Amberstar

Last updated
Amberstar
Amberstar cover.jpg
Amiga cover art
Developer(s) Thalion Software
Publisher(s) Thalion Software
Producer(s) Erik Simon
Designer(s) Karsten Köper
Programmer(s) Jurie Horneman
Artist(s) Monika Krawinkel
Composer(s) Jochen Hippel
Platform(s) Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS
Release1992
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single player

Amberstar is the first installment in Thalion Software's never-finished role-playing video game trilogy. [1] Although considerably more advanced, the game has many similarities to Thalion's earlier game Dragonflight, and was by many fans thought to be a sequel. As with most of Thalion's other releases, the public interest was somewhat limited. A sequel, Ambermoon , was released in 1993.

Contents

Plot

The game is set in the fictional world of Lyramion and begins with the player situated at the graves of his parents. As the player sets out for adventure, it becomes apparent that an evil entity named Lord Tarbos, who was imprisoned a thousand years earlier, is about to be released again to wreak havoc upon Lyramion. The player - helped by the various adventurers who join the party along the way - must recover the thirteen missing pieces of the Amberstar, the talisman that banished Lord Tarbos initially, to defeat the demon once again.

Development

The musical score is by Thalion's Jochen Hippel.

Reception

Amberstar received mixed to positive reviews in Germany and the UK. Many critics praised the deep storyline while feeling that the graphics were a bit outdated in comparison to other current RPGs such as Ultima Underworld or Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen .[ citation needed ]

The One gave the Amiga version of Amberstar an overall score of 78%, comparing its gameplay to Ultima VI and Eye of the Beholder , stating that it "[mixes] the depth, character interaction and size of [Ultima VI] with the first-person 3D immediacy of [Eye of the Beholder]". The One praises the amount of content in Amberstar, punctuating this by saying "No matter what your predicament, there's always something new to see or do." The One criticizes Amberstar's graphics, stating that "the 3D bits are by-and-large redundant - the graphics are unattractive, direct action with the 3D environment is minimal", as well as the UI, calling it "over-complicated and not particularly elegant", furthermore stating that "a little more design forethought" would improve Amberstar's overall appeal. The One also criticises Amberstar's switching back and forth between a first-person perspective and a third-person top-down perspective, and questions the purpose of this design decision. [2]

MagazineDateScore
Amiga ActionOct 199291%
Amiga FormatJan 199381%
CU AmigaDec 199265%
The OneDec 199278%
DatorMagazinJan 199364%
Amiga JokerMar 199282%
ST ActionSep 199292%
ST FormatDec 199273%
ST UserOct 199282%
ST ReviewJan 199383%
Power PlayMar 199285%
ASMMar 199267%
PlayTimeMay 199287%
PC JokerJan 199376%

Legacy

While planned as first part in a trilogy, Amberstar was succeeded by only one sequel called Ambermoon . Unlike Amberstar, Ambermoon was released only on Amiga. Disappointing sales of both Amberstar and Ambermoon led Thalion Software to close after the sequel's German release.[ citation needed ] The title of what was supposed to be the third and final game was disclosed by game creator Karsten Köper as being AmberWorlds. [3] On May 14, 2023, the surviving source code for the game and its sequel Ambermoon was uploaded on GitHub by Jurie Horneman, programmer of both games. [4]

Related Research Articles

Andreas Jochen Hippel is a musician from Kirchheimbolanden in southwest Germany. He played one of the most prominent roles in computer music during the 16-bit microcomputer era, composing hundreds of tunes for games and demos. He was also an experienced Amiga programmer and ported many of Thalion Software's Atari ST titles. He no longer composes music for a living and in 2006 he was working in Logistics for Matheis+Koebig Baustoffe Atari Scene and STNICCC News

<i>Eye of the Beholder</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Eye of the Beholder is a role-playing video game for personal computers and video game consoles developed by Westwood Associates. It was published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1991, for the MS-DOS operating system and later ported to the Amiga, the Sega CD and the SNES. The Sega CD version features a soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima. A port to the Atari Lynx handheld was developed by NuFX in 1993, but was not released. In 2002, an adaptation of the same name was developed by Pronto Games for the Game Boy Advance.

<i>Catacomb 3-D</i> 1991 video game

Catacomb 3-D is a first-person shooter video game, the third in the Catacomb series, the first of which to feature 3D computer graphics. It was developed by id Software and originally published by Softdisk under the Gamer's Edge label, released in November 1991. The player takes control of the high wizard Petton Everhail, descending into the catacombs of the Towne Cemetery to defeat the evil lich Nemesis and rescue his friend Grelminar.

<i>Dungeon Master</i> (video game) 1987 video game

Dungeon Master is a role-playing video game featuring a pseudo-3D first-person perspective. It was developed and published by FTL Games for the Atari ST in 1987, almost identical Amiga and PC (DOS) ports following in 1988 and 1992.

<i>Ultima VI: The False Prophet</i> 1990 video game

Ultima VI: The False Prophet, released by Origin Systems in 1990, is the sixth part in the role-playing video game series of Ultima. It is the third and final game in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy. Ultima VI sees the player return to Britannia, at war with a race of gargoyles from another land, struggling to stop a prophecy from ending their race. The player must help defend Britannia against these gargoyles, and ultimately discover the secrets about both lands and its peoples.

