''Crystals of Arborea'' is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

fantasy

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 ...

developed and published by

Silmarils The Silmarils (Quenya in-universe ''pl''. ''Silmarilli'', ''radiance of pure light''Tolkien, J. R. R., "Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies — Part Two" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter and Patrick H. Wynne), in ''Vinyar Tengwar'', 46, July 2 ...

, and released in 1990 for the

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...

Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...

and

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...

. The game is a precursor to the '' Ishar'' trilogy, a series also produced by Silmarils, and together they were re-distributed as the ''Ishar Compilation'' in 2009.

Gameplay

The game is set upon the island kingdom of Arborea, the remnant of a world all but destroyed. According to the in-game mythology, Mogroth, the deity of chaos, became furious following his banishment from the pantheon of gods. In his rage, he instilled chaos in the minds of the populace and encouraged them to rebel. Orcs and Black Elves were amongst those who converted and chose to follow Mogroth. Unwilling to allow their creations to be subjugated, the remaining deities flooded the world and drowned all but those few who now dwell on Arborea. The four elemental crystals, of earth, fire, water and air respectively, are all that now guard against the ultimate subjugation of the kingdom by the forces of chaos. The player assumes the role of Jarel, the last Prince of the Sham-nirs, an elf-like species that inhabits Arborea. Gameplay centres on locating the four crystals, restoring them to their corresponding temples, before defeating Mogroth, the deity of chaos. To accomplish this, the player must form a party of up to six allies, such as wizards, fighters and rangers, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Using both a 3D perspective and a 2D map of the island, players can divide their forces and direct them to perform reconnaissance of a given area. Clues as to the locations of the crystals can be obtained from certain neutral non-player characters, but only if the player is able to answer their riddles or solve puzzles. According to

, there are approximately 16,000 locations to explore, though not all need to be visited in order to obtain the crystals and restore order. Should the allies happen upon aggressive creatures or Mogroth's forces, the perspective switches to a 2D grid system. Each character is represented on the grid, but must be positioned so that they have a clear line of sight to their target before they can attack. Rangers and wizards both have the greatest line of sight, whereas swordsmen can only attack if adjacent to their opponent. Prior to obtaining the final crystal, players must battle Mogroth via the grid system. If victorious, Jarel is able to place the last crystal in position and ultimately purge the island of chaos.

Reception

Upon its initial release, ''Crystals of Arborea'' received mixed reviews. Some critics praised the graphics and user-interface, remarking, for instance, that the "characters and other creatures are well-drawn and accompanied by some superb, realistic looking, background artwork." The music and sound effects were also singled out as impressive. ''Amiga Action'' acknowledged the developer's attempt to blend strategy and role-playing genres, and noted the influence of '' Dungeon Master'' on the game. However, the combat system received mixed reactions, with several commentators comparing battles to repetitive games of

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

draughts Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; British English), is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. Checkers ...

. ''Amiga Action'' described the combat system as "innovative", whereas ''

Amiga Power ''Amiga Power'' (''AP'') was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future plc, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996. Philosophy ''Amiga Power'' had several principles which com ...

'' commented that the battles were "strange, grid-based strategic affairs," which lacked any violence or pace. '' Ishar: Legend of the Fortress'' was released in 1992, prompting the publishers to re-distribute ''Crystals of Arborea'' as a budget title in 1993. The re-release received markedly poorer reviews, owing largely to improvements made by its successor. '' The One'' gave the Amiga version of ''Crystals of Arborea'' an overall score of 86%, praising ''Crystals' '' UI, calling it a "simple and friendly front-end that doesn't get in the way of the atmosphere." ''The One'' also praises ''Crystals' '' graphics and music, expressing that characters are "well-drawn" and backgrounds are "superb" and "realistic looking", and notes that ''Crystals' '' music has a 'very

feel' which "complements the action perfectly." ''The One'' furthermore calls ''Crystals of Arborea'' "rich and rewarding."

References

{{Authority control 1990 video games Amiga games Atari ST games DOS games Games commercially released with DOSBox Role-playing video games Silmarils (company) games Video games developed in France Video games scored by Fabrice Hautecloque Single-player video games