Fate: Gates of Dawn

Last updated
Fate: Gates of Dawn
Fate Gates of Dawn Box.jpg
Cover art
Developer(s) reLINE Software
Publisher(s) reLINE Software
Platform(s) Amiga, Atari ST
Release1991: Amiga
1992: Atari ST
Genre(s) Role-playing video game
Mode(s) Single-player

Fate: Gates of Dawn is a role-playing video game released by reLINE Software in 1991 for the Amiga and in 1992 for the Atari ST.

Contents

Story

Winwood, a proud owner of a small record shop on Fifth Street, is kidnapped by an evil wizard into a parallel medieval fantasy world and has to find his way back. [1]

Screenshot of Fate: Gates of Dawn showing Winwood Fate - Gates of Dawn.png
Screenshot of Fate: Gates of Dawn showing Winwood

Features

The game is viewed from first-person perspective and notable for its huge game world. It takes hours for the player to travel from one end of the game world to the other and up to months to complete the game. [2] It includes an overworld with 4 towns and some smaller villages, a wilderness split by a mountain range and over 200 islands. It also features an underworld with nine dungeons with up to seven levels apiece.

The player can control up to 4 parties, 28 characters in total. Some quests are thereby only solvable by teamwork. [2] Characters are not created by the player but have to be invited to join the group. There are hundreds of NPCs with their own personalities and AI. The game has 32 character-classes, 11 races and over 200 magic spells and potions. It features a realistic environment including day and night cycles and weather which affects the characters.

Background

The development of the game began in 1986. [1] Although mentioned in the manual, [1] a PC version was never released because of the bankruptcy of the game company. [2] Only a few original English versions were sold for the same reason. Copies nevertheless spread all over the world. Today the game is freeware with permission of the creator of the game. It can be downloaded legally, for example on RuneTek98's site or on Mightandmagicboard.de. [2]

It is notable that from these copies of the game the copy protection but not the password protection was removed. Password requests are not made at the start of the game but at intervals in the game repeated after some time. Just ignoring these requests or a wrong answer leads not to an abrupt end to the game, but gameplay deteriorating until it becomes unplayable. Therefore, a copy of the manual is still required for the right code. [2]

The Amiga version of the game has better sound quality and 32 colors compared to the Atari ST version with 16 colors. The game makes use of a strong compression algorithm to fit on only two 880 Kilobyte floppy discs. [2] Nudity of the German version was self-censored in the English release.

Screenshots of the game from the self-censored English version (left) and the uncensored German version (right) 6 Screenshots of Fate Gates of Dawn.png
Screenshots of the game from the self-censored English version (left) and the uncensored German version (right)

Reception

The game received awards e.g. an Amiga Joker [3] but was not a commercial success, the company reLINE failing for the first time just when the English version was about to be published. [2]

Amiga Joker: 88% [3]
Amiga Power: 70% [4]
Amiga Format: 77% [5]
Amiga Mania: 81% [5]
Australian Commodore and Amiga Review: 94% [5]
CU Amiga: 70% [5]
Games-X 20: 4/5 [5]
Génération 4: 81% [5]
MegaZone: 70% [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Curse of the Azure Bonds</i> 1989 video game

Curse of the Azure Bonds is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box games, continuing the events of Pool of Radiance.

<i>Chaos Strikes Back</i> 1989 video game

Chaos Strikes Back is an expansion and sequel to Dungeon Master, the earlier 3D role-playing video game. Chaos Strikes Back was released in 1989 and is also available on several platforms. It uses the same engine as Dungeon Master, with new graphics and a new, far more challenging, dungeon.

<i>Top Banana</i> (video game) 1991 video game

Top Banana is an environmentally-themed platform game produced by Hex and Psycore for the Acorn Archimedes in 1991 and ported to the Amiga and Atari ST in 1992. The chief artist and coder was Miles Visman, with supporting graphics and sound by Karel Dander and supporting graphics by Sophie Smith, Robert Pepperell and Matt Black. Top Banana was released using recycled cardboard packaging, furthermore being advertised as being the 'first video game with recycled packaging'. Top Banana's plot is about trying to save the environment from pollution using love.

<i>The Humans</i> (video game) 1992 video game

The Humans is a puzzle-platform video game developed by Imagitec Design in Dewsbury, England and originally published by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga in May 1992. It was later ported to other home computers and consoles. The goal of the game varies per level but usually revolves around bringing at least one of the player-controlled humans to the designated end area marked by a colored tile. Doing this requires players taking advantage of the tribe's ability to build a human ladder and use tools such as spears, torches, wheels, ropes and a witch doctor in later levels.

<i>Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny</i> 1988 video game

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny is the fifth entry in the role-playing video game series Ultima released in March 1988. It is the second in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy. The game's story takes a darker turn from its predecessor Ultima IV. Britannia's king Lord British is missing, replaced by a tyrant named Lord Blackthorn. The player must navigate a totalitarian world bent on enforcing its virtues through draconian means.

