Lands of Lore: Guardians Of Destiny
The Story
The Characters
You begin the game hiding from the Galdstone guards: you are Luther, son of Scotia- and greatly hated. Luther is a sarcastic fellow and has a thing for the mistress Dawn of Gladstone. Other key characters that you meet up with during the game (none of which join your party- you fight solo) are Bacatta (a champion from the first Lore game), Dawn (Gladstone's White sorcress from the first Lore game), the Draracle makes many appearances, and Belial- an Ancient god. The Dracoids: After Belial's death, repentant Dracoids attempted
to remove all traces of thier once mighty civilization. Most Dracoid
emegrated and continued thier lives peacefully on the continants. A
few of the Zelots stayed behind in the underground Ruins and awaited
Belial's promis to return. Mutated over the ages, their offspring now
worship the giant worm that protects the Ruins. Luther's Curse Luther, son of Scotia, has acquired a certain genetic problem, so to speak, from his mother. Most of us have acquired some habits, behaviors, traits, or other hand-me-downs from our parents- Luther has his in spades. A certain magical device for shape-shifting has been grafted onto him magically by his mother, on her death bed. Luther cannot control this unfortunate power, at least not at the beginning of the game. He is forced to endure changes from man to Beast, to Lizard, and from both Beast and Lizard back to man. Beast is huge, hulking, and ugly. As the Beast, Luther cannot hold weapons or use spells. Lizard is small, fast, slight, and weak. As the Lizard, Luther cannot hold weapons, but his magic quite powerful. Besides these details about each creature’s shape, it is important to remember that each creature has a different height. The Beast can reach higher than Luther, and the Lizard can fit through very small holes- holes so small they are difficult for Luther, as a Human, to see. This curse plays a major role in the game and factors into the final solution to the main problem- that is, a dead god named Belial... AutoMap & Inventory
General Hints
Game History Developer: Westwood Studios Westwood's original Lands of Lore was one of those rare role-playing games with a strong enough plot to keep CRPG fans happy and a simple enough interface to remain inviting to novice gamers. The game proved to be, along with Dune II and The Legend of Kyrandia, one of the titles that marked Westwood as a company to watch, and became the basis for more than a few cult followings. A sequel was inevitable. Surprising more than a few fans with their decision to move away from the Might-and-Magic style, step-based motion of the original and replace it with a free-motion, first-person interface more reminiscent of Quake, Westwood's Lands of Lore team has returned with a follow-up title that promises to deliver a much more realistic and fascinating view of the world so many gamers have come to love. Subtitled Guardians of Destiny, Lands of Lore II opens with the banishment of your character Luther, the son of Scotia, the witch who acted as the antagonist of the first tale, to a cave on the outskirts of the kingdom. Cursed with uncontrollable shape-changing powers (a gift from your mother), you must find the strength (and to some degree forgiveness) to find your destiny. In order to succeed you'll find yourself hacking, talking, and figuring your way through over 20 game locations that vary from foreboding museum halls to overgrown jungles. More than a few changes have taken place in the industry since the release of Lands of Lore, and Westwood uses both the advances of technology and the increased resources at their command to their fullest. Featuring the work of over fifteen artists, Lands of Lore II is a visual feast, detailing the thoughtfully-designed universe in beautiful 640x400 resolution (a 320x200 mode is planned for you slow pokes out there). A dynamic lighting system, designed specifically for the title, allows for realistic flames, magic items that glow brightly enough to be used as a torch, and a myriad of other impressive effects. Hours of breathtaking plot animation add to the game's depth and vision without ever seeming to drag on for too long (of course it's still early in the development cycle). Backed up by an impressive soundtrack scored by folk musician David Arkenstone, and near-perfect sound effects that include everything from the sound of a sword lashing out to the more mundane drips of an underground cavern, the environment really seems to come alive, at least in the few levels that Westwood is willing to show off at this time. Other improvements include a host of new spells (there may be over 80 in the final product) ranging from the powerful fireball (remember that dynamic lighting?) to the entertaining summon, which causes an imp to appear and attack your foes (no one say demon, okay?). Enemy AI has been vastly improved, and your opponents will no longer attack until they die, instead opting to run away and later return with a large group of their friends - a hard upgrade to like when you're being beaten to a pulp. Finally, there's a multiple-path storyline that reacts to players' choices, accommodating both those who wish to be heroes and those who decide to follow in their mother's evil footsteps. Guardians of Destiny has more than enough artistic vision and play engine power to compete for both the RPG and adventure crowns of 1997. Even so, there's still a lot of work to be done if the game is to deliver everything it promises. In the end, though, this is Westwood we're talking about, and if anyone is capable of producing a game that exceeds even rabid gamers' expectations, it's this scrappy little powerhouse of design. (from http://www.gamefaqs.com)
Music From The Game (in midi format)
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On
her death bed, Scotia, witch of the Dark Army, bestowed her evil twisted
powers upon her son, Luther- but there were complications... Now Luther
uncontrollably shape-shifts (from human to lizard to beast). While on
a quest searching for answers to his 'problem,' Luther ventures to many
different lands, including a Haunted Monastery, the Huline Village,
the Dracoid Cemetery, old Runes, Hive Caves, a Citadel infested with
Ruloi, and the City of the Ancients.
While
Luther is on his quest, Dawn of Gladstone is on one of her own. There
have been many unexplainable happenings in and around Gladstone, so
Dawn is directed by the Draracle to the Southern Continent to find answers.
After bumping into Luther and showing no sign of hatred towards him,
Dawn offers him a spell to help dampen his inconsistent morphings until
he can find a cure. But Luther discovers some other things, such as
the plan of one of the Ancient gods- to resurrect himself from death
and force rule over the kingdoms. Now Luther must battle two very different
forces of evil- one within and one without. There are FOUR endings to
the game, and you can proove your innocence by being 'good,' or you
can follow the foot steps of your mother and proove Bacatta right.
The map is highly detailed. With each level explored, the map records
the area surrounding your character, as well as revealing hidden areas,
secret walls, dangerous pits, ect... Your inventory space and spell
area has been revamped: see the image to the right.