The Dark Eye: The Nordland Trilogy

Logo of the 4th edition of the rules of Das Schwarze Auge

Package contents of The Dark Eye - The Blade of Fate (DOS)

The Black Eye: The Nordland Trilogy is a series of computer role-playing games by the German computer game developer Attic from 1992 to 1996. These are the first computer games based on the role-playing rules Das Schwarze Auge (DSA) in the game world “Dere "On the continent" Aventuria ".

overview

The black eye was first transferred to the computer with the Nordland trilogy by Attic. The player takes on the leadership of a group of up to six heroes. The role-playing system of computer games is based on an early version of the 3rd edition of the pen & paper role-playing game template Das Schwarze Auge . You play in different views: in cities and dungeons in 3D , in the outer worlds you travel in the map view and during battles the game switches to the tactical 2D top view ( isometric perspective ).

In the 1990s, Attic's games were among the few German computer games that were also successful on the international market. There the trilogy was sold by Sir-Tech and US Gold under the name Realms of Arkania .

All three parts of the trilogy were later re-published by TopWare Interactive individually and as a collection under the title The Nordland Trilogy . The games were also part of the Gold Games series of games . In the first issue was the fate blade and Sternenschweif included in Gold Games 2 was found Shadows Over Riva . In 2001 all three games were published together under the title Nordlandtrilogie des Schwarzen Auges by dtp entertainment under the label Shoebox as a collection. In 2008 it was reissued by JoWooD . The JoWooD version from 2008 was criticized many times due to various shortcomings (missing CD audio music, missing expert mode). Not until the hero edition of October 2011 (revised by Homegrown Games , published by UIG Entertainment ) contained all CD audio tracks, partly the expert mode and some new, coordinated hero characters. In addition, DSA bonus material was enclosed.

In 2012 the Austrian development studio Crafty Studios announced its intention to develop a detailed remake of the Nordland trilogy in 3D graphics. In 2013 Die Schicksalsklinge HD was released .

The Doom Blade

The Doom Blade
Studio	Attic Fantasy Productions
Publisher	Schmidt Games Sir-Tech U.S. gold
Senior Developer	Hans-Jürgen Brändle Guido Henkel
Erstveröffent- lichung	April 1992, June 1993
platform	Amiga , DOS
genre	role playing game
Subject	The black eye
Game mode	Single player
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	DOS: CPU : 286 with 16 MHz Graphics card : VGA 6 MB free hard disk space Amiga: RAM : 1 MB
medium	8 × 3.5 ″ diskette (Amiga) 5 × 3.5 ″ diskette (MS-DOS) 4 × 5.25 ″ diskette (MS-DOS) 1 × CD-ROM (MS-DOS) Download
language	German English
Current version	v3.02 (CD version), v3.09 (English CD version)
Age rating	USK PEGI

The first DSA computer game was produced for DOS and for Amiga and appeared in 1992. The game was also announced for the Atari ST , but was never completed for this platform. A revised new edition on CD-ROM appeared in 1994.

action

On the west coast of Aventuria , in the region around Thorwal, the orcs band together. The player is given the task of finding the legendary sword Grimring (the blade of fate) with a group of adventurers in order to prevent the orcs' plan of conquest.

While searching for the sword, the player has the opportunity to freely explore the entire region around Thorwal. He can take on side assignments to improve his equipment and characters, or just follow one clue after another. A number of dungeons can be explored during the journey, but most of them are not required either.

The level rise behaves exactly as in the template of the pen & paper role-playing game . The detailed skill system is very helpful, for example making music or stealing can enrich the group in a tavern. This can sometimes also mean that the player, e.g. B. to give his character individuality, use skill points on skills that can only rarely or not at all be used for a purely solution-oriented game.

The game has a maximum playing time until the orcs invade Thorwal. However, this is so large that it is not really a limiting element of the game for players.

