Ambermoon
| Ambermoon | |
|---|---|
|
German cover art for Ambermoon | |
| Developer(s) | Thalion Software |
| Publisher(s) | Thalion Software |
| Platform(s) | Amiga |
| Release date(s) | 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Ambermoon is a 1993 video game by Thalion Software which was released in 1993 for the Amiga. It was the second part of the unfinished Amber Trilogy (Amberstar, released in 1992, being the first). At the time of the game's release, the scrolling 3D graphics were considered revolutionary for the Amiga.
Plot
In Ambermoon, the player plays as the grandson of the hero of Amberstar. The grandfather of the player explains at the beginning of the game that his presumed-dead companion spoke to him in a dream of a new threat to the land of Lyramion. He consequently sends the player on a journey to Newlake, where he can speak with his old companion.
Those familiar with Thalion's games could find many connections to other games. The main character from Lionheart makes an appearance, as does the main enemy from Amberstar. By way of a dimensional gate, the player briefly enters the world from the game Dragonflight.
Gameplay
The graphics are a mesh of 2D (the outdoor world and many buildings) and 3D (dungeons, special buildings, and cities). Battles are turn-based and are animated in front of a static background. Due to the game's high-quality graphics, large number of enemies and cities, and the considerable size of the game world, extra disks are necessary. Since hard drives for the Amiga were rare, most players had to put up with frequent disk changes (and corresponding long load times), particularly before battle scenes.
During this adventure, the player journeys through not only the islands of Lyramion, but the moons of the game world as well. The game world is very large, and the player interacts with many non-player characters, some of whom become his companions.
Development
Ambermoon was only ever released in German for the Amiga. Although planned and developed the English version was never published. The last beta (v1.07) of the English version was released many years later in 1998 through the Thalion Webshrine. DOS and Atari ST versions were planned, but never completed.
Legacy
Ambermoon was a major success for Thalion, but it ultimately failed to prevent the company's collapse, which occurred before they were able to begin the final part of the planned trilogy. Part of the Thalion team went on to Blue Byte, which produced the graphically-similar game Albion, effectively a sort of spiritual sequel to Ambermoon.
External links
- Thalion Webshrine Ambermoon page.
- Amberworld an unfinished effort of interpreter for the Amiga classic Ambermoon and games with a similar engine like Dragonflight, Amberstar and Albion
- Ambermoon at MobyGames
- (German) Ambermoon Fan Site