (The game was originally intended only for Germany). This delayed the sequel to the game, Star Trail, for a whole year.
The game is incredibly huge for the time it was made. A lot of work was put into creating the world, including history, geography, folklore, races and NPC’s (non-player characters).
The story is epic, as all RPG’s… You play the role of six different people; all looking for adventure and fame that arrives in the city of Thorwal. After a while, you are sent to the real quest of the game: hunt for the sword of legendary warlord Hetman Hyggelik. In order to find it, you will have to travel the world in search for pieces of a map, drawn by one of Hyggelik’s warriors. This map, naturally, shows the location of the sword.
This game partially relies on its manual. You will need the manual if you want to make your own characters (recommended), as it holds the minimum requirements in the attribute values of each type of hero.
The battle sequences, which are in an isometric view, remind me of the battle scenes in Darklands and the Gauntlet, which are even earlier games than this one. (I used to play Darklands for upwards of 36 hours at a time at weekends and spend most of my evenings after work playing the game, my then girlfriend nearly left me because of it, lol).
Download Link
http://www.abandonia.com/en/downloadgame/104
Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KVYvKGAipYg
=========================================================================
Realms of Arkania 2 – Star Traill
After the failed orc invasion on Thorwal, the orcs attacked another region. The player is recruited by an elf to recover an old artifact, the Salamander Stone, which could unite the elves and the dwarfs in battle against the orcs...
Star Trail is the second game of the series, and voted by many fans as the best of them all.
You start the game in a temple in Kvirasim dedicated to the goddess Peraine. Here you create the 6 heroes you play in the game. You can either choose to let the computer make your characters, load the sample characters or create your own. There is a total of 12 different classes you may play. Each one with its own different style and magic ability. This bit of the game can be difficult for new players, who might want to let the computer take care of the birth of the heroes. (But it is recommended that you spend some time creating your folks. You will need to use almost all the skills in the game, so remember to make a squad with a wide array of skills).
When you are done in the temple, the game begins! Immediately you will come in contact with two persons, who will tell you their tale and send you out on a hunt to find an ancient artefact: The Salamander Stone. From this point it is up to you. The game is filled with mini-quest for you to complete, and a vast map to explore. So the chance for you to get bored with this game is minimal. There is always something new to discover, even for advanced players.
The music in the game is excellent, and improves the gameplay by a great deal. Also the graphics are great for the time. It’s not 3D, but in my humble opinion it’s the second best.
Star Trail is an extremely difficult game. If you do not listen to warnings from people you meet, or travel too deep into orc-infested territory… You will either die, get captured or find a point of no return. So save often ;o)
The game relies a great deal on its manual, and playing the game without it will greatly increase the difficulty… but it’s not impossible. For this reason I am going to make a basic translation of my original German manual with the most important facts. I have also made a copy of the map, as it is a great help for getting around the world. (But, again, this is not essential). (<I was unable to find the manual. Maybe a search on the net will turn it up. I’m keen to get back to my game in Oblivion after a spell in on the Frontlines in Fuel of War, so have been a little slack in supporting today’s games fully.
To finish it all off, let me just say that if you like RPG’s you should download this game right now. You will not regret it. This is a legendary game, and even by today’s standards a great game!
Important!:
The crack is included in the download.
To play the game, install it to a different folder, and then copy the Crack file into the new folder. After running the crack the game will work. (Though I had problems running it)
Please note:
The use of the word crack is used loosely; it implies something illegal, but, the game is officially abandonware, and the crack is just a file that allows the DOS game to be played fully in a windows environment.
Download Link
http://www.abandonia.com/en/downloadgame/102
Video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIk5v4yuEk
=========================================================================
Realms of Arkania 3:Shadows over Riva:
This is a little trickier to download than the first two games, but it’s worth the effort. You have to download a CD image, which comes in three parts. The download mirror is rapid share so if you haven’t an account you may have to wait some time in between downloading the three parts. You can even download a cover for the game if you wish to transfer the game to disc.
