Spirit of Excalibur
Encyclopedia
Spirit of Excalibur is a 1990 computer game developed by Synergistic Software
for PC
, Amiga
, Atari ST
, Apple IIGS
and Apple Macintosh, and distributed by Virgin Mastertronic, Inc.
.
As the title hints, the game takes Arthurian legend, using both fictional and historical works used as sources to recreate the atmosphere of the age of King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table, and to draw out characters' names, history and relationships. The game's sources include medieval works such as Thomas Malory
's Le Morte d'Arthur
, modern ones such as Marion Zimmer Bradley
's The Mists of Avalon
, and a number of historical treatises on Arthur of the late 1980s. Spirit of Excalibur is a role-playing game
in which the player is in control of a host of characters, rather than a single one, and as such he has to explore with them Arthurian England
in an attempt to solve quest
s the game is made of and reach the final goal of uniting Britain
under a single king.
The game was followed by a sequel, Vengeance of Excalibur
, in 1991.
The game is set in the year 539, shortly after the Battle of Camlann
at which King Arthur has been mortally wounded by the traitorous Mordred
. Britain urgently needs a new king who can reunite its scattered realms and bring the Round Table back to its former glory. Arthur left a successor in the person of Lord Constantine
the Crown Regent.
During the game the player first leads Constantine to Camelot
where he can claim Arthur's throne, then gathers forces to defeat both the Saxon invaders and the sons of Mordred
who seek to usurp the throne just as their father did. As the game progresses, enchanted beings threaten Constantine's kingdom and the player must find the magical means to stop these menaces as well, up to the final confrontation with Arthur's half-sister Morgan le Fay
. The game is won if the player can successfully keep Constantine alive past the last episode and unite all the fragmented kingdoms of Britain, as Morgan is sent to hell and all her evil magics are undone.
While most of the elements and characters of the Arthurian legend the game refers to are derived from fictional or classical sources on the subject, the game contains a number of historical inconsistencies: the knights wear armor reminiscent of the medieval period rather than that of the 6th century. Cities and regions are named after modern English locations, some of which did not exist in Arthurian Britain (e.g. Arundel Castle
appears as the fortress of the lord of Sussex
, but the castle was not built in the form depicted in the game until Norman
conquest in 1066).
The geographical setting for Spirit of Excalibur is a depiction of actual southern England
with its cities, castles, villages, churches and other locations scattered throughout the land. The player starts by controlling a single character, Lord Constantine, but as the game proceeds he will be able to control many other knights and the armies they lead, not to mention Arthur's best friend and magician Merlin
. All action takes place at two different levels: a so-called "map level" and a "scene level".
As its name implies, the "map level" shows a multi-screen overview map of Britain, which the player can explore by scrolling. The computer- and player-controlled characters move across the map from place to place and are usually marked by a shield icon with the knight or character's own insignia. To solve the puzzles and mysteries which allow him to proceed through the game, the player must visit key locations and interact with various characters, sometimes enlisting their help and sometimes fighting them. These types of action take place at the "scene level". When two different groups meet, the player is shown a scene depicting a side view of all characters present at that location. Dialogs, individual combat, exchanges of objects, and requests for information all take place at the scene level. During the fights on this level, one of the player controlled characters combats one of the enemies. The fight ends when all the elements of a group are dead or have withdrawn. The player can choose whether to activate an automatic control or fight manually and he can also have any of his characters use an object or a magician cast a spell. Individual combat ensues between characters who are not supported by an army, but upon a meeting between two hostile armies a specific combat screen opens. If the player has control over one of the two sides, he can issue commands to his units, for example ordering a group of soldiers to charge the enemy, some knights to flank the adversary of have one of the Knights of the Round Table use an object.
All characters have specific characteristics listed in a status display: numerical values identify the character health status, his/her magical or combat abilities, the strength of his/her defences and the nobility and faith levels. While combat skill or health level are quite self-explanatory, nobility and faith play a slightly subtle role: these virtues are fundamental to each character, so much that extremely low levels of nobility or faith will have the specific knight turn evil and the player will lose control over such character. The player can lower a knight's nobility value for example by committing inappropriate actions for a noble (e.g. attacking innocent people), but he can also enhance such value by committing good deeds like helping a damsel in distress. Faith values can be altered quite similarly: in presence of supernatural creatures or tools faith can be reduced, but having a character spend some time in a church will make his/her faith stronger.
