Friday, September 25, 2020

Ambermoon Music Demo


Let's kick back and enjoy some toons!


I've had this little gem on my hard drive for ages and I finally got around to making a recording of what is nothing less than a jaw-dropping collection of chiptunes converted by Gunnar Gaubatz aka Big Alec. It was (eventually) released for Sommarhack 2019 by Grazey of Psycho Hacking Force and features several tunes. I've recorded snippets from each track but it's advisable to get it downloaded onto your own Atari ST to enjoy it properly.


But what about Amberstar?


Well, Thalion may not have finished the ST version but, this got me thinking of the prequel, Amberstar. A game I've never actually played - not ever! I remember seeing it featured in magazines and the graphics looked very nice. So, today, I downloaded the pre-configured HDD version by 8BitChip and had myself a playtest...

Stonish has the floppies but there's three of 'em. Good luck with that disk swapping!

We begin with an overhead view of a graveyard which is a dead interesting place (sorry). This leads onto the City Of Twinlake which flips our view from 2D to 3D, ala Dungeon Master. It's now the adventure appears to really begin as there are plenty of places to explore and different folk who are only too willing to stop for a good natter. The first thing that grabbed me where the aesthetics which look and sound brilliant. However, I was quite unsure by the clunky user interface which feels a little cumbersome and messy. Meh, perhaps it's just because I'm new to it?

Amberstar is quite difficult to get into from the start, and I'm a little perplexed that I wasn't able to create my own characters - but that's something to do with a dodgy installation program the Thalion boys made? Tut Tut Tut... Anyhow, the world of Amberstar appears huge so I'm wondering if I should add it to my ever-growing list of Atari ST games to play over a quiet weekend. Yeah, I think we all know how that plan will go. Hmm.


An early CryptO'pinion?


Considering I only played for half an hour, I'm quite taken aback by what appears in-depth RPG. There's so much to initially overcome from the interface and characteristics, as with any new game. Graphically, it's amazing and the storyline is interesting. Although I'm wondering if I need another life-sucking RPG especially as I still play Temple of Apshai, Rogue and the mighty Shadowlands. Not to mention the obvious ST classic!

Have you played it? Are there any fans out there? What can you share about this Thalion RPG? I'm looking forward to what you guys think because it sure looks good. Well, something for me to ponder over?

Until then, take a gander at these screenshots and try not to drool...











2 comments:

  1. If you were not prompted to generate your own character that means you didn't get original disk images but ones after character generation was already complete. This game is one of those rare Atari ST games that can install to HDD and so no disk swapping required.

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    1. Hi alex sorry i never saw this comment. I've since had a look on ebay for this game... it's probably one I'll never own! ;(

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