Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny
| Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny | |
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Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Westwood Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Virgin Interactive |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | September 30, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny, colloquially referred to as Lands of Lore 2, is the critically acclaimed[1] second installment of the Lands of Lore series. It brought about a drastic change in gameplay style from its enormously successful predecessor, opting away from the original's D&D turn-based style in favor of more action RPG elements. Guardians of Destiny was released in 1997 and is a real-time, first-person RPG.
Plot
The plot follows Luther, Scotia's son, who is imprisoned by the soldiers of Gladstone and accused for being a member of the Dark Army. Luther is cursed to be morphed into either a monster or a lizard, thanks to which he manages to escape. While the Draracle guides him, Dawn and Bacatta (from the previous game) initially chase, and later aid him. Luther must go on his quest while avoiding his many pursuers.
The player controls Luther on his quest to solve the curse. Randomly he will change forms, gaining the respective advantages (strength, or increased magical ability, and the opportunity to enter small spaces and discover secret areas). The power to change forms willingly is eventually bestowed upon the player in the game.
There are a myriad of locations to explore. They include, but are not limited to, the Draracle's Caves, the Draracle's Museum, the Huline Jungle, the Savage Jungle, The Dracoid Cemetery, the Claw Mountains, the Huline Temple, the Ruloi Citadel, and the wondrous City of the Ancients. The locations, in addition to the soundtrack, have been widely praised since the game's release in 1997.
The player can choose between two branches, good or evil, which then evolve into seven possible endings. Endings include when Luther loses the final battle with Be'lial and the land is overrun with nasties, when "good" Luther triumphs and the Draracle discovers Luther in bed with Dawn, and when "bad" Luther triumphs, shown from behind raining destruction on the land as a powerful god. Other endings include not being quick enough to escape from the Armory in Belials Laboratory, which shows Belial smiting the Huline Village with an energy blast, being killed by the Draracle when Luther kills Belial on the Evil ending branch, and being seduced and killed by Dawn before the fight with Belial if the player acted badly towards her during the game. Going to the entrance of the starting cave a second time, at the beginning of the cave results in being killed by the soldiers stationed there, a different cinematic can play, depending on the form Luther is current in at the time of his death.