Spirit of Excalibur consists of five different episodes each with its main quest and a number of lesser ones to solve both to achieve the episode main goal and the game aim of reuniting Britain.
in the northernmost part of England and he is urgently required to return to the south to Camelot in order to claim Arthur's throne. Along the way Constantine encounters different people: travellers who bring news, citizens, monks or druids giving him advice. During the trip Constantine also has to tackle some challenges which will help cement some of his alliances with other lords who were loyal to Arthur. Upon reaching Camelot, Constantine is proclaimed king if the player has been able to win the challenges he has been presented with. This episode mostly acts as a tutorial, to teach the player the basics of the game.
and Mordred's sons, Melehan and Morgolon, have raised a very large army that is slowly but steadily moving from the north down to Camelot. Constantine's armies are not strong enough to face these enemies, so the player must take a number of knights across England in order to find Sir Lancelot
. Arthur's champion has gone into hiding and has taken with him a large number of Arthur's men. Only with Lancelot at his side can Constantine marshall the forces required to stop the Saxons and Melehan and Morgolon.
behind the dark power of the Brown Knight and his men has been defeated. Apparently all is well across Britain, until new reports of demon sightings reach Camelot. This time Morgan le Fay has unleashed all her power to destroy Constantine and the Round Table. The player needs to find where Morgan is hiding and defeat her while ensuring at the same time that the last independent kingdoms swear fealty to Constantine, so that he can successfully reunite Britain.
.
Synergistic Software
Northwest Synergistic Software is a contract software developer and a former video game developer. Founded in 1978 under the name Synergistic Software, the company published some of the earliest available games and applications for the Apple II family of computers...
for PC
Personal 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
and Apple Macintosh, and distributed by Virgin Mastertronic, Inc.
Virgin Interactive
Virgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...
.
As the title hints, the game takes Arthurian legend, using both fictional and historical works used as sources to recreate the atmosphere of the age of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and the Knights of the Round Table, and to draw out characters' names, history and relationships. The game's sources include medieval works such as Thomas Malory
Thomas Malory
Sir Thomas Malory was an English writer, the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. The antiquary John Leland as well as John Bale believed him to be Welsh, but most modern scholars, beginning with G. L...
's Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur
Le Morte d'Arthur is a compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table...
, modern ones such as Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley was an American author of fantasy novels such as The Mists of Avalon and the Darkover series. Many critics have noted a feminist perspective in her writing. Her first child, David R...
's The Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon
The Mists of Avalon is a 1983 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters.-Plot introduction:...
, and a number of historical treatises on Arthur of the late 1980s. Spirit of Excalibur is a role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
in which the player is in control of a host of characters, rather than a single one, and as such he has to explore with them Arthurian England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in an attempt to solve quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
s the game is made of and reach the final goal of uniting Britain
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
under a single king.
The game was followed by a sequel, Vengeance of Excalibur
Vengeance of Excalibur
Vengeance of Excalibur is a 1991 computer role-playing game developed by Synergistic Software and distributed by Virgin Games. It is a sequel for Synergistic's 1990 title Spirit of Excalibur, set in Spain around the turn of the 10th and 11th Centuries...
, in 1991.
Plot
Battle of Camlann
The Battle of Camlann is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle, or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy Mordred.-Historicity:...
at which King Arthur has been mortally wounded by the traitorous Mordred
Mordred
Mordred or Modred is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, where he was killed and Arthur fatally wounded. Tradition varies on his relationship to Arthur, but he is best known today as Arthur's illegitimate son by his...
. Britain urgently needs a new king who can reunite its scattered realms and bring the Round Table back to its former glory. Arthur left a successor in the person of Lord Constantine
Constantine III of Britain
Constantine was a minor king in 6th-century sub-Roman Britain, who was remembered in later British tradition as a legendary King of Britain. The only contemporary information about him comes from Gildas, who calls him king of Damnonia and castigates him for his various sins, including the murder...
the Crown Regent.
During the game the player first leads Constantine to Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
where he can claim Arthur's throne, then gathers forces to defeat both the Saxon invaders and the sons of Mordred
Sons of Mordred
The sons of Mordred appear in several works of Arthurian literature. The stories always number them as two, though they are usually not named. They generally figure as the heirs to their father's traitorous aims and enemies of King Arthur's successors...
who seek to usurp the throne just as their father did. As the game progresses, enchanted beings threaten Constantine's kingdom and the player must find the magical means to stop these menaces as well, up to the final confrontation with Arthur's half-sister Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay , alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician...
. The game is won if the player can successfully keep Constantine alive past the last episode and unite all the fragmented kingdoms of Britain, as Morgan is sent to hell and all her evil magics are undone.
While most of the elements and characters of the Arthurian legend the game refers to are derived from fictional or classical sources on the subject, the game contains a number of historical inconsistencies: the knights wear armor reminiscent of the medieval period rather than that of the 6th century. Cities and regions are named after modern English locations, some of which did not exist in Arthurian Britain (e.g. Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
appears as the fortress of the lord of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, but the castle was not built in the form depicted in the game until Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
conquest in 1066).
Gameplay
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with its cities, castles, villages, churches and other locations scattered throughout the land. The player starts by controlling a single character, Lord Constantine, but as the game proceeds he will be able to control many other knights and the armies they lead, not to mention Arthur's best friend and magician Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
. All action takes place at two different levels: a so-called "map level" and a "scene level".
