Amberstar
Encyclopedia
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 game was set in the fictional world of Lyramion and begins with the player situated at the graves of his parents. As the player sets out for adventure, it becomes apparent that an evil entity named Lord Tarbos, who was imprisoned a thousand years earlier, is about to be released again to wreak havoc upon Lyramion. The player - helped by the various adventurers who join the party along the way - must recover the thirteen missing pieces of the Amberstar, the talisman that banished Lord Tarbos initially, to defeat the demon once again.
The game featured (for that time) considerably advanced graphics and a very atmospheric musical score by Thalion's Jochen Hippel
. This, together with features such as a huge game world, a well-devised storyline and advanced automap features, provided for a very solid game. However, as with most of Thalion's other releases, the public interest was somewhat limited, ultimately leading to Thalion's demise (and the interruption of the Amber Trilogy).
Amberstar was succeeded by the sequel Ambermoon
, which unfortunately became the last game in the series. Furthermore, only the German language
version of Ambermoon was ever officially released. The English
version is available on an unofficial basis on the internet, however, it suffers from several serious bugs. Fortunately they do not detract from playing or finishing the game.
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...
's never-finished 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...
, a role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
. Although considerably more advanced, the game had many similarities to Thalion's earlier game DragonFlight
Dragonflight
Dragonflight is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonflight was first published by Ballantine Books in July 1968...
, and was by many fans thought to be a "sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
" to this game.
The game was set in the fictional world of Lyramion and begins with the player situated at the graves of his parents. As the player sets out for adventure, it becomes apparent that an evil entity named Lord Tarbos, who was imprisoned a thousand years earlier, is about to be released again to wreak havoc upon Lyramion. The player - helped by the various adventurers who join the party along the way - must recover the thirteen missing pieces of the Amberstar, the talisman that banished Lord Tarbos initially, to defeat the demon once again.
The game featured (for that time) considerably advanced graphics and a very atmospheric musical score by Thalion's Jochen Hippel
Jochen Hippel
Jochen Hippel is a musician from Kirchheimbolanden in southwest Germany. He played one of the most prominent roles in computer music during the 16-bit microcomputer era, composing the music for tens of games. He was also an experienced Amiga programmer and ported many of Thalion Software's Atari...
. This, together with features such as a huge game world, a well-devised storyline and advanced automap features, provided for a very solid game. However, as with most of Thalion's other releases, the public interest was somewhat limited, ultimately leading to Thalion's demise (and the interruption of the Amber Trilogy).
Amberstar was succeeded by the sequel Ambermoon
Ambermoon
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 . At the time of the game's release, the scrolling 3D graphics were considered revolutionary for the Amiga.-Story:In Ambermoon, the player plays...
, which unfortunately became the last game in the series. Furthermore, only the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version of Ambermoon was ever officially released. The English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version is available on an unofficial basis on the internet, however, it suffers from several serious bugs. Fortunately they do not detract from playing or finishing the game.
External links
- Amberstar at the Thalion Webshrine
- Amberstar at Hall of Light (HOL)
- Amberworld an unfinished effort of interpreter for the Amiga classic Ambermoon and games with a similar engine like Dragonflight, Amberstar and Albion