Trees, trees, and more trees! That’s what you get when you explore the ancient island kingdom of Arborea. And with a name like that it is no surprise.Crystals of Arborea is a real-time, first-person, tile-based, party-driven RPG with combat, exploration, and day/night scenes where the colours cycle to give you a nice atmospheric setting.After generating your party of seven (you and six others) you must then go looking for the titular crystals. Clues as to the crystal’s whereabouts can be gleaned from various people hidden in the woods (usually inside houses). Monsters also roam the forests and will attack you if they see you. Combat is turn-based and takes place on an overhead grid. The Fighters, Magicians, and Rangers in your party must try to outwit the enemy and kill them before they kill you.
In a style not too dissimilar to chess.For my money, the is slightly better than this, because the controls are more responsive. This Amiga version seems to take a second to register your clicks, which can be frustrating. Crystals of Arborea is still an excellent game on the Amiga though. Arguably even better than the Ishar games that followed soon after.More. Crystals of Arborea is the predecessor to the Ishar series of games. It’s a first-person, tile-based RPG, with a character-based party system and turn-based combat.The game is controlled with either a mouse or a joystick and the aim is to wipe out the resident monster population on an island, while at the same time searching for a set of crystals that are hidden in random places.
You get clues to the whereabouts of the crystals by answering questions from mysterious men inside dwellings located around the island.You start off with a named hero (Jarel) and must generate a party of up to seven members (you and six others), comprised of Fighters, Magicians, or Rangers. In combat, Fighters must be next to an opponent to be able to attack; Rangers must be at least one square away, and have line of sight; and Magicians can only fight using spells and must be given time to generate them.Combat kicks-in when you bump into a monster in the landscape, and the view switches to an overhead, grid view of the action.
From here, the game then turns into a similar game to ‘chess’, as you and your party try to outwit the enemy by moving around and fighting. The combat is quite absorbing, which is due to its simplicity more than anything.Crystals of Arborea reminds me a bit of the classic Lords of Midnight – but with fancier graphics – except that this is more about individuals, than armies. So like Mindwinter, then 🙂Released in 1990 for, Atari ST and PC MS-DOS, Crystals of Arborea is a decent enough game and seems to have a bit of a following. It’s certainly a good enough game to play right now. The PC versions slightly edges it for me, because of the more responsive controls, which is good because that’s the one you get when you buy it on GOG.com.More:GOG.com. The third and final instalment in the Ishar series, Ishar 3: The Seven Gates of Infinity was released by Silmarils in 1994.It plays similarly to the previous two games (ie. First-person, real-time RPG), but with further refinement and a somewhat different setting – at least initially.You begin with one member in your party (Zubaran – the same guy you began the last instalment with), and must add up to four more, each represented with a portrait at the bottom of the screen.
Like the previous game, clicking this portrait cycles through status and information panels, and also an inventory.In Ishar 3 you begin the game in a walled city, called Koren-Bahnir, and must solve various puzzles by exploring and fighting. Like the other Ishar games, just gaining a foothold in this archaic RPG is a challenge. Combat is unforgiving; healing is tricky, and just finding the puzzles (never mind solving them) is a bit of a nightmare. That said: Ishar 3 is quite compelling (if you’re playing with ), even though the presentation is scruffy and the interface is clunky. All the characters from the first two games are in this one, and are recruitable via the many inns found dotted around the city. Apparently you can even load in a party from the previous game, although I haven’t tried it.Ishar 3 is arguably the best game in the trilogy, although it does take some effort to escape the city and into a less confined environment.
The game still suffers from the usual Ishar failings, though, like spelling mistakes; day and night being too quick to cycle; and inconsistent healing. Playing the game in a emulator, and using quicksaves, does help. I can’t imagine playing this on an actual ST, though.
The slowness and the unforgiving combat and healing would drive me nuts.Overall, the Ishar games I would say are pretty poor overall. Especially when compared to, say, or, or the series. If you like obscure RPGs (which I do), then you might get some enjoyment out of it. Otherwise: it’ll probably just annoy you to high hell.The Ishar trilogy on The King of Grabs:, and Ishar #3.More:GOG.com. The sequel to the interesting Ishar, Ishar 2: Messengers of Doom is a French, first-person RPG with atmospheric graphics and challenging party-based gameplay. It was first released in 1993.Thankfully, Ishar 2 rights some of the wrongs of the first game. You can actually see where you are on the map now, which is a blessed relief, and the interface has been cleaned-up a bit, making movement and combat a bit easier.Ishar 2: Messengers of Doom is still pretty archaic when it comes to gameplay in general.
The game now cycles through day and night, but – in my opinion – the speed at which it does this is too fast. Healing is still hit-and-miss. Spell-casting is mostly unfathomable. And – like the first game – the English spelling mistakes are appalling.It’s good that you can build a full party of five quite quickly, and it’s also good that you’ve got a large, open area to explore from the outset. Keeping your characters alive is something of a challenge, though. Again: like all the Ishar games, Ishar 2 is best played with of some sort.The Ishar trilogy on The King of Grabs:, Ishar #2, and.More:GOG.com. The first in a trilogy of French Role-Playing Games published by Silmarils, Ishar: Legend of the Fortress is an atmospheric, first-person, party-based RPG with challenging gameplay, released in 1992.You begin with a single, given character (called “Aramir”) and must recruit others to help you on your rather obscure quest. I say ‘obscure’ because – even with the manual – it’s not very clear what you’re supposed to do.
Reading the manual indicates that “alignment” is a big deal (“Dwarfs sic are not very friendly with elves,” it says), although the manual writers don’t seem to understand the concept of ‘alignment’, as it is actually race that makes the difference with regards to dwarves and elves. So basically: it’s racism that you have to contend with Sigh.The in-game map doesn’t show you where you currently are, so is next to useless, and you have to fumble your way around the opening of the game to gain a foothold. Eventually, though, you’ll find a village and hopefully a few extra party members to recruit.Combat and movement is all mouse-driven and is fairly intuitive, but slow and prone to click errors. Healing is another matter entirely. It’s either done via choosing ‘First Aid’ from an action menu (and whether it works or not is very hit and miss), or by sleeping or eating at an inn. Even worse: saving the game costs actual in-game money – and quite a lot of it too – which is outrageous!
Ishar Compilation (1994) Gog Youtube
It’s like the developers have deliberately set out to make a game you’re going to hate, which is a pity because Ishar has all the makings of a very good game.Graphically, Ishar is pretty good. The first person graphics are atmospheric and well-drawn. The colours are a bit weird. The monsters are reasonably well animated. The spelling mistakes are appalling, though.Getting anywhere in this game is frustrating without.
With one, it’s marginally less frustrating. Personally, I prefer the much improved sequel, over this game. Back in 1992 Ishar was still archaic, compared to the market leader, Dungeon Master. Playing it now, it’s a barely entertaining hack and slasher, but only with a walkthrough.
Playing it blind is way too much of a slog to be enjoyable.The Ishar trilogy on The King of Grabs:Ishar #1, and.More:GOG.com.