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''Ishar'' is a series of three
role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
s by
Silmarils The Silmarils (Quenya in-universe , )J. R. R. Tolkien, 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 2004, p. 11 are three ficti ...
for
IBM PC compatible An IBM PC compatible is any personal computer that is hardware- and software-compatible with the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) and its subsequent models. Like the original IBM PC, an IBM PC–compatible computer uses an x86-based central p ...
s,
Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...
,
Atari ST Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the company's Atari 8-bit computers, 8-bit computers. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985, and was widely available i ...
, and
Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
. They are preceded by ''
Crystals of Arborea ''Crystals of Arborea'' is a medieval fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Silmarils, and released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS. The game is a precursor to the '' Ishar'' trilogy, a series also produced by Silm ...
''. The games are played in first-person perspective, with all but ''
Crystals of Arborea ''Crystals of Arborea'' is a medieval fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Silmarils, and released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS. The game is a precursor to the '' Ishar'' trilogy, a series also produced by Silm ...
'' allowing the player to direct a group of five characters, each with a selectable race, gender, and class.


''Crystals of Arborea''

''
Crystals of Arborea ''Crystals of Arborea'' is a medieval fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Silmarils, and released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS. The game is a precursor to the '' Ishar'' trilogy, a series also produced by Silm ...
'' was published by Silmarils in 1991. It precedes ''Ishar'' both chronologically and by its gameplay. Morgoth, the main antagonist of ''Crystals of Arborea'', is the father of Krogh, the one of ''Ishar: Legend of the Fortress''. Moreover, most of the heroes of the game, Jarel's companions, can be met in ''Ishar'' or even in ''Ishar 2''.


''Ishar: Legend of the Fortress''

The first game in the series came out in 1992 on Amiga, Atari ST and DOS. It takes place on the island of Kendoria. At the beginning, the player controls a warrior called Aramir, and he must defeat Krogh, an evil sorcerer who has killed lord Jarel. The game takes its name from Krogh's fortress, ''Ishar'', whose name means "unknown" in the game's fictional elf language. In order to achieve this, the player's characters must travel across the whole island and, among other things, meet with the surviving companions of Jarel.


''Ishar 2: Messengers of Doom''

''Ishar 2'' was published in 1993 on Amiga, Atari ST and DOS. In ''Ishar 2'', the player starts with the character of Zubaran, who is the new lord of Ishar. He receives a vision that tells him to defeat the sorcerer Shandar. It is also possible to import a party of characters from the first ''Ishar''. The game now takes place on an archipelago, each island bearing the name of one of Jarel's companions. Each island also features a different type of landscape: Irvan's island is covered with swamps, Akeer's and Olbar's are underground complexes, Zach's island is covered by a city, Jon's is mountainous, and Thorm's has treetop gangways in a forest. This game has a combat system that's more ergonomic than in the first Ishar, and a day-night cycle in which shops are closed at night and the nightclub is closed by day. It also adds a bank. Saving the game does not remove gold from the player anymore.


''Ishar 3: The Seven Gates of Infinity''

''Ishar 3'' was published in 1994. The player starts with Zubaran or imports characters from another game of the series, and has to hunt the dragon of Sith. In order to do that, he needs to cross a series of gates, each one sending him to a different time period. Each period, like the islands of ''Ishar 2'', has its own climate and type of landscape.


''Ishar 4: Ishar Genesis''

A fourth game in the series, ''Ishar 4'', was in development and announced in 1995 for the
Atari Jaguar CD The Atari Jaguar CD is a CD-ROM peripheral for the Jaguar video game console. Only 13 games were released for the Jaguar CD during its lifetime. However, previously unfinished and homebrew games have since been released. History Atari announc ...
under the working title ''Ishar Genesis.'' It was intended for a December 1995 release but development was discontinued for unknown reasons. Former Silmarils programmer Cyril Cogordan stated that ideas created for the unreleased fourth installment were later implemented in '' Asghan: The Dragon Slayer'', released three years later.


References


External links


Entry for ''Ishar Trilogy'' at HOL
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishar Role-playing video games by series Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1992