''Leander'' is a
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
for the
Amiga developed by
Traveller's Tales
Traveller's Tales is a British video game developer and a subsidiary of TT Games. Traveller's Tales was founded in 1989 by Jon Burton and Andy Ingram. Initially a small company focused on its own content, it grew in profile through developing ...
and published by
Psygnosis
Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Ell ...
in 1991. It was the first game developed by Traveller's Tales. The game was developed on the Amiga, then converted to the
Atari ST by Philipp Wyatt for W.J.S Design. A year later it was published for the
Sega Genesis as ''Galahad'' by
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
.
Plot
The player assumes the role of the legendary knight
Leander
Leander is one of the protagonists in the story of Hero and Leander in Greek mythology.
Leander may also refer to:
People
* Leander (given name)
* Leander (surname)
Places
* Leander, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community
* Le ...
(changed in the Genesis port to
Galahad
Sir Galahad (), sometimes referred to as Galeas () or Galath (), among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Si ...
, son of
Lancelot) and
rescue the princess Lucanna from the wizard
Thanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos (; grc, Θάνατος, pronounced in "Death", from θνῄσκω ''thnēskō'' "(I) die, am dying") was the personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appea ...
(Miragorn in the Genesis port, who kidnapped Lucanna in an attempt to get
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
to come to him).
Gameplay
Leander collects coins through three sprawling worlds, each composed of seven levels, with which he can purchase
armour,
potion
A potion () is a liquid "that contains medicine, poison, or something that is supposed to have magic powers.” It derives from the Latin word ''potus'' which referred to a drink or drinking. The term philtre is also used, often specifically ...
s and new
swords in a shop which appears infrequently during the game. The ultimate aim of each level is to find a certain object named at the start of a level (with instructions where to find it). When Leander finds it, he must find a portal which will lead him on to the next level. If he does not find the object, he cannot enter the portal.
Enemies encountered during the game range from
dragons and
elves
An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes " ...
to
snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s and giant
otters. At the end of each world, Leander faces a gargantuan
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
, whom he must defeat to enter the next world.
Cameos from other games
In the final world, there is a secret ''
Lemmings
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also include ...
''-styled area and the main character from ''
The Killing Game Show'' appears as an enemy as well as a larger version of him.
In the game ''
Puggsy
''Puggsy'' is a 1993 puzzle-platform game developed by Traveller's Tales and released by Psygnosis on the Mega Drive and Mega-CD consoles, as well as the Amiga home computer. ''Puggsy'' is the name of the title character, an orange space hopper ...
'', originally made for the Sega Mega Drive, and also published by Psygnosis, an "extra-secret" level called "Lee and Errr", which can only be accessed by working out a math equation given during the credits after completing the story game, contains the following message written in large print in the background: "Leander is Galahad on the Megadrive".
Reception
''
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 ''Leander'' an overall score of 93%, calling it "classy" and "graphically amazing", making note of "additional touches" such as detailed waves, waterfalls and rain. ''The One'' praises ''Leander''
's colourful graphics, 'smooth' scrolling, and gameplay, stating that "''Leander'' has captured the console concept perfectly ... Control over ''Leander'' quickly becomes second nature, but is sophisticated enough to allow high jumping and ladder climbing."
Anti-piracy
An anti-piracy measure was tested during development which required punching a hole into the disk with a laser. If implemented, the game would freeze and refuse to load without the punch being present.
Should the physical check be removed, the game will load fine then, but with one catch. The player will be unable to get past level four as one of the platforms needed to progress has its collision removed. Further levels have no terrain whatsoever, resulting in the player falling through the platforms. Not only this, but the damage the player deals is halved.
The copy protection method was ultimately unused.
References
External links
''Leander''at Lemon Amiga
at Atari Mania
{{Authority control
1991 video games
Amiga games
Atari ST games
Electronic Arts games
Psygnosis games
Sega Genesis games
Video games based on Arthurian legend
Video games based on Greek mythology
Video games scored by Matthew Simmonds
Video games scored by Tim Wright (Welsh musician)
Fantasy video games set in the Middle Ages
Single-player online games
Side-scrolling platform games
Action-adventure games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom