Demon's Winter
Encyclopedia
Demon's Winter is a computer role-playing game by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
, released in 1988. It is a sequel
to SSI's 1987 Shard of Spring
, set two hundred years after the events of the original, and featuring a game world 32 times the size of the previous one.
attack on the now-ruined village of Ildryn. Ultimately, they must uncover the source of the beasts, as well as the unnatural cold that plagues the land, and ultimately put an end to both.
review of Demon's Winter described it as a general improvement over Shard of Spring, although not without its own flaws. Combat was described as "uneven", with opponents either being trivial or quite difficult to defeat, while mapping was noted as being quite difficult in some areas. On the other hand, the addition of new classes and changes to the skill system were received favorably. The review in ST/Amiga Format
felt that the game took several steps forward to enhance the genre, but not without suffering in presentation. The reviewer concluded, "Unfortunately so much has been done to make the game play well that the appearance has fallen by the wayside, it looks and sounds awful which is a terrible shame, because Demon’s Winter is one of the best computer role playing games to date." This earned the title an overall grade of 68%.
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
, released in 1988. It is 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 SSI's 1987 Shard of Spring
Shard of Spring
Shard of Spring is a computer role-playing game by Strategic Simulations, Inc., released in 1986. It was followed by the sequel titled Demon's Winter in 1988.- Story :...
, set two hundred years after the events of the original, and featuring a game world 32 times the size of the previous one.
Story
After death of the dragon sorceress Siriadne and recovery of the Shard of Spring, peace and prosperity returned to the fantasy island of Ymros. Two centuries later, however, great numbers of aggressive monsters have suddenly appeared, devastating the region and its inhabitants. A party of five adventurers must band together in order to combat this threat, starting only with meager skills and supplies after a koboldKobolds in gaming
The first modern role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, depicted Kobolds as a race of weak, humanoid draconic monsters formed into primitive tribes populating the sorts of dungeons explored by low-level adventurers...
attack on the now-ruined village of Ildryn. Ultimately, they must uncover the source of the beasts, as well as the unnatural cold that plagues the land, and ultimately put an end to both.
Reception
The Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
review of Demon's Winter described it as a general improvement over Shard of Spring, although not without its own flaws. Combat was described as "uneven", with opponents either being trivial or quite difficult to defeat, while mapping was noted as being quite difficult in some areas. On the other hand, the addition of new classes and changes to the skill system were received favorably. The review in ST/Amiga Format
ST/Amiga Format
ST Amiga Format was a computer magazine that covered the Atari ST and Amiga computers. It was published by Future Publishing to cover the ever growing market for the, then-new, 16-bit home computers. At first, the issues were equally balanced with coverage for both Commodore Amiga and Atari ST...
felt that the game took several steps forward to enhance the genre, but not without suffering in presentation. The reviewer concluded, "Unfortunately so much has been done to make the game play well that the appearance has fallen by the wayside, it looks and sounds awful which is a terrible shame, because Demon’s Winter is one of the best computer role playing games to date." This earned the title an overall grade of 68%.