As its name implies, the "map level" shows a multi-screen overview map of Britain, which the player can explore by scrolling. The computer- and player-controlled characters move across the map from place to place and are usually marked by a shield icon with the knight or character's own insignia. To solve the puzzles and mysteries which allow him to proceed through the game, the player must visit key locations and interact with various characters, sometimes enlisting their help and sometimes fighting them. These types of action take place at the "scene level". When two different groups meet, the player is shown a scene depicting a side view of all characters present at that location. Dialogs, individual combat, exchanges of objects, and requests for information all take place at the scene level. During the fights on this level, one of the player controlled characters combats one of the enemies. The fight ends when all the elements of a group are dead or have withdrawn. The player can choose whether to activate an automatic control or fight manually and he can also have any of his characters use an object or a magician cast a spell. Individual combat ensues between characters who are not supported by an army, but upon a meeting between two hostile armies a specific combat screen opens. If the player has control over one of the two sides, he can issue commands to his units, for example ordering a group of soldiers to charge the enemy, some knights to flank the adversary of have one of the Knights of the Round Table use an object.
All characters have specific characteristics listed in a status display: numerical values identify the character health status, his/her magical or combat abilities, the strength of his/her defences and the nobility and faith levels. While combat skill or health level are quite self-explanatory, nobility and faith play a slightly subtle role: these virtues are fundamental to each character, so much that extremely low levels of nobility or faith will have the specific knight turn evil and the player will lose control over such character. The player can lower a knight's nobility value for example by committing inappropriate actions for a noble (e.g. attacking innocent people), but he can also enhance such value by committing good deeds like helping a damsel in distress. Faith values can be altered quite similarly: in presence of supernatural creatures or tools faith can be reduced, but having a character spend some time in a church will make his/her faith stronger.
Game episodes
Episode 1 - "The kingmaking"
The starting episode opens with Lord Constantine visiting the ruler of NorthumberlandNorthumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in the northernmost part of England and he is urgently required to return to the south to Camelot in order to claim Arthur's throne. Along the way Constantine encounters different people: travellers who bring news, citizens, monks or druids giving him advice. During the trip Constantine also has to tackle some challenges which will help cement some of his alliances with other lords who were loyal to Arthur. Upon reaching Camelot, Constantine is proclaimed king if the player has been able to win the challenges he has been presented with. This episode mostly acts as a tutorial, to teach the player the basics of the game.
Episode 2 - "The return of Lancelot du Lac"
After he has been made king, Constantine has to face a serious crisis: the Saxons are on the verge of threatening LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Mordred's sons, Melehan and Morgolon, have raised a very large army that is slowly but steadily moving from the north down to Camelot. Constantine's armies are not strong enough to face these enemies, so the player must take a number of knights across England in order to find Sir Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
. Arthur's champion has gone into hiding and has taken with him a large number of Arthur's men. Only with Lancelot at his side can Constantine marshall the forces required to stop the Saxons and Melehan and Morgolon.
Episode 3 - "The enigmatic giant"
By defeating the Saxons and Mordred's sons, Constantine has reunited part of Britain under his command. However during a meeting of the Knights of the Round Table a mysterious giant appears at the gates of Camelot challenging all the knights to a fight. Everyone who accepts the giant's challenge is slain or has to flee the fight putting his/her honour in danger, since the creature appears invulnerable to common weapons and magic. With the vast majority of his knights bottled in Camelot, Constantine has to rely on the few characters who were already outside the castle to find a weapon powerful enough to defeat the giant. To make things worse, large bands of rogues are attacking villages and Melehan and Morgolon have returned with a new army and are marching against Camelot. If the giant is not defeated in time for the Knights of the Round Table to summon their armies, then the kingdom will be lost.Episode 4 - "The enchanted knights of the Forest Sauvage"
The destruction of the giant and the death of Melehan and Morgolon has brought peace across Britain for years. But suddenly news reports from various locations of Britain alert Constantine and his knights of a new threat. A band of "Enchanted Knights" led by the "Brown Knight" have taken residence in the Forest Sauvage and are terrorizing the lands. The player has to direct the Knights of the Round Table to find someone powerful enough to break the spell of these "Enchanted Knights" and, at the same time, he will have to keep his eyes open for a new Saxon invasion.Episode 5 - "Morgan le Fay's revenge"
Thanks to Merlin's timely intervention, the demonDemon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
behind the dark power of the Brown Knight and his men has been defeated. Apparently all is well across Britain, until new reports of demon sightings reach Camelot. This time Morgan le Fay has unleashed all her power to destroy Constantine and the Round Table. The player needs to find where Morgan is hiding and defeat her while ensuring at the same time that the last independent kingdoms swear fealty to Constantine, so that he can successfully reunite Britain.
Reception
The game received 4 out of 5 stars in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
.
External links
- Spirit of Excalibur at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...