The Legend of Kyrandia

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The Legend of Kyrandia
Lok-b1.jpg
Developer(s)Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)Virgin Games
Director(s)Brett Sperry
Designer(s)Michael Legg
Rick Parks
Paul S. Mudra
Programmer(s)Michael Legg
Artist(s)Rick Parks
Writer(s)Rick Gush
Composer(s)Frank Klepacki
SeriesFables & Fiends
Platform(s)Amiga, DOS, FM Towns, Mac, PC-98
ReleaseAugust 1, 1992 (DOS)[1]
1992 (Amiga)
October 1993 (FM Towns)
1993 (Mac)
February 15, 1994 (PC-98)
Genre(s)Graphic adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One is a 2D point-and-click adventure game, and the first game in the Fables & Fiends series. It was developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Games in August 1992. Players take on the role of a young prince who must end the tyrannical chaos of an evil court jester in his kingdom. The game makes use of a simple interface system that allows the player to interact with objects and people, while solving various puzzles using a variety of items and special abilities.

The game proved a commercial success and was praised for many of its elements. Its success spawned two sequels: The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate in 1993; and The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge in 1994. GOG.com released an emulated version for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in 2013.[2]

Gameplay[edit]

The Legend of Kyrandia utilizes a point-and-click interface which is more simple than similar games of its era, which instead relied on more complex multi-action interfaces. In the game, players can click on anything to examine and interact with objects, items in a scene and people. Any objects that can be taken can be stored in a simple inventory, with the player able to carry a set amount on their character, but able to drop objects within a scene for later collection or removal. The game features a variety of puzzles and scenes to explore, though also features hazardous obstacles, traps, and moments that can incur death; being killed automatically ends the game, and forces players to start a new game or reload from the last save they made. One of the more unique elements in the game is a special amulet with colored gems, each of which can be used to solve a puzzle with a special magic.

Plot[edit]

In the fantasy kingdom of Kyrandia, King William and Queen Katherine are murdered by court jester Malcolm. The kingdom's four powerful magic users, known as the Mystics, imprison Malcolm in the royal castle. Kallak, their leader, goes into hiding in order to raise his grandson Brandon in secret. Eighteen years later, Malcolm's prison fails completely, allowing him to escape and wreak havoc across Kyrandia through the power of the Kyragem - a mystic stone containing the kingdom's vast magical power. Sensing his escape, Kallak leaves a message for Brandon relaying instructions on what to do, before Malcolm locates him and turns him to stone. Finding him petrified, Brandon is contacted by the trees, who reveal that only he can defeat Malcolm and restore his grandfather to life.

Seeking help, Brandon meets with Brynn, one of the Mystics, who helps him read Kallak's letter, before assisting him in locating an amulet he needs to aid in his quest. Later, he meets with Darm the mage, who assists him acquiring items needed to reach Zanthia. When he reaches her and completes a task of hers, Brandon learns that his grandfather concealed the truth about his lineage, with Zanthia revealing he is the son of William and Katherine. Learning that the Kyragem is sealed in a vault in the royal castle, which Malcolm now controls, Brandon focuses on finding the royal treasures that are needed to unlock the vault.

Securing one of these, Brandon uses a potion to fly to the castle. Paying homage to the memory of his parents leads him to meet with his mother's spirit and receive the final power on his amulet. At the castle, Brandon works to find the remaining treasures, discovering that Brynn, Darm and Zanthia were captured and petrified by Malcolm. Securing the treasures and using them to enter the vault, Brandon tricks the jester into petrifying himself, ending his terror. With the land free, Brandon assumes his rightful role as Kyrandia's new king, reuniting with Kallak to celebrate the restoration of the land and the freeing of the Kyragem.

Reception[edit]

According to designer Rick Gush, The Legend of Kyrandia was commercially successful. He noted that it was "a solid A-minus or B-plus" title that helped to secure Westwood's "new relationship with Virgin". Its later bundle with its sequels, Hand of Fate and Malcolm's Revenge, continued this success with "tens of thousands of copies [added] to the sales totals in the first few months".[3] The Legend of Kyrandia series as a whole, totaled above 250,000 units in sales by August 1996.[4]

In 1992, Computer Gaming World's Robin Matthews described The Legend of Kyrandia "as a cross between Loom, King's Quest V and Secret of Monkey Island 2", praising the "beautifully drawn" VGA graphics and humor. The magazine concluded that the "storyline is hardly original ... but the presentation of the game, the general quality and the feel, make this a promising debut and a welcome addition to the world of graphic adventures".[5] In April 1994 the magazine said that the CD version "is a quality product throughout" that added digitized voices to the "excellent, if somewhat short" game's "Stunning graphics and sound", and advised Westwood to "just release the CD version of their titles first".[6] The first installment in the series received 5/5 in Dragon[7] magazine.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kyrandia Advert". Computer Gaming World. No. 96. Software Publishers Association. July 1992. p. 115.
  2. ^ "Release: Legend of Kyrandia". GOG.com. CD Projekt. September 12, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Dickens, Evan (May 20, 2002). "Rick Gush, designer of the Kyrandia games". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002.
  4. ^ "Westwood hits GENCON 96" (Press release). Westwood Studios. August 28, 1996. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997.
  5. ^ Matthews, Robin (November 1992). "Westwood Studios' The Legend of Kyrandia". Computer Gaming World. No. 100. pp. 34, 36. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Invasion Of The Data Stashers". Computer Gaming World. April 1994. pp. 20–42.
  7. ^ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia & Lesser, Kirk (March 1993). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (191): 57–62.

External links[edit]

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