Ambermoon
Encyclopedia
Ambermoon is a 1993 computer game by Thalion Software
which was released in 1993 for the Amiga
. It was the second part of the unfinished Amber Trilogy
(Amberstar
, released in 1992, being the first). At the time of the game's release, the scrolling 3D graphics were considered revolutionary for the Amiga.
. The grandfather of the player explains at the beginning of the game that his presumed-dead companion spoke to him in a dream of a new threat to the land of Lyramion. He consequently sends the player on a journey to Newlake, where he can speak with his old companion.
During this adventure, the player journeys through not only the islands of Lyramion, but the moons of the game world as well. The game world is very large, and the player interacts with many non-player character
s, some of whom become his companions.
Due to the game's high-quality graphics, large number of enemies and cities, and the considerable size of the game world, extra disks are necessary. Since hard drives for the Amiga were rare, most players had to put up with frequent disk changes (and corresponding long load times), particularly before battle scenes.
's games could find many connections to other games. The main character from Lionheart
makes an appearance, as does the main enemy from Amberstar
. By way of a dimensional gate, the player briefly enters the world from the game Dragonflight.
. Part of the Thalion team went on to Blue Byte, which produced the graphically-similar game Albion
, effectively a sort of unofficial sequel to Ambermoon.
Ambermoon was only ever released in German for the Amiga. Although planned and developed the English version was never published. The last beta (v1.07) of the English version was released many years later in 1998 through the Thalion Webshrine. Also DOS
and Atari ST
versions were planned, but never completed.
using an Amiga emulator
, such as WinUAE.
Thalion Software
Thalion Software was a personal computer game company, during the time of the 16-bit home computers, like the Atari ST and Amiga.The company was formed by members of the Atari ST demo scene in October 1988, in Gütersloh, Germany. The main aim of Thalion Software was to produce cutting edge...
which was released in 1993 for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. It was the second part of the unfinished Amber Trilogy
Amber Trilogy
The Amber Trilogy was an unfinished series of computer role-playing games by Thalion Software. Unfortunately, due to the collapse of Thalion, only two of the games were ever released, and Ambermoon only in a German version The Amber Trilogy was an unfinished series of computer role-playing games...
(Amberstar
Amberstar
Amberstar was the first installment in Thalion Software's never-finished Amber Trilogy, a role-playing video game franchise. Although considerably more advanced, the game had many similarities to Thalion's earlier game DragonFlight, and was by many fans thought to be a "sequel" to this game.The...
, released in 1992, being the first). At the time of the game's release, the scrolling 3D graphics were considered revolutionary for the Amiga.
Story
In Ambermoon, the player plays as the grandson of the hero of AmberstarAmberstar
Amberstar was the first installment in Thalion Software's never-finished Amber Trilogy, a role-playing video game franchise. Although considerably more advanced, the game had many similarities to Thalion's earlier game DragonFlight, and was by many fans thought to be a "sequel" to this game.The...
. The grandfather of the player explains at the beginning of the game that his presumed-dead companion spoke to him in a dream of a new threat to the land of Lyramion. He consequently sends the player on a journey to Newlake, where he can speak with his old companion.
During this adventure, the player journeys through not only the islands of Lyramion, but the moons of the game world as well. The game world is very large, and the player interacts with many non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s, some of whom become his companions.
Graphics and memory requirements
The graphics are a mesh of 2D (the outdoor world and many buildings) and 3D (dungeons, special buildings, and cities). Battles are turn-based and are animated in front of a static background.Due to the game's high-quality graphics, large number of enemies and cities, and the considerable size of the game world, extra disks are necessary. Since hard drives for the Amiga were rare, most players had to put up with frequent disk changes (and corresponding long load times), particularly before battle scenes.
Connections to other games
Those familiar with ThalionThalion Software
Thalion Software was a personal computer game company, during the time of the 16-bit home computers, like the Atari ST and Amiga.The company was formed by members of the Atari ST demo scene in October 1988, in Gütersloh, Germany. The main aim of Thalion Software was to produce cutting edge...
's games could find many connections to other games. The main character from Lionheart
Lionheart (game)
Lionheart is a 1993 2D platform game for the Amiga designed by Thalion Software. The game received favorable reviews by several gaming magazines. Its main character makes a cameo appearance in Ambermoon, an RPG from the same software house....
makes an appearance, as does the main enemy from Amberstar
Amberstar
Amberstar was the first installment in Thalion Software's never-finished Amber Trilogy, a role-playing video game franchise. Although considerably more advanced, the game had many similarities to Thalion's earlier game DragonFlight, and was by many fans thought to be a "sequel" to this game.The...
. By way of a dimensional gate, the player briefly enters the world from the game Dragonflight.
Thalion after Ambermoon
Ambermoon was a major success for Thalion, but it ultimately failed to prevent the company's collapse, which occurred before they were able to release the final part of the planned trilogyAmber Trilogy
The Amber Trilogy was an unfinished series of computer role-playing games by Thalion Software. Unfortunately, due to the collapse of Thalion, only two of the games were ever released, and Ambermoon only in a German version The Amber Trilogy was an unfinished series of computer role-playing games...
. Part of the Thalion team went on to Blue Byte, which produced the graphically-similar game Albion
Albion (computer game)
Albion is a single player computer role-playing game developed and published by Blue Byte Software for MS-DOS in . It was originally released in German, then translated to English for international release...
, effectively a sort of unofficial sequel to Ambermoon.
Ambermoon was only ever released in German for the Amiga. Although planned and developed the English version was never published. The last beta (v1.07) of the English version was released many years later in 1998 through the Thalion Webshrine. Also DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
versions were planned, but never completed.
Ambermoon today
It is now possible to play Ambermoon on a PCPersonal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
using an Amiga emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
, such as WinUAE.
External links
- Thalion Webshrine Ambermoon page.
- Amberworld an unfinished effort of interpreter for the Amiga classic Ambermoon and games with a similar engine like Dragonflight, Amberstar and Albion Ambermoon Fan Site