Contributors

(Selection)

• Hans-Jürgen Brändle - Director, Program
• Guido Henkel - game design, story
• Thomas Römer - storyboard, manual texts, typesetting and layout (manual)
• Werner Fuchs - producer, manual texts, proofreading (manual)
• Ina Kramer - graphics (manual), map

reception

Tester Scorpia from the US computer game magazine Computer Gaming World criticized the developers for sacrificing fun and playability in favor of exaggerated realism. Your conclusion was accordingly devastating:

“I would not recommend Arkania to any game player, but I do recommend it to game designers as an example of what to avoid in their own products. Let us all hope we don't see another one like this any time soon. "

“I would n't recommend Arkania to any player, but I would recommend it to game designers as an example of what to avoid in their own products. Let's hope we won't see another game like this anytime soon. "

- Scorpia : Computer Gaming World

In the Power Play special issue 4, Die Schicksalsklinge was rated 78% in the “100 best games” category. The improved CD-ROM version, released two years later, received 79%.

New edition

Logo of the new edition

A new edition in 3D graphics was published by UIG Entertainment on July 30, 2013, but the reception was mostly negative. PC Games gave 6% for the fun of the game, the GameStar 49%, whereby only the scope, the character system and the items received more than 50%. Eurogamer awarded 2 out of 10 points. The main criticism was that the game was unfinished at the time of publication and that it was only playable through patches that were published quickly. “ To cheer the buyer, overwhelmed by nostalgic feelings, with an unfinished game that would certainly have needed a month or two of fine-tuning, is more than bold. "

Star tail

Star tail
Studio	Attic Fantasy Productions
Publisher	Schmidt Games
Erstveröffent- lichung	September 1994
platform	MS-DOS
genre	role playing game
Subject	The black eye
Game mode	Single player
control	Keyboard , mouse
medium	8 × 3.5 ″ diskette, 2 × CD-ROM download
language	German
Current version	1.04 (disk version), 1.02c (2-CD version)
Age rating	USK PEGI

The second computer game was only produced for the PC (DOS) and was released in 1994. The graphics and sound effects have been improved in this game. In the same year, a so-called speech pack was released, which contained the speech output on four floppy disks. In 1996 a new edition was released on two CDs, which contained improved graphics and CD music as well as voice output.

action

After the orcs' invasion around Thorwal was stopped, the player ends up in the Svellttal. Here he is given the task of restoring the alliance between dwarves and elves by finding the salamander stone. Some other parties are also interested in the gem. The group is also entrusted with the search for the legendary Star Tail ax .

The game concept of the predecessor Die Schicksalsklinge was adopted almost unchanged. At the beginning of the game, the player can solve a criminal case, after which the game returns to familiar paths. However, there are significantly fewer dungeons, so most trips are uneventful.

Contributors

• Hans-Jürgen Brändle - Director, Program
• Guido Henkel - game design, story
• Werner Fuchs - producer
• Thomas Römer - storyboarding
• Ina Kramer - map

New edition

After the reissue of the first part, Die Schicksalsklinge , Star Tail was also released by UIG Entertainment in the latest graphics and with a more modern engine and was launched on January 30, 2018. After the criticism of the revised version of The Blade of Fate , the developers needed four years for the second part.

Shadows over Riva

Shadows over Riva
Studio	Attic Fantasy Productions
Publisher	TopWare Interactive
Erstveröffent- lichung	December 1996
platform	MS-DOS
genre	role playing game
Subject	The black eye
Game mode	Single player
control	Keyboard , mouse
medium	1 × CD-ROM download
language	German
Current version	1.12
Age rating	USK PEGI

The third game was produced for the PC (DOS) and came out in 1996. In this game, the entire outside world was designed in three dimensions. The graphics have been further improved. You can navigate steplessly through the 3D world, which in contrast to the previous parts only includes a city and the immediate vicinity.

action

After the orcs have been driven out of the Svellttal, the group ends up in the northern port city of Riva. There is an accumulation of strange events: the cemetery is haunted, the city's leadership is acting strange and orcs have quartered in a nearby mine. The constant threat of a hurricane attack is in the air, but much more than that, the hesitant attitude of the black furs causes unrest among the city dwellers. In the mood that was gradually heating up, the Holberker, an orcish mixed race, were suspected of being in league with the enemy. In this tense situation, the player's group of heroes is given the task of investigating and clearing up matters.