<i>Ultima IX: Ascension</i> 1999 video game

Ultima IX: Ascension is the ninth and final part of the main series of the role-playing video game series Ultima. Developed by Origin Systems and published by Electronic Arts, Ultima IX was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows after years in development hell. Following the Avatar's escape from Pagan, he is transported back to Britannia for one final battle with the Guardian, who is increasingly ruining the physical and moral fabric of that land by the use of eight columns. The Avatar must fight his way to the runes of virtue found in each of the columns, and cleanse them in the shrines of Virtue, then face off against the Guardian himself.

<i>Albion</i> (video game) 1995 role-playing video game

Albion is a single player role-playing video game developed and published by Blue Byte for MS-DOS in 1995. It was originally released in German, then translated to English for international release. The game uses a science fiction setting that incorporates traditional fantasy elements, such as magic.

<i>Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny</i> 1992 video game

Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny is a role-playing video game developed by Attic Entertainment Software. It was the first game based on the German pen & paper RPG system The Dark Eye by Schmidt Spiele. The original German version of the game was released in 1992. Due to its success it was translated to English and released by Sir-Tech in 1993.

<i>Jungle Strike</i> 1993 video game

Jungle Strike is a video game developed and published by Electronic Arts in 1993 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. The game was later released on several other consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and an upgraded version was made for DOS computers. The Amiga conversion was the responsibility of Ocean Software while the SNES and PC DOS versions were that of Gremlin Interactive, and the portable console versions were of Black Pearl Software. It is the direct sequel to Desert Strike and is the second installment in the Strike series. The game is a helicopter-based shoot 'em up, mixing action and strategy. The plot concerns two villains intent on destroying Washington, D.C. The player must use the helicopter and occasionally other vehicles to thwart their plans.

<i>Obitus</i> 1991 video game

Obitus is an action-adventure game developed and released by Psygnosis in early 1991 for Amiga, Atari ST and DOS. It was also ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System by Bullet-Proof Software. The game features both first-person dungeon crawling and side-scrolling gameplay with action-oriented combat and an emphasis on item acquisition. It is similar to games like Eye of the Beholder on Super Nintendo but without the RPG mechanics.

<i>Treasures of the Savage Frontier</i> 1992 video game

Treasures of the Savage Frontier (1992) is a Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons role-playing video game. It was developed by Beyond Software and published by SSI for the Amiga and DOS.

<i>Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon</i> 1991 video game

Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon is a 1991 role-playing video game and the sequel to the first Eye of the Beholder. It used a modified version of the first game's engine, added outdoor areas and greatly increased the amount of interaction the player had with their environment, along with substantially more role-playing aspects to the game. A sequel, Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor, was released in 1993.

<i>Ambermoon</i> 1993 video game

Ambermoon is a role-playing game developed and published by Thalion Software, released in 1993 for the Amiga. It was the second part of an unfinished trilogy.

In video games, first person is any graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player's character, or a viewpoint from the cockpit or front seat of a vehicle driven by the character. The most popular type of first-person video game today is the first-person shooter (FPS), in which the graphical perspective is an integral component of the gameplay. Many other genres incorporate first-person perspectives, including other types of shooter games, adventure games, amateur flight simulations, racing games, role-playing video games, and vehicle simulations.

<i>Lionheart</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Lionheart is a platform game for the Amiga developed and self-published by German video game developer Thalion Software in 1993. Using a fantasy motif, the game takes place in the land of the Cat People, a race of feline humanoids, who are threatened by the evil Norka. The player assumes control of Valdyn, an outlaw swordsman who is also known as "Lionheart". Players have to fight their way through 14 levels filled with monsters and environmental hazards. Most of the gameplay is melee combat and precision platforming.

<i>Temple of Apshai Trilogy</i> 1985 video game collection

Temple of Apshai Trilogy is a remake of three games from the Dunjonquest series, Temple of Apshai, Upper Reaches of Apshai, and Curse of Ra.

<i>Legends of Valour</i> 1992 video game

Legends of Valour is a role-playing video game developed by Synthetic Dimensions and released by U.S. Gold and Strategic Simulations in 1992 for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS, with the additional FM Towns and PC-98 versions in 1993-1994 in Japan only. As the game was planned to be a first part of the series, its full title is Legends of Valour: Volume I – The Dawning. The proposed unreleased sequel to Legends of Valour was to take place in the world outside Mitteldorf, the enclosed city where the entirety of Legends of Valour takes place.

<i>Jurassic Park</i> (computer video game) 1200 video game

Jurassic Park is a 1993 action video game developed and published by Ocean Software, for DOS and Amiga computers. The game is based on director Steven Spielberg's 1993 film, Jurassic Park, and also includes elements from author Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, which the film is based upon.

<i>Dragonflight</i> (video game) 1990 video game

Dragonflight is a 1990 role-playing video game developed and published by Thalion Software for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS. The game started development in January 1987 by two German programmers Udo Fischer and Erik Simon.

<i>Trex Warrior</i> 1991 video game

Trex Warrior: 22nd Century Gladiator is a 1991 action video game developed and published by Thalion Software for the Amiga and Atari ST. Previously unreleased in the United Kingdom, the game was released in 1993 on The One magazine cover disk as public-domain software.

References

  1. "Amberstar by Thalion Software".
  2. "Amberstar Review". The One. No. 51. emap Images. December 1992. p. 54.
  3. "Amberstar/Ambermoon - Dungeon Master Forum".
  4. Horneman, Jurie (14 May 2023). "Amberstar and Ambermoon source material released". Intelligent Artifice. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.