Swashbuckle in first person!
Legends Of Valour is one of the last Atari ST games that I bought. It received relatively favourable reviews as I remember with its first-person engine getting lots of praise for a 16-bit computer. Personally, I loved it and was smitten by its storyline, depth and longevity not to mention playing in what felt like a cross between Wolfenstein and Dungeon Master!
Our journey begins in the city of Mitteldorf as we are in search of our missing cousin, Sven. He previously set out to find his fortune and is now missing - what an idiot. Anyhow, it's been far too long since anybody heard from him and thus, our adventure begins. Yes, that storyline is a little lame but it leads you into a world fresh and full of strife.
Firstly, you should design your character's appearance including clothing and armament. This means you can choose to be human, dwarf or elf and each type offers a different gameplay style and alternative outcomes. Select hair, eyes, nose and so on to create your demi-god or perhaps your character will end up looking like a freak?
Before we begin, ignore my poor capture above as this game is smooth. Right then, let's see a screenshot...
It isn't long until somebody nice and welcoming pops up to greet us, as a new traveller.
Get lost ...in an amazing world!
Once you're dandy, enter the city and heed the advice from the friendly local who pops up for a chat. I would first advise you to take the time to explore and familiarise yourself with your surroundings because this is such a massive place and you will need necessary amenities, like safe lodgings, income, beer to sup, and grub to nosh. It's pen & paper time!
Mitteldorf is a fortress city, populated with interesting characters, secretive guilds, curious places, and even a labyrinth of dungeons hidden deep underground. Of course, these are waiting to be explored, but be careful because you might not like what you find down there. Your cousin wrote a letter which nicely explains his story, why not take a read? Perhaps that might feature hidden clues that could help you out along this quest. Heck, you never know?
All exploration is through a first-person engine not too dissimilar to a shooter like
Wolfenstein with fully texture-mapped graphics - a testament to what our 16-bit computer can knock out. This can be configured in three sizes, small, medium and large. Any ST will perform well but the largest setting requires a 16MHz computer or an upgrade.
Initially, the interface is scary due to the huge number of icons but soon becomes intuitive and easy to use. Wandering the city is feasible using the GUI's icons but it can become a little laborious due to the immense size of the play area so a right-click will activate mouse control to unlock its full potential. Which is a tremendous way to explore.
Only some people you meet are nice and helpful. Many are nasty, like this guy in the next screenshot...
Wow, there is no need to take that attitude with me. A festering sore? lol excellent!
Chill, relax, chat with the yocals
Legends Of Valour isn't something you simply play for a few short moments - you live it. Life here is completely open-world, a "sandbox" adventure if you like? Yes, you are free to roam and do almost anything you want, day or night. This genre has always been a fascinating concept for me and, although it's an early example, it works extremely well.
Exploring Mitteldorf is exciting and bursting with fun characters, monsters, temples, stores, taverns, employment and more. I love the Olde English medieval setting which is portrayed and experienced in real-time, so day and night pass by with their own consequence. All the requirements we have in life exist here: eating, sleeping, health and personal safety when in dodgy locations - especially late at night. I find refuge (and a few ales) at The Hanged Man tavern is a good idea, but perhaps that's me? Just don't get too tipsy and end up in lockup. Ohhh, yes this is a game offering massive potential!
Mitteldorf is bursting with places to eat, shop, trade and read messages...
Mitteldorf has many interesting places to explore so don't rush and miss a thing.
Explore and turn over every stone
This game is humungous and not something to play on one boring afternoon for an hour. Learning the city of Mitteldorf alone can be overwhelming, so make notes and a basic key to complement the official map. So much can be understood by communicating with your fellow citizens - so get chatting with them over a beer. Don't forget those strange folk who appear to aimlessly wander the streets. Remember, you're living inside this 'RPG' so experience its weird world.
However, be prepared to defend yourself when set on by anyone from the King's faithful knights in shining armour. Even a little old lady can throw a barrage of humorous insults before giving you a good slap which is rather unexpected, I can say. There's only one thing left to do - slap her back!! (tell me you're not tempted?). That's right, why not hit an old lady? Yes, you are limited only by your own imagination and fiendish desires. Explore and live the game.
That is great advice for such a wondrous place. Also, it's a good time to pause for a couple of screenshots...
Arghh!! I've been caught again. I guess I look too dodgy?
This means I've been thrown down before the King's mercy. Sigh...
The CryptO'pinion?
Legends Of Valour is something special and offers a vibrant and exciting place to live a life of intrigue. So many cool characters, taverns to frequent, secret guilds to master, monster-infested dungeons to plunder, and then jobs or missions are always on offer. This game has it all and, as you begin to make progress, and delve deeper, you soon realise just how much more potential there is just waiting to be discovered. Heck, I had almost forgotten to search for Sven!
Oh yes, I love wandering Mitteldorf but, nothing is perfect and I feel Legends Of Valour lacks in a couple of areas: the battles could have been executed better and it's disappointing to discover most buildings are (visually) empty. Also, audio is limited to spot effects which is a shame considering the number of disks in the box - a few ambient samples or more varied chippy fx could have tremendously improved the atmosphere, especially during the night scenes.
Legends Of Valour is incredible and massively enthralling. Allow yourself to get lost in this advantageous world because there is so much to see and do. This is certainly one of my favourite Atari ST RPG/Adventure games, ever. Play it.
Grab the hard drive version by 8BitChip.
