Myth: History in the Making
| Developer: N/A | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: System 3 | Sound: |
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| Year: 1992 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
What a pleasure to discover such games in 2016! Myth enjoyed a nice success in 1989 on Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Back then, you controlled a geek in jeans and trainers, transported through different eras, across the theatres of glorious mythological battles (Ancient Greece, Egypt, Valhalla, and all that jazz).
On Amiga, the teenager is gone, replaced by a barbarian with a sinister mug and blue hair, go figure… The design is superb, both graphically and sonically. The bizarre controls take some time getting used to, however (three-slot inventory, “Space” to use the middle item, “<” and “>” to shift all items one slot). A certain heaviness in the character’s movements is also noticeable.
Despite a gameplay style that has been drummed out for years, consisting of jumping everywhere and giving sword blows to anyone who doesn’t want them, and occasionally throwing a knife or fireball here and there; the execution impressed me. The very short levels are populated with fantastic creatures, brilliantly staged; from the demon erupting from lava, to the windswept-haired nymph; or even the passage on a Viking longship, during a stormy night… Very inspired. Moreover, you will not progress through two levels in the same way.
The game was ported to NES. The barbarian left, in turn … replaced by Schwarzy, and the title changed to Conan: The Mysteries of Time.
Finally, a sequel was announced but never saw the light of day. Bastards!
Will you recognise the sound effects borrowed from Moonstone?
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