The Lotus series consists of three racing computer games based around the Lotus brand: Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge, Lotus Turbo Challenge 2, and Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge. Published between 1990 and 1992 by Gremlin Graphics, the games gained very favourable reviews upon release. Original Amiga versions of the games were created by Shaun Southern and Andrew Morris of Magnetic Fields, and then ported by other individuals to several other computers and game consoles.

<i>Dragon Wars</i> 1989 video game

Dragon Wars is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Rebecca Heineman, published by Interplay Productions in 1989, and distributed by Activision.

<i>Total Carnage</i> 1992 video game

Total Carnage is a multidirectional shooter arcade video game originally developed and published by Midway in North America in January 1992. Set in the fictional country of Kookistan during 1999, players assume the role of Captain Carnage and Major Mayhem from the Doomsday Squad in a last-ditch effort to overthrow dictator General Akhboob and his army of mutants from conquering the world, while also rescuing POWs held by his military force.

<i>Impossible Mission II</i> 1988 video game

Impossible Mission II is a video game developed by Novotrade and published by Epyx in 1988. It was released for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Enterprise 128, Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS, Atari ST, Apple II with at least 128K, Apple IIGS, and Amiga.

<i>Zombi</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

Zombi is an icon-driven action-adventure video game. It was Ubisoft's first publication, released in 1986. It was programmed by Yannick Cadin and S. L. Coemelck, with graphics by Patrick Daher and music by Philippe Marchiset.

<i>Hard Nova</i> 1990 video game

Hard Nova is a role-playing video game developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Electronic Arts in 1990 for DOS, Amiga and Atari ST. It is a follow-up to Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic.

<i>Space Quest I</i> 1986 video game

Space Quest: Chapter I – The Sarien Encounter is a graphic adventure game, created by Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe, and released in October 1986 by Sierra On-Line. It is the first game in the Space Quest series, and sees players assume the role of a lowly janitor on a research ship, who becomes involved in stopping an alien race using a new form of technology for evil purposes.

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

Xenomorph is a 1990 video game developed and published by Pandora for the Amiga and the Atari ST, and later ported for the Commodore 64 and DOS.

<i>Elvira: The Arcade Game</i> 1991 video game

Elvira: The Arcade Game is a side-scrolling platform game released in 1991 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS by Flair Software. The game is loosely based upon the film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, released in 1988, and she features as the playable character.

<i>Robinsons Requiem</i> 1994 video game

Robinson's Requiem is a 1994 survival simulation video game developed and originally published by Silmarils exclusively in Europe for the Atari ST, Atari Falcon and Amiga. Taking place in the 22nd century where Earth and colonized planets are facing overpopulation, the game sees players assuming the role of Robinson officer Trepliev 1 from the Alien World Exploration department in his attempt to escape imprisonment from the fictional planet of Zarathustra alongside another AWE Robinson named Nina1, while facing several hostile creatures and dangers in order to survive.

Pool of Radiance is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms campaign settings of Dungeons & Dragons; it was the first Dungeons & Dragons video game series to be based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.

<i>Rolling Thunder</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Rolling Thunder is a run and gun video game developed by Namco in Japan and Europe and released in 1986 as a coin-operated arcade video game using the Namco System 86 hardware. It was distributed in North America by Atari Games. The player takes control of a secret agent who must rescue his female partner from a terrorist organization. Rolling Thunder was a commercial success in arcades, and it was released for various home computer platforms in 1987 and the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The original arcade game has been included in various classic game compilations as well. It influenced later arcade action franchises such as Shinobi and Time Crisis, which borrowed mechanics such as taking cover behind crates.

<i>Judge Dredd</i> (1991 video game) 1991 video game

Judge Dredd is a 1991 platform shoot 'em up video game based on the character of the same name. It was developed by Random Access and published by Virgin Mastertronic. It was released in Europe in 1991, for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Critics found the gameplay repetitive.

<i>Das Stundenglas</i> 1990 video game

Das Stundenglas is a German text adventure game published in 1990 by Software 2000 and developed by Weltenschmiede, and released for Amiga, Atari ST and DOS. Das Stundenglas is part of a text adventure trilogy; it is succeeded by Die Kathedrale (1991) and Hexuma (1992). The trilogy lacks an overarching plot, and in each entry the setting, role of the protagonist, and goal differ between each game. Games in the trilogy do not require knowledge of the other entries and may be played as standalone games.

<i>Sex Olympics</i> 1991 erotic point-and-click adventure game by Free Spirit Software

Sex Olympics, alternatively titled Brad Stallion in Sex Olympics is an erotic point-and-click adventure game developed and self-published by Free Spirit Software, and released for DOS, Atari ST, and Amiga. The Amiga version of Sex Olympics was released in Europe in April 1991. Sex Olympics is the finale of the Brad Stallion series, and is preceded by Sex Vixens from Space (1988), Planet of Lust (1989), and Bride of the Robot (1989). Sex Olympics was panned by reviewers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FATE Gates of Dawn Manual". Archived from the original on 2013-07-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pat's Nostalgia: "Fate - Gates of Dawn" - Amiga Review.
  3. 1 2 Amiga Joker. March 1991.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. Amiga Power . December 1991.{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Fate: Gates of Dawn : Hall of Light - the database of Amiga games".