I was handed a bitter disappointment this past week playing this game. Let me refresh your memory. There are several ways in which a player or character is honored in this game.
Characters can earn score points for fighting monsters and finding treasure and that score can earn them a place in the Hall of Fame. I am sitting on top of the Leaderboard for the month and I am 6th on the overall list of lifetime achievement as a result of trying to survive long enough to find the Reaper’s Ring.
- Another goal, which is more difficult to achieve, is to become master of a guild. To do this a character must improve the guild’s key attribute until it is the highest in the guild. I have successfully accomplished this. I am Master of the Wizard’s Guild and I have the highest attribute score in the guild.
- What I have NOT been able to do thus far is accomplish the last and most dangerous goal in the game: finding the Reaper’s Ring. The ring starts on level 1 and moves down a level each time it is found. It may be found in any one of the four dungeons: Forest, Cave, Mountain, and Desert. It is guarded by the Guardian of the Ring who you will have to fight along with his minions in order to obtain the ring. I happen to know from reading the Finders of the Ring page that it was last discovered on Level 55. So that means the Reaper’s Ring now resides on Level 56 of one of the four dungeons. Mapping and making your way all the way down to Level 56 is no easy task.
I was able to make my way down to Level 56 of the Forest level and I meticulously mapped the entire level out with pencil and paper (the levels are huge). Alas there was no ring to be found. I realize I only had a 25% chance of guessing right; but I was still crushed as this constituted a tremendous amount of time and work.
I decided to tackle the Cave complex next and I am currently on Level 19 in the Caves. There are a few differences to note between the Forest Dungeon and the Cave Complex. The first noticeable difference is the color of the dungeon. Everything is outlined in a blue hue while in the Forest Dungeon it is outlined in a green hue. Some of the creatures that you find in the cave complex are completely different than the creatures you encounter in the Forest Dungeon. The Cave Complex has the following unique creatures I’ve encountered so far: Medusa, Ancient Mystic, Hortas, Ghosts, Vampires, Spectres, Earth Elementals (rather than Fire & Water found in the Forest Dungeon) to name a few. You also sometimes would find Magic Apples in the Forest which would raise or lower your stats randomly if you decided to pick one up. I avoided them. In the Cave Complex rather than Magic Apples you find a Crystal Crocus here and there at random which have the same affects.
I am going to continue my foray into the Cave Complex and hope that I can eventually reach level 56 and then begin a meticulous search of the Reaper’s Ring. My chances of finding it improve from 25% to 33.3%. This is an extremely challenging game; some might almost say unbeatable as permadeath is very real and constantly hangs over your head like a dark cloud. There is a certain amount of dogged perseverance that is needed in order to be successful in a game such as this. I believe retrogame enthusiasts encounter this issue often when playing an adventure or role playing game. The older RPGs felt it necessary to have you “grind” or earn experience during the course of play in order for you to increase in power. There were no automapping features in these older games as well requiring you to spend hours mapping out the numerous dungeons found in these games. Throwing mazes at you and difficult encounters also served to increase the playing time in these games. The more hours required to beat a particular RPG seemed to be a badge of honor for many early developers.
Is there a game that you played which required this same type of dogged perseverance and dedication? I am very interested to read which game consumed hours and hours of your time; becoming your obsession in your attempt to get to the end and accomplish the goals laid out for you.