Gameplay

At the beginning of the game, you can either take over a group of heroes from the previous parts or create a new group of up to six at level 6 in the usual way. The DSA rules of the predecessor were retained unchanged.

In contrast to the first two titles, the player moves in the shadows over Riva permanently in a now steplessly accessible 3D world, which can now also be displayed in full screen mode without menu bars. On the other hand, the travel mode has been omitted. The player only explores the city and the surrounding area of ​​the port metropolis in northern Aventuria. The VGA but -Landscapes indicate as its predecessors only architecture and landscapes, but remained otherwise inanimate. Only text field overlays simulate an interaction with the game world. For fights, the program also switches to the familiar isometric chessboard view in the third part, in which the player figures and opposing creatures alternately competed against each other in a turn-based mode. Some SVGA cutscenes are rendered to illustrate the main events and sections of the game.

In the course of the game, the player also visits some more exotic locations and is confronted with unusual events. For example, an elven vampire makes the underground of the city unsafe. The most notable places include an underwater world and an insect stick, which the playing figures - shrunk to the right size and their objects removed beforehand - have to enter.

In addition to the main storyline, there are numerous secondary scenes. For example, you can break into the city's well-guarded castle to carry out your own research. In a kind of life simulation, the number of guards changes depending on the time of day or the target person you are looking for may not be present. The possibilities for exploring in the vicinity of the city include u. a. the mine, which was shut down due to strange events.

reception

Shadow over Riva was rated only cautiously positive by the trade press. While the plot was praised as "extremely good and exciting" and "detailed", the VGA graphics and the depopulated landscapes with reference to competitors such as Daggerfall were classified by all reviewers as outdated and no longer up-to-date.

Contributors

• Hans-Jürgen Brändle - execution and realization, story, program
• Guido Henkel - game design, story
• Werner Fuchs - producer

Web links

• Crystals DSA forums
• The Nordland Trilogy at MobyGames (English)
• Nordland trilogy in the Aventurica Wiki
• Link catalog on the topic The Nordland Trilogy at curlie.org (formerly DMOZ )
• Official website of the new edition

Individual evidence

1. ^ Atari Legend interviews with Guido Henkel . On: atarilegend.com , March 5, 2006 (English).
2. ↑ Heinrich Stiller: The black eye shines silver (article scan) ASM . May 1994. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
3. ↑ Scorpia: Scorpion's View: Sir-Tech's Realms of Arkania . (Article scan) In: Computer Gaming World . No. 111, October 1993, pp. 24-26.
4. ↑ [1] PCGames.de accessed on August 24, 2013
5. ↑ [2] GameStar.de accessed on August 24, 2013
6. ↑ [3] eurogamer.de accessed on August 24, 2013
7. ↑ http://www.netzwelt.de/news/98121_2-schwarze-auge-nordlandtrilogie-schicksalsklinge-hd-kurztest.html ( memento from August 24, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) netzwelt.de accessed on August 24, 2013
8. ↑ Frank Heukemes: The Black Eye 3 - Shadows over Riva (article scan) Power Play . February 1997. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
9. ↑ Jörg Langer: Role play for professionals - DSA3: Shadow over Riva (article scan ) PC player . February 1997. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
10. ↑ Thomas Borovskis: DSA 3 - Shadows over Riva: Black Magic (article scan) PC Games . February 1997. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
11. ↑ Roland Heddergott: DSA 3 shadows over Riva . X-zine. February 1997. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2011.