FateMaster

Strange creatures with guns

Fate Master is a top-down RPG released by Animal Soft in 1992 and programmed by Floris Muller (remember Color Clash and the Gobblin & Piggy games?). We are Tsin-Fei on planet Tafoi, which is at war with the Swocki who have killed many Galluks. Weird names, but it's the usual storyline with puzzles and payback.

As Tsin-Fei, we have 20 hit points, plus stats for strength, speed, and defence. Our inventory includes a pistol, two grenades, and a V-potion (health). We begin in town looking for information and items that may help our quest for justice. Explore, but beware, some places have bizarre monsters whizzing about...

Contact with them results in an automatic battle that begins with two options: Attack & Escape (that rarely works). These battles are turn-based and conclude once someone dies. Successfully killing the enemy provides a cash reward you can use with traders to purchase better weapons and V-potions. The more cash you have, the better the weapons you can afford. I particularly like the very effective grenades and rockets.

Along the way, there are clues, hidden games, items (mostly pointless), and characters with information. Some might provide a hint to nudge in the right direction. You're unlikely to get lost as the levels aren't large and the puzzles are easy to suss. Just make sure you have a stockpile of V-Potions and a decent weapon.

Right then, I'm getting bored with all this chit-chat. Let's see a couple of screenshots...

I accidentally bumped into a spider and had to fight it to the death!

Most enemies appear to have (ahem) similar strengths.

The red splodge is a dead enemy and you can see my HP, stats/etc.
Killing enemies increases stats, but you will run out of HP (and cash) doing so.

Something's not quite right

It's time for a whinge. Have you ever played a game, but felt let down because something didn’t feel right? Something that makes you wonder what was going through the developer's mind. Well, I wasn't long into the first level before I noticed that "something". The concept of Fate Master is superb but spoilt by unfair mechanics. The idea is to battle/earn money, buy weapons, and progress deeper into the adventure. Simple.

However, the money earned by defeating monsters should be better when compared to the expensive shop prices. That difference is way off balance. So you're left deciding whether to buy a better weapon and hope you don't lose too much HP, or buy V-Potions. Rarely can you do both. It's a catch-22.

Not only that, but avoiding battles isn't always possible. Many rooms have no way to safely pass, so you are thrown into an unnecessary conflict. To make matters worse, the defeated won't stay dead and respawn fresh and healthy to do battle again! Yup, you're forced into (yet) another fight on your way back!

Also, I'm not sure this is an "RPG" as there is no sense of progression and my stats never seemed to affect performance. Basic character interaction is, well, very basic!! Also, all weapons -more or less- perform the same. Perhaps a lite RPG but I feel it's more of an action/adventure and its "RPG" aspects can be ignored.

Okay, I barely scraped through level one, but the unfair design made the second impossible - without cheating! Sigh, the cash rewards don't work, but maybe it would if monsters didn’t respawn? Anyhow, this mix of unfair rewards and endlessly respawning enemies kills the game’s potential. Disappointing.

I'm shocked Animalsoft made such an unfair game! Let's console ourselves with screenshots...

The rockets are great but expensive! He respawned so I had to fight him again :(
And yes, my HP is maxed at 20 because I am cheating!! I had no choice O_o

The stats for strength/etc don't appear to have any effect. Kinda odd, right?
The "escape" option rarely works. In fact, it only ever worked once or twice for me!

Aesthetics

Floris' visual styles use a cartoon design we all recognise. This design stands out a mile and looks great with its strange-looking characters. I loved the extra attention to detail, especially the blood! Each location is rather basic, but I liked the unnecessary clutter which is clean and functional using a quirky perspective.

The audio is lame because there isn't chip music to help keep us engrossed. In fact, we only have a few spot effects when something gets shot, blown up, or dies. Yeah, it desperately needed a chiptune.

This game isn't exactly impressing me, right? Let's wipe away my tears with more screenshots...

Blood and dead bodies were everywhere. Wait, I see a survivor hiding!
One of the more gruesome screens in the entire game.

The second stage is good but would have been better with more shops.
It's impossible to play, without a decent gun and lots of V-Potions in stock!

The CryptO'pinion

I absolutely loved the simplicity Fate Master presented when I began playing. It's easy to get around using smooth controls, the locations are no-frills but work well, the storyline is predictable yet interesting, and the monsters are humorously weird. I was hooked, so much so, that I began mapping it with vigour.

Sadly, my passion waned halfway through the first level. I simply didn't have many opportunities to upgrade both weaponry and V-Potions to compensate for the loss of my HP. Not to mention the fact I was pointlessly fighting some of the monsters for a second time. Hence, even more HP loss which made the game impossible. Now, add suspect collision detection and Houston, we have a problem. A misquote, but it applies!

At its heart, this could have been a great action/adventure. However, the cash situation is off balance by a mile, and the respawning enemies killed any chance the game had to redeem itself. Never have I been so disappointed by a game for many years. I shall rate Fate Master a depressing 25% which kills me to type.

• Atari Legend has the floppies and I recommend Neon Lights #15.
• Carry on scrolling for the hi-res level maps (others here).