Installing the third game:
Once you’ve downloaded the three files click on the executable file called Realms of Arcania, that has DJ Old Games written on the icon. Make a note of where you install the game, so that when you unpack the two zip files you can unpack them to the same folder (it’s important that you do). Once they are all installed you’re ready to start up the game. It takes upwards of 30 seconds for the first screen to appear which looks like an old DOS screen. For those that have never seen a DOS screen; it’s black with white writing on it. It says amongst other stuff, “Press any key to Continue” - need I say more…… On doing this the game will load, going through several introductory screens before playing a video sequence which is worth watching just to get an idea as to what the game visuals are going to look like, (though the intro videos were always better than the actual game) – Still, I was quite surprised at the quality of the 3D world considering it’s well over a decade old. It’s nothing compared to the many RPG games around now, for example, the game I’m playing now (oblivion) has the most amazing 3D world, with places looking almost photographic. I’m playing that game not just for the game play which is exceptional, but for the beautiful graphics. If you’ve never owned an RPG though; this game should be well worth trying out.
Once the game screen appears you’ll see the characters that are part of your team. The boxes to the right are buttons for deleting characters, saving the game and exiting as well as a few others. I’ll leave it to you to discover all of this though.
The good news for those that don’t or can’t use both keyboard and mouse together, you can control the game with either /or. When leaving the game, it seems as slow to return to the desktop as it was to get the game to start up, but it does after about 30 seconds. It may even shut down with errors, but it has no effect upon your computer. With respect to playing the game, there is no manual, but the five game play videos will give you a good grounding in what you need to do to work your way through the menus and other aspects of game play. I’ve added the length of time each video lasts)
Download Link
http://www.oldgames.sk/game/realms-of-arkania-3-shadows-over-riva/download/1842/
Video: (Takes ages to load) The dialogue panels that pop up are shown in German, and the voice-overs are also in German, but the versions you can download are either English or Czech (you can choose). It looks much better when actually playing it than from the You Tube videos.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2RFd3EAds&feature=related
Intro:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=akoC9z0HFfI
Gameplay 1: (over 9 minutes)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=S50YrZINn6I
Gameplay 2: (over 10 minutes)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MyrLbI2Rfrs&feature=related
Gameplay part 3: (nearly 10 minutes)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2CavJxPeLG8&feature=related
Gameplay part 4: (10 minutes)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9N0CD2Ig5h0
Gameplay part 5: (nearly 7 minutes)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BWxk4bOmw-8&feature=related
=========================================================================
The following video shows the fourth in the series, which was unfortunately never released. It seriously reminds me of a brilliant RPG I bought recently with the same perspective called Hard to be a God, which was released towards the end of last year. I picked it up for $15. (See end of post for video)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1-_aQrjoFmE&NR=1
Though it looks like the game is being reborn – I just found the following video on the net, though this isn’t part of the freebie, lol:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tvbrgdyhqx0&feature=related
Here’s a couple more RPG’s that I highly recommend. They are all available at bargain basement prices now, though Oblivion is still probably quite expensive:
Two Worlds:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fsw3vvBkos&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h_QTvsUmXFY&NR=1
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGMv0rtr-I&NR=1
Oblivion:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=14MrRxoXbVw&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vXWYWfFqlSw
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eMMDn05eeVc&feature=related
Hard to be a God:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=efKJAW56AXQ&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dZHxY4mK2Pw&feature=related
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=iZnGATYBhSs&feature=related
older games that you’ll probably pick up for around $5
Wizardry 8:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XBEiltcOqP0
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaot30UKfyQ
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=s3t_Qecnpac&feature=related
Heroes of Might and Magic:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMvtcyJOoo
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eRhLzWiFTDM
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Za_lVdfNBA0
And a close cousin to the RPG is the Strategy game. I have number 2,3 and 4 of the ones portrayed in the list mentioned in the video below, and highly recommend them all, though personally I think the Command an Conquer series is over rated (I have two of those as well plus from the ones that are now abandonware – I’ll be posting details of those in a few weeks, though they have already been mentioned previously on the forums over the last year, and one only a few weeks ago – if you can’t remember and want to be surprised next month, don’t search, lol). The World in Conflict clip was shown from the closest viewpoint. It’s actually very hard to play the game in that viewpoint, generally it’s best played from a distance so that you can see all your units and the enemy ones as well.
Best Strategy games 2007:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fdpZw2aLWqc&feature=related
I’ve added all the above to give those that are new to gaming an idea as to how this genre as developed over the past decade. I realize that today’s free games are rather old looking when you compare them, but the game play is still as good now as it was then. The basic game play is similar to most of the recent RPG’s that are available.
