Death Gate

Death Gate is a classic adventure game from renowned studio Legend Entertainment. The studio is known for developing games with exceptionally well-crafted puzzles and a wacky sense of humor that often breaks the fourth wall and offers a wide range of offbeat puns. The company has also enjoyed a run of success with fantasy and sci-fi games based on popular literary adaptations. The best known of these are Frederick Pohl's Gateway and Terry Brooks' Shannara. In 1994, Legend Entertainment decided to adapt not just one book, but an entire series of 7 books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, known as The Death Gate Cycle. The original version of the game even includes a special gift for fans of the book series, namely an exclusive short story written by the same authors that tells the story of the mysterious Assassins Guild from the series. In Death Gate, the player takes on the role of a newly freed Patryn - a young, courageous wizard named Haplo. His deeds in the labyrinth have won him Xar's trust and he is sent as a scout to the other 4 realms. The path between them leads through a mystical portal known as the Death Gate. On his journey, Haplo has to fulfill not just one, but several tasks. First, he must explore the realms, learn about the new lands and find the pieces of the World Seal that can restore the world to its original whole. He must also track down as much forgotten magical lore as possible and find runes that will allow him to enter all the other realms. Finally, and most importantly, he must find out what happened to the Sartan, who seem to have disappeared long ago, so that Xar can bring them to Patryn justice. By taking its cue from the first four books, the game creates a certain unique experience for the player that sets it apart from other fantasy adventures. Starting from the initial premise of the 5 separate realms, there is an unusually layered structure, as the consequences of the split go much deeper than just differences in landscapes. From realm to realm, living conditions vary enormously, including geography, history, fauna, flora and astronomical bodies. In each realm, the population is divided into very specific societies, though many characteristics of each ethnicity remain the same. Multiple royal families, powerful guilds, and wealthy independent merchants all have their own goals and ambitions that have nothing to do with the grand plans of the Patryn and Sartan, most of which they know nothing about after centuries of absence. The peculiarities of the individual cultures and the individual diversity of the major and minor intriguers within the characters lend the gameplay a special magic and fascination, especially when the player visits a new realm for the first time and begins to explore it. The worlds have a mysterious, fascinating character, but with quirky surprises almost everywhere. Each encounter with Xar between journeys reveals more information about the overall mechanics that connect these realms. Death Gate features some exceptionally good voice acting. This is especially true of Henry Strozier, who plays the role of Xar. He has a deep, charismatic and authoritative voice that perfectly suits a character with a brave heart, long experience, deep wisdom, but also a good dose of arrogance. He also shines because the player spends more time talking to his character than to anyone else in the game. Haplo, who can only be heard in conversations and is spoken by David DeBoy, doesn't have a simple, uninteresting voice either. He sounds slightly arrogant and bossy like his master, but also quite youthful and yet manly enough to convey an air of independence. The MIDI music in Death Gate is very well done. The compositions are perfect for an epic fantasy setting. The melodies are often light and soothing, but they can shift dramatically into a majestic tone when you visit the royal palace, or into a sinister motif when you explore the underworld of Abarrach, the malevolent labyrinth or the deadly Assassins Guild. In addition to Haplo and Xar, several other characters from the books also appear in the game. However, many of them have been greatly simplified and reduced to episodic roles with little development. Many important characters from the books are missing entirely, most notably Alfred, whose role is crucial in bringing out Haplo's character in the literary originals. On the other hand, some of the memorable archetypes from the books are used in new and interesting ways. For example, a boy named Bane has been recast as a different child with a different life and social standing, though both have very similar personalities. The character who stays most true to canon is the whimsical, mad wizard Zifnab, who appears in all his pun-crazed glory. In general, the plot line is