Legend of the Sword

Legend of the Sword is a 1988 fantasy interactive fiction video game developed by Silicon Soft and published by Rainbird Software for the Atari ST. Ports for the Amiga and MS-DOS were released later.[2] A Macintosh version was expected to release shortly after the Atari ST version but was never released.[2] A sequel, The Final Battle, was released in 1990.

For the film, see King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.
Legend of the Sword
Developer(s)Silicon Software[1][2][3]
Publisher(s)Rainbird Software
Designer(s)
  • Karl Buckingham
  • Colin Mongardi
  • Eugene Messina[4][2]
Platform(s)Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS
Release1988[3]
Genre(s)Interactive fiction
Mode(s)Single-player

Plot

The lands of Avar have been invaded by the forces of an evil wizard, Suzar. In times past, a magical sword and shield guarded the inhabitants. The player character and his party set out to search for the items in order to stop the wizard.[5]

Gameplay

The interface is divided into four areas, the top left is used for images which change depending the situation, the top right is the scrolling map area, the middle shows the movement commands and hitpoints which are depicted as a burning candle. The bottom third of the screen is used for text display.[6]

Development

Legend of the Sword was in development for over two years. The development started when Karl Buckingham decided to write a novel about a dream he had. When talking to Colin Mongardi, he decided to write it as a video game instead. He hadn't played an adventure game before and after playing The Pawn, decided his game wasn't going to have any vague puzzles. Silicon Soft was based in Eastbourne, England and was set up under the Enterprise Allowance Scheme. The game was designed by a three-person team of Buckingham, Mongardi, and Eugene Messina for the Amstrad CPC. When finished, they contacted publisher Mastertronic but didn't like their offhand approach to the game. Next was Rainbird which required a 16-bit version because they thought an Amstrad version wouldn't sell, also an additional six months of development time was requested by the publisher in collaboration with their development team. The game was then remade for the Atari ST and written in the C programming language.[2]

Reception

Computer and Video Games said the parser is not up to Infocom standard but concluded that the game "should establish Silicon Soft as among the best of adventure producers [...][2] The Games Machine said "[t]he screen layout and control of the game are what make Legend of the Sword work so well."[5] Amiga User International praised the parser as "a delight" and also commended the game's "sheer playability" and user friendliness.[6] Your Amiga called it "a competent and good-looking adventure" but said it's "treading some well-hallowed but tired ground".

Reviews

References
  1. Silicon Soft (1988). Legend of the Sword (MS-DOS). Rainbird Software. Level/area: The game's starting scene. Silicon Soft © 1988
  2. Campbell, Keith (June 1988). "Adventure Reviews - Legend of the Sword". Computer and Video Games. No. 80. Future plc. pp. 72–73. Vocabulary: 7, Atmosphere: 8, Personal: 9, Value: 9
  3. "Legend of the Sword". Game Diskette (Atari ST). Rainbird Software. Copyright 1988 Silicon Software
  4. Silicon Soft (1988). Legend of the Sword (MS-DOS). Rainbird Software. Level/area: The game's credits page. I would like to acknowledge the contributions, (however trivial) of the following people: To myself, (Karl Buckingham) for writing a brilliant adventure and drawing the graphics. To Colin Mongardi, for his incredibly long mega-programs. Also to: Eugene Messina for ′mapscaping′, additional design.
  5. Steel, Rob (July 1988). "Rob Steel's Getting Adventurous - Legend of the Sword". The Games Machine. No. 8. Newsfield Publications. pp. 38–39.
  6. Moss, Andy (November 1988). "Entertainment - Legend of the Sword". Amiga User International. Croftward Limited. p. 84.
  7. Vill, Klaus (August 1988). "Adventure der neuen Generation". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). No. 9/88. Tronic-Verlag. Grafik: 8/12, Vokabular: 10/12, Story: 10/12, Atmosphäre: 11/12, Preis/Leistung: 10/12
  8. Suck, Michael (April 1989). "Legend of the Sword". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). No. 4/89. Tronic-Verlag. p. 68. Grafik: 9/12, Vokabular: 10/12, Story: 9/12, Atmosphäre: 9/12, Preis/Leistung: 9/12
  9. The Harlequin (August 1988). "Adventure - Legend of the Sword". Zzap!64. No. 40. Newsfield Publications. p. 42.
  10. Locker, Anatol (1988). "Test - Legend of the Sword". Power Play (in German). No. 6. Markt+Technik.
  11. Fahey, Fin (February 1989). "Review - Legend of the Sword". Your Amiga. p. 61.
  12. "Jeux & stratégie 53". October 1988.
  13. "Amiga Reviews: Legend of the Sword".
  14. "ACE Magazine Issue 11". August 1988.
  15. http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Tilt/tilt_numero065/TILT%20065%20(Avril%201989)%20-%20Page%20111.jpg
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