While exploring the diverse dungeons in Phantasie, I am reminded why I have such a fondness for this series. Every hallway and room contains a text description found at the bottom of the screen. Each of the red circles depicted above represent fixed encounters that usually display a large text box or conundrum. Back in the 80s, if you were a table-top role-playing enthusiast, hoping that a computer game could recreate some of that magic, the diverse dungeon crawling experience that Phantasie offers equals dungeon nirvana.
When you first enter a dungeon, you are presented with a clean white slate. As you move around, the dungeon is slowly revealed to you. When paired with quite a bit of text and encounters it is simplicity at its finest. I have now worked my way through and completely explored five different dungeons. Each one of them has been a unique experience.
There has been the dungeon just outside of Pelnor, the town which you begin the game in. You basically “cut your teeth” on this first dungeon. There are levers and buttons to manipulate which will open an unmovable door. If you talk to the old man beyond the door he will give you an Earth Rune. In the southern part of the dungeon lies information which will also help you in the game.
A cathedral represented the second dungeon that I explored. It was filled with strange priests, undead, rumors, and a side-quest. You can find the Air Rune here but only if you’re powerful enough to burn the box. This is a dungeon that you may need to revisit later.
The maze-like warrens of the lizard man caves represented the third dungeon which I explored. It was in this dungeon that I found the Fire Rune.
The fourth dungeon I encountered was the abandoned town of Woodville, now filled with thieves, assassins, and wandering monsters. It was the strangest of the dungeons thus far and contained a lot of information and lore which aids you in your quest.
Lord Wood’s Castle is the fifth and most recent dungeon which I’ve just finished completing. There is a room of pools which I cannot yet access, and I believe it is where I will find the Water Rune. This is a dungeon that I will have to revisit as I don’t think what I need to enter the pool room resides in this dungeon. There are secret doors to discover in these dungeons, so you have to make sure you explore them carefully.
It was in Lord Wood’s Castle that I learned that there are nine Rings of Power that can help you to defeat the evil Nikademus.
I travelled to Florida last week with my wife, daughter, and grandson to celebrate my 60th birthday and thus did not do any gaming. Upon returning, and when not working, I’ve been right back at it this weekend. I thus far have 24.7 hours invested in the game and I calculate that I am probably 50% to 60% finished with the overall game. While there are certainly a lot of grinding and mechanics involved in the game, it is rich in story and details, and the dungeon crawling puts this right in my personal wheelhouse, making it one of my favorites.
Until next time…..
I loved this game. However, when I played it on an Apple IIGS emulator, it bugged out when I reached Zeus’ palace in the clouds. I think I’ll have to try it again on what appears to be the MS-DOS emulator like you’re using (Boxer), as I also think it is great for the reasons you’ve mentioned. Btw, if you loved The Bard’s Tale (and it is a classic), you’ll love part II.
You can purchase the entire trilogy on Steam – very easy to implement. Yes I can’t wait until I get to the year that Bard’s Tale II was released. It is definitely on my list for that year. Thanks for commenting Chris