''Amberstar'' is the first installment in

Thalion Software The company was formed by members of the Atari ST demoscene in October 1988, in Gütersloh, Germany. The main aim of Thalion Software was to produce cutting edge technology games. Despite the technical quality, sales of the games never really mat ...

's never-finished

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

trilogy. 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 ''Ambermoon'' is a Role-playing video game, role-playing game developed and published by Thalion Software, released in 1993 for the Amiga. It was the second part of an unfinished trilogy (''Amberstar'', released in 1992, being the first). Plot I ...

'', was released in 1993.

Plot

The game is set in the

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, ...

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 Andreas Jochen Hippel (born October 14, 1971) 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 de ...

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 Many critics praised the deep storyline while feeling that the graphics were a bit outdated in comparison to other current RPGs such as ''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 ''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Blue Sky Productions (later Looking Glass Studios) and published by Origin Systems. Released in March 1992, the game is set in the fantasy world of t ...

'' or '' Might and Magic: Clouds of Xeen''. ''

The One The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung g ...

'' gave the Amiga version of ''Amberstar'' an overall score of 78%, comparing its gameplay to ''

Ultima VI ''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 retu ...

'' and '' Eye of the Beholder'', stating that it " ixesthe 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.

Legacy

While planned as first part in a trilogy, ''Amberstar'' was succeeded by only one sequel called ''

''. Unlike ''Amberstar'', ''Ambermoon'' was released only on Amiga. Disappointing sales of both ''Amberstar'' and ''Ambermoon'' lead Thalion Software to close after the sequel's German release. The title of what was supposed to be the third and final game was disclosed by game creator Karsten Köper as being ''AmberWorlds''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Amberstar''
at

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''Amberstar''
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at Atari Mania 1992 video games Amiga games Atari ST games DOS games Fantasy video games Role-playing video games Video games developed in Germany Video games scored by Jochen Hippel Single-player video games Thalion Software games