''Magic & Mayhem'' (working title: ''Duel: The Mage Wars''), known in Europe as ''Mana'', is a fantasy/mythology-themed
real-time strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to p ...
game designed by
Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop is a British computer game designer and producer specialising in strategy games, who has founded and led Mythos Games, Codo Technologies and Snapshot Games. He is known best as the "man who gave birth to the '' X-COM'' franchise ...
and developed by
Mythos Games
Mythos Games was a British video game developer company founded by Julian Gollop with his brother Nick in 1988 as Target Games. It is best known for its 1994 strategy game '' X-COM: UFO Defense''. Following the closing of Mythos Games in 2001, Go ...
. It was published by
Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Virgin Interactive Entertainment (later renamed Avalon Interactive) was the video game publishing division of British conglomerate the Virgin Group. It developed and published games for major platforms and employed developers, including Westwo ...
(European release) in late 1998, and by Bethesda (North American release) soon after in 1999. Although the game received generally positive criticisms, it met a quiet public reception.
''Magic and Mayhem'' was designed by Gollop as the next incarnation of his successful ''
Chaos
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional elements
* Chaos (''Kinnikuman'')
* Chaos (''Sailor Moon'')
* Chaos (''Sesame Park'')
* Chaos (''Warhammer'')
* Chaos, in ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy''
* Cha ...
'' video game concept, involving the same mythical wizard combat. Like in ''Chaos'', the player assumes the role of a wizard that can cast spells and summon creatures in order to defeat the other wizards in the battle.
In the single-player campaign, the player assumes the role of Cornelius, a young magician who yearns to become his uncle Lucan's apprentice. He arrives at Lucan's home shortly after graduation from the Hermetic Academy and eager to begin his study, only to find his uncle gone and the home in ruins.
A sequel, '' Magic & Mayhem: The Art of Magic'', was released in October 2001 for Windows.
Gameplay
The player's primary character is their wizard, and who can cast spells, summon creatures and (in the campaign) interact with other characters. The wizard and any summoned creatures are controlled, as in most strategy games, by dragging selection boxes and using the mouse buttons to interact and issue orders. Casting spells and summoning creatures uses
mana
According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...
. Wizards replenish their mana by occupying "Places of Power" with their creatures, or using up one-use "mana sprites" that are picked up around the map. ''Magic and Mayhem'' is built into an isometric grid, with creatures occupying (or flying above) squares on the board.
The game includes two game modes; the campaign progression and a "quick battle" option, similar to a deathmatch. The campaign is single-player only, but quick battle can be either single or multiplayer over a LAN network.
''Magic and Mayhem'' uses a unique spell system, in which magical ingredients are needed to be able to cast each spell in the game. In the campaign game mode, these ingredients (such as Brimstone, Clover and Zircon) are gradually acquired as the game progresses. Before each level begins, the player can use their
Portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
Plot
Setting
''Magic and Mayhem'' is set in three mythological/historical realms; Albion,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
and
Avalon
Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...
, covering
Arthurian
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 ...
,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, and Celtic themes respectively. In the campaign, the player journeys their way through each realm in order, with map designs and terrain corresponding to the current realm. For example, maps set in Albion may include medieval gothic castles, whereas Greek maps contain classical mediterranean architecture.
Geographically, each realm is not strictly adherent to their historic counterparts; for instance, the "Greek" realm is modified slightly, with
Colchis
In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia.
Its population, the Colchians are generally though ...
and
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
separated from Greece by only a thin stretch of ocean channel. Myths, such as Jason and the Golden Fleece, are also modified slightly, with Cornelius rather than Jason retrieving the artefact.
Story
The game's introductory movie presents Cornelius as he visits his uncle's magical laboratory, only to find it in ruins. He deduces that something bad must have befallen the absent Lucan, as his flying machine is primed and ready for a trip. Cornelius decides to undertake the journey his uncle was planning. A raven, soon after introduced as Hermes, accompanies Cornelius from thereon throughout the game; Cornelius decides this must be Lucan's
familiar
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to r ...
.
Cornelius crashes in Avalon, ruining the flying machine. He begins his quest to find his uncle, soon encountering hostile wizards who are none-too-helpful in aiding him. On his journey through Avalon, he meets allies including Twigkindle the brownie king and
Percival
Percival (, also spelled Perceval, Parzival), alternatively called Peredur (), was one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the tale ''Perceval, the Story of the Gr ...
the knight, the latter of which joins Cornelius in return for his aid in finding the Grail. The two soon acquire the Grail, and eventually reach the castle Joyous Garde, the centre of villainy in Avalon. After an epic battle with the resident baron-wizard Bertilak, Cornelius finds and frees his uncle Lucan, only to confront the game's main antagonist, the Overlord. The Overlord demands Cornelius hand over the Grail, but when Cornelius refuses, the Overlord leaves without a fight. Lucan, who had been kidnapped by the Overlord's minions, reveals that his power is weak in Avalon. After the battle, Cornelius wants nothing more than to return to the mundane world with Lucan, but it is revealed they must find a specific portal to do so, so their quest must continue through a magical gateway into Greece.
