Gateway to the Savage Frontier (1991) is a '' Gold Box'' ''

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developed by

Beyond Software Beyond Software was a video game publisher in the UK in the 1980s. It was set up by the EMAP publishing group in 1983 and published numerous titles on the Commodore 64, Dragon 32, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC, but met with very little success ...

and published by SSI for the

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, PC and

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Development

When SSI began work on the

Dark Sun ''Dark Sun'' is an original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. ''Dark Sun'' featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take o ...

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in 1989 after the completion of ''

Secret of the Silver Blades ''Secret of the Silver Blades'' is the third in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms ''Dungeons & Dragons'' "Gold Box" adventure role-playing video games. The game was released in 1990. The story is a continuation of the events of '' Curse of ...

'', they passed responsibility for continuing the

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Gold Box games to Beyond Software. Designers

Don Daglow Don Daglow (born circa 1953) is an American video game designer, programmer, and producer. He is best known for being the creator of early games from several different genres, including pioneering simulation game ''Utopia'' for Intellivision in 1 ...

, Mark Buchignani, David Bunnett, Arturo Sinclair and Mark Manyen set the action for the game in an area of the Forgotten Realms that TSR had labeled ''

The Savage Frontier ''The Savage Frontier'' (product code FR5) is an accessory for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting ''Forgotten Realms''. It describes the Savage Frontier (Forgotten Realms), Savage Frontier of Faerûn. The book was written by Jennell Ja ...

'', north of Waterdeep and south of Luskan along the

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. The area was far to the west of the region that hosted the action for ''

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'' and its sequels. One of the major locations in the Savage Frontier, Neverwinter, spun off a new chapter. Beyond Software gained the support of AOL executive Steve Case to create the first-ever graphical MMORPG, and to base it on the Gold Box engine. To leverage the existing game and cross-promote the titles, Daglow based the new MMORPG in Neverwinter and named it ''

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''. The game's principal technical enhancement to the aging Gold Box engine was the addition of ''wilderness play'', where the party traveled long distances on the map while following the basic D&D rules for combat with wandering monsters. The game also featured character-specific side-quests, with two NPCs who can open these optional missions. The side quests in turn open different endings for the game. The game spawned one sequel, '' Treasures of the Savage Frontier'' (1992).

Plot overview

The game revolves around a standard (for Gold Box adventures) party of six adventurers who inadvertently get caught up in a plot by the Zhentarim to conquer the entire Frontier area. The storyline, in rough terms, follows: * The party starts off in Yartar, having just escorted a caravan from the dwarven stronghold Citadel Adbar (ruled by the dwarf king Harbromm). At the tavern, while the party is enjoying the feast and spirits, something is slipped into their food that causes them to pass out, and they are robbed of all gold and gear, especially the magic longsword that one member used to slay a griffon at Longsaddle. However, each character has a purse of coins under their pillow so they can buy armor and weapons. * Through rescuing the NPC Krevish, the party being hired by the Kraken in Yartar to assassinate a

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at Nesme, only to discover that this evil priest was the only individual standing in the way of the conquest. * Rescuing the magic user Amelior Amanitas from Everlund, an eccentric and somewhat absent-minded wizard who explains how to stop the Zhentarim. Returning to Yartar, the party is captured and imprisoned in a Kraken base below the city. There, the magic longsword stolen at the start is recovered but the party has to fight four giant squid in a huge tank before escaping. * Finding four magical statues scattered across the frontier before the Zhentarim, led by a General Vaalgamon, gets to them. * Traveling to the dead city of Ascore to end the Zhentarim plot. Basically, Zhentil Keep plans to use these magical statues to open a way through an otherwise-unpassable desert for their armies. If successful, the party is hailed as the "Heroes of Ascore", which is carried over into the sequel.

Reception

SSI sold 62,581 copies of ''Gateway to the Savage Frontier''. The title was the #1 selling

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game in North America in August 1991. The game was reviewed in 1992 in '' Dragon'' #177 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. Scorpia of '' Computer Gaming World'' in 1993 called ''Gateway to the Savage Frontier'' "standard Gold Box fare ... you've played this many times before". According to GameSpy, "it was a polished revision of what the early games in the Gold Box series were like, and felt very welcome, to those who'd gotten a bit weary of the far-flung conventions of its most recent installments".

Reviews

*''

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'' (Dec, 1991) *'' ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)'' (Oct, 1991) *''Amiga Mania'' (Jun, 1992) *''

Commodore Format ''Commodore Format'' was a British magazine for users of the Commodore 64 home computer. It was published on the third Thursday of every month. All 61 issues were produced by Future plc. These came towards the end of the machine's commercial life ...

'' (Dec, 1991) *'' ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)'' (Apr, 1992) *''Joker Verlag präsentiert: Sonderheft'' (1992) *''Amiga Joker'' (Apr, 1992) *''

Amiga Action ''Amiga Action'' was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Europress (later IDG Media) and ran for 89 full issues, from October 1989 to December 1996. After its closure, it was merged into sister pu ...

'' (May, 1992) *''

Amiga Format ''Amiga Format'' was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future plc. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling '' ACE'' to EMAP, Future split the dual-format ...

'' (May, 1992)

References

External links

* {{Dungeons & Dragons video games 1991 video games Amiga games Commodore 64 games DOS games Forgotten Realms video games Gold Box Role-playing video games Single-player video games Stormfront Studios games Strategic Simulations games Tactical role-playing video games Video games developed in the United States Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender Video games with oblique graphics