Dusk of the Gods

Last updated
Dusk of the Gods
Dusk of the Gods cover.jpg
Cover art by Larry Elmore
Developer(s) Event Horizon Software
Publisher(s) Interstel Corporation
Producer(s) James H. Namestka
Designer(s) Christopher L. Straka
Thomas J. Holmes
Programmer(s) Thomas J. Holmes
Artist(s) Jane Yeager
Louis M. Kiss
Composer(s) Pete Smolcic
Ed Puskar
Matt Oeler
Platform(s) MS-DOS
Release
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Dusk of the Gods is an isometric-view role-playing video game developed by Event Horizon Software and published by Interstel Corporation in 1991.

Contents

Plot

The game plot takes place in the time shortly before Ragnarök , an epic battle at the end of the world in Norse mythology. The player assumes the role of a fallen warrior (an Einherjar ) tasked by the god Odin to attempt to change the destiny of the gods and avert their fall during the coming war. Although the title takes some liberty with the accepted mythos, most elements are well represented and hence can be considered semi-educational.

The tasks given to the player include:

Once all of the tasks are completed, Heimdall can be asked to blow his horn, causing the battle of Ragnarök to commence, with the outcome then being reported to the player.

Gameplay

The gameplay elements are relatively primitive, although the game does feature a large world with many areas to explore. Combat often involves the player attacking and then fleeing in order to minimize damage sustained.

Many different weapons and armor are acquired as the player travels through the various regions, growing progressively stronger with each enemy defeated. This was one of the first open world games that did not send the character on a linear path, as the player is free to explore the many maps in any order.[ citation needed ]

Reception

Allen L. Greenburg for Computer Gaming World praised the detail of Interstel's research into Norse mythology, but stated that "most players will probably find Dusk to be a very disappointing experience", with VGA graphics that "lack imagination", poor gameplay documentation, and "monotonous" text. [1]

Related Research Articles

In Nordic mythology, Asgard is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be referred to indirectly in some of these sources. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir gods and is often associated with gold imagery and contains many other locations known in Nordic mythology such as Valhöll, Iðavöllr and Hlidskjálf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heimdall</span> Norse deity

In Norse mythology, Heimdall is a god. He is the son of Odin and nine mothers. Heimdall keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing foreknowledge and keen senses, particularly eyesight and hearing. The god and his possessions are described in enigmatic manners. For example, Heimdall is golden-toothed, "the head is called his sword," and he is "the whitest of the gods."

<i>Ragnarök</i> End times in Norse mythology

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a foretold series of impending events, including a great battle in which numerous great Norse mythological figures will perish ; it will entail a catastrophic series of natural disasters, including the burning of the world, and culminate in the submersion of the world underwater. After these events, the world will rise again, cleansed and fertile, the surviving and returning gods will meet, and the world will be repopulated by two human survivors, Líf and Lífþrasir. Ragnarök is an important event in Norse mythology and has been the subject of scholarly discourse and theory in the history of Germanic studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Týr</span> Germanic deity

Týr is a god in Germanic mythology, a valorous and powerful member of the Æsir and patron of warriors and mythological heroes. In Norse mythology, which provides most of the surviving narratives about gods among the Germanic peoples, Týr sacrifices his right hand to the monstrous wolf Fenrir, who bites it off when he realizes the gods have bound him. Týr is foretold of being consumed by the similarly monstrous dog Garmr during the events of Ragnarök.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jörmungandr</span> Sea serpent in Norse mythology

In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr, also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, is an unfathomably large sea serpent or worm who dwells in the world sea, encircling the Earth (Midgard) and biting his own tail, an example of an ouroboros. As a result of it surrounding Midgard it is referred to as the World Serpent. Jörmungandr releasing its tail is one of the signs of the beginning of Ragnarök.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surtr</span> Norse mythical character

In Norse mythology, Surtr, also sometimes written Surt in English, is a jötunn; he is the greatest of the fire giants, who serves as the guardian of Muspelheim which is along with Niflheim, the only two realms to exist before the beginning of time. Surtr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Surtr is foretold as being a major figure during the events of Ragnarök; carrying his bright sword, he will go to battle against the Æsir, he will battle the major god Freyr, and afterward the flames that he brings forth will engulf the Earth.

<i>Ragnarok Online</i> South Korean MMORPG

Ragnarok Online is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Gravity based on the manhwa Ragnarok by Lee Myung-jin. It was released in South Korea on 31 August 2002 for Microsoft Windows. The game has spawned an animated series, Ragnarok the Animation, and a sequel game, Ragnarok Online 2: Legend of the Second. The player's characters exist in a world with a player environment that includes NPC's that can be interacted with, and monsters spawning in maps that need to be defeated to level-up and to acquire items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heimdall (character)</span> Character in Marvel Comics

Heimdall is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Norse deity Heimdall. Heimdall is described as all-seeing and all-hearing and is the sole protector of the Bifröst in Asgard.

<i>Heimdall</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Heimdall is an action role-playing game developed by The 8th Day, published by Core Design, and released in 1991 for the Amiga and for the Atari ST and DOS in 1992, with a console version created for the Sega Mega-CD in early 1994. The game features a mixture of puzzle-solving, exploration, and dynamic combat mechanics, in which players must explore various islands in the search for the fabled weapons belonging to the gods of Norse mythology. The game received favourable reviews upon its release, though the console version was given mixed feedback by reviewers.

The Norse mythology, preserved ancient Icelandic texts such as the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and other lays and sagas, was little known outside Scandinavia until the 19th century. With the widespread publication of Norse myths and legends at this time, references to the Norse gods and heroes spread into European literary culture, especially in Scandinavia, Germany, and Britain. In the later 20th century, references to Norse mythology became common in science fiction and fantasy literature, role-playing games, and eventually other cultural products such as Japanese animation. Storytelling was an important aspect of Norse mythology and centuries later, with the rediscovery of the myth, Norse mythology once again relies on the impacts of storytelling to spread its agenda.

<i>Ragnarok</i> (video game) Free-to-play roguelike video game

Ragnarok is a freeware Roguelike video game for MS-DOS, developed by Norsehelm Productions from 1992 to 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warriors Three</span> Group of fictional characters

The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters served as supporting cast members in Thor. The Warriors Three are the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. Though the characters are gods of Asgard, they are original creations of Marvel Comics and not based on characters from Norse mythology.

The bound monster is an important motif in Norse mythology. The theme is that of an enemy of the gods who is bound or restrained in some way but destined to break free during the time of Ragnarök to cause destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surtur (character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional characters

Surtur is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an enemy of Thor. Based on the fire giant Surtr from Norse mythology, he was adapted by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Journey into Mystery #97. The character was once described as one of "The Ten Most Heinous Enemies of the Mighty Thor".

Jul i Valhal is a Danish television advent calendar. It first aired in the December 2005 on TV 2 Denmark television station, on TV 2 Norway in December 2006, in December 2007 on Swedish Barnkanalen and in December 2008 on Yle2. As a television advent calendar, it has 24 episodes, and one new episode was aired per day from 1 to 24 December.

God of War is an action-adventure game franchise created by David Jaffe and developed by Sony's Santa Monica Studio. It began in 2005 on the PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game console and has become a flagship series for PlayStation, consisting of nine installments across multiple platforms. Based on ancient mythologies, the series' plot follows Kratos, a Spartan warrior who becomes the God of War and comes into conflict with various mythological pantheons. The earlier games in the series are based on Greek mythology and see Kratos follow a path of vengeance against the Olympian gods; the later games are based on Norse mythology and see Kratos go on a path of redemption while also introducing his son Atreus as a secondary protagonist.

Characters of <i>God of War</i> List of fictional characters from the God of War video game franchise

The characters of the God of War video game franchise belong to a fictional universe based on Greek mythology and Norse mythology. As such, the series features a range of traditional figures, including those from Greek mythology, such as the Olympian Gods, Titans, and Greek heroes, and those from Norse mythology, including the Æsir and Vanir gods and other beings. A number of original characters have also been created to supplement storylines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Roaring Trumpet</span> Short story by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt

"The Roaring Trumpet" is a fantasy novella by American writers L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt. The initial story in their Harold Shea series, it was first published in the May 1940 issue of the fantasy pulp magazine Unknown. It first appeared in book form, together with its sequel, "The Mathematics of Magic", in the collection The Incomplete Enchanter, issued in hardcover by Henry Holt and Company in 1941, and in paperback by Pyramid Books in 1960. It has since been reprinted in various collections by numerous other publishers, including The Compleat Enchanter (1975), The Incompleat Enchanter (1979), The Complete Compleat Enchanter (1989), and The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (2007). It has been translated into Dutch and Italian. In 2016, the story was shortlisted for the Retro Hugo Award for Best Novella.

<i>The Hammer of Thor: The Game of Norse Mythology</i> Multiple-player game

The Hammer of Thor is a board game for 2–362 players published by Nova Game Designs in 1980.

<i>God of War Ragnarök</i> 2022 video game

God of War Ragnarök is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released worldwide on November 9, 2022, for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, marking the first cross-gen release in the God of War series, and is set to be released for Windows on September 19, 2024. It is the ninth installment in the series, the ninth chronologically, and the sequel to 2018's God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Scandinavia and features series protagonist, Kratos, and his now teenage son, Atreus. Concluding the Norse era of the series, the game covers Ragnarök, the eschatological event which is central to Norse mythology and was foretold to happen in the previous game after Kratos killed the Aesir god Baldur.

References

  1. Greenburg, Allen L. (September 1992). "Interstel's Dusk of the gods". Computer Gaming World. No. 98. pp. 70, 72. Retrieved 3 July 2014.