Arriving in Greece, Cornelius continues to travel looking for a way back home, but encountering yet more hostile wizards and evidence of the Overlord's misdeeds. He stumbles upon
Ariadne
Ariadne (; grc-gre, Ἀριάδνη; la, Ariadne) was a Cretan princess in Greek mythology. She was mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. She is best known for havi ...
, angering her by his intrusion into her home, but besting her in combat and forcing her to flee. He eventually arrives in Delphi, defeats the tyrannical wizard that keeps the city in anarchy, and consults the Oracle on the Grail. It is revealed that the Grail grants immortality, and explains why the Overlord demanded it of Cornelius in Avalon. The Oracle also reveals that the
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...
of Colchis must be retrieved for the Grail to work. Cornelius travels to Colchis and defeats the dragon that guards the Fleece, taking it for himself. After killing the ruler of Colchis, King Aeetes, he unwittingly releases the witch
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...
who escapes back to the mainland. Cornelius arrives in Sparta to find the city in ruins by the hand of the Overlord. He finds Ariadne and Lucan sheltering from Medea, who turns out to be a servant of the Overlord. Cornelius defeats Medea a second time, and forces her to flee to the
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by t ...
in Crete. He soon catches up and defeats her, at the same time finding a magical gateway to Albion beneath the maze.
In Albion, Cornelius, Ariadne and Lucan encounter
Sir Lancelot
Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...
, loyal knight of the deceased King Arthur. He reveals the Overlord usurped and murdered Arthur, hunting his loyal surviving knights over Albion. Lucan reveals that finding Merlin, Arthur's royal wizard, may be the only way to stop the Overlord. Cornelius arrives in Broceliande, the last known whereabouts of Merlin, to find his tower empty. They continue their quest onto mainland Albion and Salisbury Plain, where Lucan is slain by the Overlord and the remaining
protagonists
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
flee. Cornelius continues his quest, gathering Arthur's loyal knights and attacking
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...
, freeing Ariadne and Lancelot and retaking the castle. Cornelius and his allies eventually meet the Overlord at
Dinas Emrys
Dinas Emrys () is a rocky and wooded hillock near Beddgelert in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Rising some above the floor of the Glaslyn river valley, it overlooks the southern end of Llyn Dinas in Snowdonia.
Little remains of the Iron Age hillfor ...
, discover that he is Merlin, defeat him, and return to the mundane world.
Multimedia
Music
The background music for ''Magic and Mayhem'' was composed by Afro Celt Sound System, and was highly regarded by game reviews. As stated by
Simon Emmerson
Simon Emmerson (born 12 February 1956) is an English record producer, guitarist, DJ, musical director at Lush, and founder of the group Afro Celt Sound System.
He is also the main organiser of The Imagined Village, a collaborative work from ...
, founder of the group, in the game's manual:
Emmerson was joined on the soundtrack by musicians
Ronan Browne
Ronan Browne is an Irish musician and composer who plays the Irish pipes. He plays and sings with the band Cran, and also played in a 40-year duet with Peter O'Loughlin. He was the original piper with both ''Riverdance'' and the Afro Celt So ...
(bagpipes),
Nigel Eaton
Nigel Eaton is a British multi-instrumentalist and composer best known for playing the hurdy-gurdy. Born in Lyndhurst, Eaton played the piano and cello before switching to the hurdy-gurdy in 1981 when his father, Christopher Eaton, began manufact ...
(hurdy-gurdy), James McNally (bodhrán, accordion, whistle, percussion), and Rémi Chauvet (harp).
Movies and cutscenes
''Magic and Mayhem'' uses distinctive
claymation
Clay animation or claymation, sometimes plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine clay.
Tra ...
for its movie cutscenes.
The game's creatures and mythological characters were constructed by animation expert Alan Friswell, using the stop-motion techniques made popular in the films of
Willis O'Brien
Willis Harold O'Brien (March 2, 1886 – November 8, 1962) was an American motion picture special effects and stop-motion animation pioneer, who according to ASIFA-Hollywood "was responsible for some of the best-known images in cinema history," ...
and
Ray Harryhausen
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mi ...
. The figures were made of modelling clay and latex rubber, over an armature of wire and ball-and-socket joints. The models were then moved incrementally, while being filmed one frame at a time.
Development
The game was announced in January 1998.
Reception
The game received favorable reviews according to the
review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Computer Games Strategy Plus
''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...
'' and ''
PC Accelerator
''PC Accelerator'' (''PCXL'') was an American personal computer game magazine that was published by Imagine Media (currently a subsidiary of Future plc). It was known for its ''Maxim''-like humor and photography.
History and profile
''PC Acceler ...
'' gave the MSN Gaming Zone version favorable reviews, a few months before it was released Stateside.