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Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny

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Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny
Cover art
Developer(s)Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Platform(s)DOS, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseSeptember 30, 1997
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single player

Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny, colloquially referred to as Lands of Lore 2, is the critically acclaimed[1] second installment of the Lands of Lore series. It brought about a drastic change in gameplay style from its enormously successful predecessor, opting away from the original's D&D turn-based style in favor of more action RPG elements. Guardians of Destiny was released in 1997 and is a real-time, first-person RPG.

Plot

The plot follows Luther, son of Scotia, who is imprisoned by the soldiers of Gladstone and accused for being a member of the Dark Army. Luther is cursed to be morphed into either a monster or a lizard, thanks to which he manages to escape. While the Draracle guides him, Dawn and Bacatta (from the previous game) initially chase, and later aid him. Luther must go on his quest while avoiding his many pursuers.

The player controls Luther on his quest to solve the curse. Randomly he will change forms, gaining the respective advantages (strength, or increased magical ability, and the opportunity to enter small spaces and discover secret areas). The power to change forms willingly is eventually bestowed upon the player in the game.

There are a myriad of locations to explore. They include, but are not limited to, the Draracle's Caves, the Draracle's Museum, the Huline Jungle, the Savage Jungle, The Dracoid Cemetery, the Claw Mountains, the Huline Temple, the Ruloi Citadel, and the wondrous City of the Ancients. The locations, in addition to the soundtrack, have been widely praised since the game's release in 1997.

The player can choose between two branches, good or evil, which then evolve into seven possible endings. Endings include when Luther loses the final battle with Be'lial and the land is overrun with nasties, when "good" Luther triumphs and the Draracle discovers Luther in bed with Dawn, and when "bad" Luther triumphs, shown from behind raining destruction on the land as a powerful god. Other endings include not being quick enough to escape from the Armory in Belials Laboratory, which shows Belial smiting the Huline Village with an energy blast, being killed by the Draracle when Luther kills Belial on the Evil ending branch, and being seduced and killed by Dawn before the fight with Belial if the player acted badly towards her during the game. Going to the entrance of the starting cave a second time, at the beginning of the cave results in being killed by the soldiers stationed there, a different cinematic can play, depending on the form Luther is current in at the time of his death.

Development

After The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall and other titles attained commercial hit status, Westwood opted to "make Lands of Lore 2 one of its flagship titles for the latter half of 1997", according to Next Generation.[2]

Reception

In PC Gamer US, Keith Sullivan argued that Guardians of Destiny is "very good game", but that its engine was dated in comparison to Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II and Quake. He believed that those who look past its graphics and "accept it for what it is" will have "a rollicking good time."[3] Cindy Yans of Computer Games Strategy Plus summarized, "This is a solid title with an excellent storyline, interesting characters and a rich, convincing world to explore, but the FMV fiasco, awkward controls and the now-quite-dated graphics engine, along with a very anticlimactic ending, make for a not-quite-stellar adventure RPG."[7]

A reviewer for Next Generation wrote, "Lands of Lore is a worthy sequel, but it's also something of a mutt — part RPG, part adventure". The writer concluded that, while the game "may have its quirks", it is "an entertaining romp" for those willing to overlook the issues.[6] In PC PowerPlay, David Wildgoose hailed Guardians of Destiny as "perhaps the most complete game I've played" and praised its mixture of genres. He believed that it was "a new level" of quality for Westwood.[9]

PC Zone's Jamie Cunningham called Guardians of Destiny "yet another Westwood masterpiece", and believed that it "dispenses with all the point-and-click statistical mumbo jumbo, and puts an end to the myth that RPGs are boring."[5] Andy Backer of Computer Game Entertainment summarized Guardians of Destiny as "flawed and frustrating but brilliant."[8] Writing for PC Gamer UK, Andy Butcher concluded that "if you can put up with its patchy nature and uninspiring graphics, Lands Of Lore II: Guardians Of Destiny does have many, many hours of fun to offer. But if you were expecting a classic of the genre, you'll be ever-so-slightly disappointed."[4] The now-defunct Gamezilla's Todd Elkstrom wrote: "As you can tell, Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny blew me away. It surpassed all my expectations. The story, level design and audio make this a truly engrossing game. The cutscenes are the best I have ever seen, and the integration with the first-person engine is seamless. The game is dedicated to the late Robert Richter Parks. In the documentation, the Lands of Lore team states he "put the bar up higher than most of us can reach, but it was an amazing privilege to watch [him] go over it so easily and so frequently." To the Lands of Lore team, I say the same. You have taken RPG/adventures to a new level."[10]

In a negative review, Computer Gaming World's Scorpia called the game a "horror" and wrote, "Guardians is not an RPG nor an adventure nor an action game, but a patchwork of all three, and a threadbare one at that. For any RPG-starved gamer, this one is a disappointment beyond words."[11]

Guardians of Destiny was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 1997 "Role Playing Game of the Year" award,[12] which ultimately went to Dungeon Keeper.[13]

References

  1. ^ http://www.mobygames.com/game/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny/mobyrank
  2. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19970605175532/http://www.next-generation.com:80/news/032597i.chtml
  3. ^ a b Sullivan, Keith (January 1998). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on December 9, 1999. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b Butcher, Andy (December 1997). "Fragmented". PC Gamer UK (51): 119, 120. Archived from the original on May 23, 2002. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b Cunningham, Jamie. "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny Review". PC Zone. Archived from the original on January 26, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b Staff (January 1998). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". Next Generation (37). Imagine Media: 159.
  7. ^ a b Yans, Cindy. "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b Backer, Andy (November 1997). "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny". Computer Game Entertainment (5): 69.
  9. ^ a b Wildgoose, David (October 1997). "Lands of Lore II". PC PowerPlay (17). 50, 51.
  10. ^ http://www.mobygames.com/game/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny/mobyrank
  11. ^ Scorpia (February 1998). "Bad Lands". Computer Gaming World (163): 231, 233, 234.
  12. ^ "The Award; Award Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "The Award; Award Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on June 15, 1998. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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