Realm of Impossibility
Encyclopedia
Realm of Impossibility is a computer game created by Mike Edwards and published by Electronic Arts
in 1984 for the Apple IIe
, Atari 8-bit family
and Commodore 64
computer systems. It was converted to the ZX Spectrum
in 1985 and published by Ariolasoft UK Ltd.
acquired the rights for EA and re-named the game Mike Edwards' Realm of Impossibility. Music by Dave Warhol, who had worked with Daglow on the Intellivision
game design team, was also added to the EA edition.
The game title comes from the fact that many of the mazes in the game represent optical illusions, similar to those popularized by artist M. C. Escher
. Surfaces that appear vertical turn out to be horizontal, and other illusions can confuse the player.
The game allows a player to traverse through 13 mythical dungeons to gather seven crowns to defeat the evil cleric "Wistrik". Each dungeon comprises a dozen or so difficult rooms full of zombies, snakes, spiders and other various beasts. The object of each realm was to find a key or a crown. Finding a key allowed another new realm to open up to the player. Each realm had various mazes the player had to navigate in order to arrive at the correct ending.
The player could cast the following spells in the game:
The player could also drop crosses, which acted as obstacles to the monster. The player could leave dozens of these in their wake and they would disappear slowly over time.
One of the more exciting aspects of the game allowed cooperative play on the same screen with another player. This gave rise to numerous strategies as the players tried to outwit the monsters together.
Realm of Impossibility was considered a success, and was part of the "third wave" of titles introduced by Electronic Arts after its founding in 1982.
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
in 1984 for the Apple IIe
Apple IIe
The Apple IIe is the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The e in the name stands for enhanced, referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and add-ons in earlier models...
, Atari 8-bit family
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer systems. It was converted to the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1985 and published by Ariolasoft UK Ltd.
Summary
The game was originally self-published by BRAM Inc. as Zombies (organized by Edwards and a family friend) before producer Don DaglowDon Daglow
Don Daglow is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. He is best known for designing a series of pioneering simulation games and role-playing games, as well as the first computer baseball game and the first graphical MMORPG, all between 1971 and 1995...
acquired the rights for EA and re-named the game Mike Edwards' Realm of Impossibility. Music by Dave Warhol, who had worked with Daglow on the Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
game design team, was also added to the EA edition.
The game title comes from the fact that many of the mazes in the game represent optical illusions, similar to those popularized by artist M. C. Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
. Surfaces that appear vertical turn out to be horizontal, and other illusions can confuse the player.
The game allows a player to traverse through 13 mythical dungeons to gather seven crowns to defeat the evil cleric "Wistrik". Each dungeon comprises a dozen or so difficult rooms full of zombies, snakes, spiders and other various beasts. The object of each realm was to find a key or a crown. Finding a key allowed another new realm to open up to the player. Each realm had various mazes the player had to navigate in order to arrive at the correct ending.
The player could cast the following spells in the game:
- Freeze: would hold a monster in place for a short duration
- Protect: made the player immune to damage for a time
- Confuse: would send the monster off wandering in a daze for a while
The player could also drop crosses, which acted as obstacles to the monster. The player could leave dozens of these in their wake and they would disappear slowly over time.
One of the more exciting aspects of the game allowed cooperative play on the same screen with another player. This gave rise to numerous strategies as the players tried to outwit the monsters together.
Realm of Impossibility was considered a success, and was part of the "third wave" of titles introduced by Electronic Arts after its founding in 1982.