Nine Princes in Amber (video game)
Encyclopedia
Nine Princes in Amber is an interactive fiction
computer game with graphics. The game was published by Telarium
(formerly known as Trillium), a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software
, in the year 1985. The game is based upon the fantasy
novels Nine Princes in Amber
and The Guns of Avalon
by Roger Zelazny
.
. The player uses action commands (e.g. take, sit) and communication commands (e.g. ask, demand, hug) for the interaction with non-player characters. There are 40 different possible solutions to end the game.
, Atari ST
, MSX2
and Apple II
. The MSX2 version is a translation into Spanish ("Nueve Principes en Amber") with new illustrations. The game is based upon the fantasy novels Nine Princes in Amber
(Doubleday
1970) and The Guns of Avalon
(Doubleday 1972) by Roger Zelazny
. It was developed by a group of 20 people at Spinnaker Software and published by Telarium (1985).
In 2006 a study about the history of interactive fiction maintained, that on the one hand Nine Princes in Amber "is not a bad game – in fact, it is one of Telarium’s best, and working out the conversational ´puzzles´ can actually be oddly satisfying at times". On the other hand the authors "seemed to be aiming so much higher." They wanted to create a very ambitious gameplay. Because of hardware constraints in the 1980s and general limitations of character interaction in interactive fiction they weren´t able to actualize this aim completely.
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
computer game with graphics. The game was published by Telarium
Telarium
Telarium Corporation was a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software. The corporation was founded in 1984 and went defunct in 1987. The headquarters were in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. President of Telarium was C. David Seuss, the founder and CEO of Spinnaker Software.- Adventure games :Telarium...
(formerly known as Trillium), a subsidiary of Spinnaker Software
Spinnaker Software
Spinnaker Software was a 1982 founded software company known primarily for its line of non-curriculum based educational software, which was a major seller during the 1980s. It was founded by chairman Bill Bowman and president C. David Seuss....
, in the year 1985. The game is based upon the fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novels Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber is a new wave fantasy novel and the first in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. It was first published in 1970. The book has also spawned a computer game of the same name...
and The Guns of Avalon
The Guns of Avalon
The Guns of Avalon is the second book in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. The book continues straight from the previous volume, Nine Princes in Amber, although it soon includes a recap.-Setting:...
by Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
.
Gameplay
The single-player adventure is controlled via typed keyboard commands. Words and sentences are entered in a text parserText parser
In an adventure game, a text parser takes typed input from the player and simplifies it to something the game can understand. Usually, words with the same meaning are turned into the same word and certain filler words are dropped .The parser makes it easier for the game's author to react on input...
. The player uses action commands (e.g. take, sit) and communication commands (e.g. ask, demand, hug) for the interaction with non-player characters. There are 40 different possible solutions to end the game.
Plot
The plot takes place in a fictional fantasy world. The player prince Corwin is the son of king Oberon, who rules the kingdom Amber. Corwin wants to become king but but his eight brothers, especially his brother Eric, are also interested in the reign of Amber. Prince Corwin must escape assassination attempts and intrigues. He has to confederate with some of his siblings to be king of Amber.Development
The adventure has static 2d graphics, a theme song and sound effects. It was implemented for the C 64, DOSDOS
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...
, 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...
, MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
. The MSX2 version is a translation into Spanish ("Nueve Principes en Amber") with new illustrations. The game is based upon the fantasy novels Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber is a new wave fantasy novel and the first in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. It was first published in 1970. The book has also spawned a computer game of the same name...
(Doubleday
Doubleday
-History:It was founded as Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897 by Frank Nelson Doubleday, who had formed a partnership with magazine publisher Samuel McClure. One of their first bestsellers was The Day's Work by Rudyard Kipling. Other authors published by the company in its early years include W....
1970) and The Guns of Avalon
The Guns of Avalon
The Guns of Avalon is the second book in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. The book continues straight from the previous volume, Nine Princes in Amber, although it soon includes a recap.-Setting:...
(Doubleday 1972) by Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
. It was developed by a group of 20 people at Spinnaker Software and published by Telarium (1985).
Reception
In the year 1986 a german reviewer called Nine Princes in Amber a precious adventure ("Edel-Adventure"). He praised the intelligent writings, the suspenseful storyline and the text parser.In 2006 a study about the history of interactive fiction maintained, that on the one hand Nine Princes in Amber "is not a bad game – in fact, it is one of Telarium’s best, and working out the conversational ´puzzles´ can actually be oddly satisfying at times". On the other hand the authors "seemed to be aiming so much higher." They wanted to create a very ambitious gameplay. Because of hardware constraints in the 1980s and general limitations of character interaction in interactive fiction they weren´t able to actualize this aim completely.
External links
- Nine Princes in Amber at AllgameAllgameAllgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
- Nine Princes in Amber at Museum of Computer Adventure Game History by Howard Feldman
- Nine Princes in Amber at Adventureland by Hans Persson and Stefan Meier