Perhaps the most impressive room? Access to information, dynamite, and a freebie weapon.
However, try to exit this screen without coming into contact with an enemy. If you can!

Hidden games exist that provide a humorous and welcome break from the game!
You can find them all using the maps. Just keep on scrolling...

Level 1-3 Mapped

Firstly, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to Peter Putnik for helping me with my gruesome project to map Fate Master. Sadly, the game appears to crash when fighting the "last" monster, as it cannot die. However, after playing and mapping three levels, I lost interest. Perhaps there is a fourth level; who knows/cares?

As always, these images are thumbnails so click here to download the high-res originals!

For the most part, level one was a hoot to play!

The second level is tiny, difficult, and without much-needed rewards.

The third level is possibly the "easiest" but without decent options to restock.

Phantasie - Day 3

Grinding

Of course, I didn't have the right team as previously mentioned. Yep, I had to make changes after losing my terribly weak wizards. Ah, well live and learn. So, venturing forth like the fool I am, I remembered what Jeff mentioned in his video. Grinding is the best way to begin the adventure because level-one characters are weak and easily fall victim to their enemies. Sure, it takes time but it's better to be stronger.

As with the Temple Of Apshai, the world of Phantasie isn't randomly generated and designed specifically for the quest. However, the encounters are and will happen anytime, usually when you least expect it. When you're called into battle, there are options to consider: Beg For Mercy, Threaten, Greet, Fight, and Flee.

It's usually a good idea to greet your prospective foe as you won't lose a turn and being nice costs nothing. If it works, they shall greet you before scarpering. Sadly, that means no rewards or XP. So it depends on the needs and requirements at that stage in your adventure. Of course, all this depends on the enemies as I've never been able to greet Bantir or Slime. Don't bother with the Black Knights, they aren't listening!

Begging for mercy is a bad idea in most circumstances because they will take your gold and self-respect. Threatening is exactly what you would imagine and often fails against something that couldn't communicate in the first place. So, that just leaves Fleeing, which is an option during a losing battle?

That means we are left with the noble action of fighting, which is one of the reasons we're playing this game! Phantasie has an enormous range of different monsters who are presented in ranks before our mighty warriors. This is physical and something to consider when choosing each character's relevant actions.

For example, a warrior who attacks or slashes has his actions directed at the closest rank. Whereas a lunge can hit the enemy deeper down. Thieves are sneaky with a stealthy option to hit any rank you like. Spellcasters appear to prefer attacking those further away, which balances nicely with our melee counterparts. Parry is best used when you wish to keep someone safe and when it's not necessary to take action.

The Coyote is a common enemy and I thought about threatening them (ha!).
Instead, I went for the fight. My spell casters and the thief hit the ones further back.
My clubbers hammered the one at the front and put in a few lunges.
All died!! I won!! Oh, yeah ;)

Kill 'Em All!

All battles are turn-based, which gives plenty of time to manage your side of the conflict. It pays to calculate your actions against the particular enemies in their respective positions. Winning earns xp for the team - to be used to manually level up any character. You could even find the odd item like a weapon for example.

As you grind, watch each character's health and magic points. It's no good staying out in the field and risking dying. Nor is it a good idea to remain if all your wizard's MP is expired. This is the grind; fight, fight some more, but know when to head home. Don't stretch your resources too thinly - replenish yourselves in town.

It's this part of the game where Phantasie confused me a bit. You can't use your XP to level up while out in the field, nor can you manage your gold or the items you've collected. There were moments when I knew we had found a great weapon, yet I couldn’t use it or give it to anyone. Everything like that has to wait until you're back in town. It’s not a huge issue and soon became second nature, but newcomers will get caught out.

So, whenever you enter a town you can distribute all your earned wealth accordingly as you see fit. Check your bank balance, as each party member has their own account - plus you can pool funds for gear and training (levelling up). And that is always a manual process that can only be done at the Guild. Oddly, your inventory can only be shared out (or sold) at the Inn. That was strange as I expected to use the store.

Phantasie I is quirky in many ways but certainly nothing bad. It's old, so I can forgive its lack of an obvious design. Just remember, manage your band of merry men in town. Outside in the field is for fighting monsters and exploring. I must get used to this restrictive leash as I plod on killing the endless hoard.

I hope you have enjoyed "part three" of my Quest into the world of Phantasie. I'm really enjoying this. Yes, it's old but it's new to me and I'm loving it. If you would like to read the first two parts then click here. This post is dedicated to John Heritage who kindly bought me a few beers specifically for this great game:)

To sum up, this is a brawler's dream and I'll leave you with some screenshots...

As you saw, the coyotes are in ranks so it's worthwhile also throwing a few lunges.

The dreaded Black Knights. Don't bother greeting this lot. Flee!!

After hours of gameplay, new enemies!! I had to screenshot this whacky lot.

Annnnd it pays to identify your enemies before engaging in combat.

Back in town and we're coppering up before heading to the store.

The guild offers a good opportunity to view stats and much more

This is the "Skills" option from the above screenshot (for my thief)

The Inn is where we distribute all weapons/items to your party.