Lands of Lore III
| Lands of Lore III | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Westwood Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Composer(s) | Frank Klepacki, David Arkenstone |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Lands of Lore III is the third game in the Lands of Lore computer game series. The game was released after much delay in 1999, by Electronic Arts. The game set uses a first person perspective.
Plot
The story takes place some time after Guardians Of Destiny, and is based on the adventures of Copper LeGre', the son of Eric and fourth in the line of succession, whose uncle Richard rules the Lands. In the beginning of the game, Copper's father and two half brothers are slain by a dreadful rift hound, and Copper's own soul is torn from his body. As a result, Copper must not only retrieve his soul, but also settle the allegations now leveled against him as he was the only survivor. As the new sole heir to the Kingdom of Gladstone, many believe he orchestrated the whole incident with his father and brothers. Coupled with that is the fact that he is the result of an illicit affair between his father and a Dracoid barmaid - a halfbreed heir. He must not only deal with those issues but also seek out answers to help close new rifts that have appeared throughout the Lands.
The story unfolds over many portal worlds in which Copper has to retrieve lost pieces of the Shining Path (which shattered when the Draracle left the Gladstone world). The same Draracle has sent Copper on his quest to save his life and soul as well as to save his home and world.
Gameplay
Set in a first person perspective, the game mechanics work as hack 'n' slash when utilizing melee weapons. It uses many common elements of RPGs such as the guilds the player can join, having both weapons and magic attacks, and several portal worlds. There is an inventory screen, where the player can collect many weapons, armour and other items such as food. The leveling system works in a similar way to the Elder Scrolls games, whereby using abilities enough will lead to leveling up in the guild that specialises in that particular ability, and higher levels unlock more skills.
Guilds
There are four guilds: a warriors' guild, a magicians' guild, a clerics' guild, and the illegal thieves' guild. Each one has its own set of quests to accomplish throughout the game, a familiar, and a guild building containing shops, guildmasters and sometimes training areas. The avatar, Copper, must join at least one, but has the option to join the others also. Each guild has a familiar, a small magical creature who accompanies and assists the player throughout the game.