Magic and Mayhem
Encyclopedia
Magic & Mayhem, also known as Duel: The Mage Wars (US), The Art of Magic (Russia), Mana: Der Weg der schwarzen Macht (Germany), Duelo de hechiceros (Spain), Art of Magic: La Guerra dei Maghi (Italy) and Arcanes (France), is a fantasy/mythology-themed real-time strategy
game designed by Julian Gollop
and developed by Mythos Games
. It was published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment (European release) in late 1998, and by Bethesda
(North American release) soon after in 1999. Although the game received generally positive criticisms, it met a quiet public reception.
Magic and Mayhem was designed by Gollop as the next incarnation of his successful Chaos video game concept, involving the same mythical wizard combat. Like Chaos, the player assumes the role of a wizard that can cast spells and summon creatures in order to defeat the other wizards in the battle.
In the single player campaign, the player assumes the role of Cornelius, a young magician who yearns to become his uncle Lucan's apprentice. He arrives at Lucan's home shortly after graduation from the Hermetic Academy and eager to begin his study, only to find his uncle gone and the home in ruins.
. Wizards replenish their mana by occupying "Places of Power" with their creatures, or using up one-use "mana sprites" that are picked up around the map. Magic and Mayhem is built into an isometric
grid, with creatures occupying (or flying above) squares on the board.
The game includes two game modes; the campaign progression and a "quick battle" option, similar to a deathmatch
. The campaign is single player only, but quick battle can be either single or multiplayer over a LAN
network.
Magic and Mayhem uses a unique spell system, in which magical ingredients are needed to be able to cast each spell in the game. In the campaign game mode, these ingredients (such as Brimstone, Clover and Zircon) are gradually acquired as the game progresses. Before each level begins, the player can use their Portmanteau spell-box to combine an ingredient with a "talisman" of either Law, Chaos or Neutrality. This results in a spell that the player can use for the duration of the battle, and which can be changed again after the battle has ended.
, Greece
and Albion
, covering Celt
ic, Greek
and Arthurian themes respectively. In the campaign, the player journeys their way through each realm in order, with map design and terrain corresponding to the current realm. For example, maps set in Albion may include medieval gothic castles, whereas Greek maps contain classical mediterranean architecture.
Geographically, each realm is not strictly adherent to their historic counterparts; for instance, the "Greek" realm is modified slightly, with Colchis
and Crete
separated from Greece by only a thin stretch of ocean channel. Myths, such as Jason and the Golden Fleece
, are also modified slightly, with Cornelius rather than Jason retrieving the artefact.
.
Cornelius crashes in Avalon, ruining the flying machine. He begins his quest to find his uncle, soon encountering hostile wizards who are none-too-helpful in aiding him. On his journey through Avalon, he meets allies including Twigkindle the brownie king and Percival
the knight, the latter of which joins Cornelius in return for his aid in finding the Grail
. The two soon acquire the Grail, and eventually reach the castle Joyous Garde, the centre of villainy in Avalon. After an epic battle with the resident baron-wizard Bertilak, Cornelius finds and frees his uncle Lucan, only to confront the game's main antagonist
, the Overlord. The Overlord demands Cornelius hand over the Grail, but when Cornelius refuses, the Overlord leaves without a fight. Lucan, who had been kidnapped by the Overlord's minions, reveals that his power is weak in Avalon. After the battle, Cornelius wants nothing more than to return to the mundane world with Lucan, but it is revealed they must find a specific portal to do so, so their quest must continue through a magical gateway into Greece.
Arriving in Greece, Cornelius continues to travel looking for a way back home, but encountering yet more hostile wizards and evidence of the Overlord's misdeeds. He stumbles upon Ariadne
, angering her by his intrusion into her home, but besting her in combat and forcing her to flee. He eventually arrives in Delphi
, defeats the tyrannical wizard that keeps the city in anarchy, and consults the Oracle
on the Grail. It is revealed that the Grail grants immortality, and explains why the Overlord demanded it of Cornelius in Avalon. The Oracle also reveals that the Golden Fleece
of Colchis must be retrieved for the Grail to work. Cornelius travels to Colchis and defeats the dragon that guards the Fleece, taking it for himself. After killing the ruler of Colchis, King Aeetes
, he unwittingly releases the witch Medea
who escapes back to the mainland. Cornelius arrives in Sparta to find the city in ruins by the hand of the Overlord. He finds Ariadne and Lucan sheltering from Medea, who turns out to be a servant of the Overlord. Cornelius defeats Medea a second time, and forces her to flee to the Labyrinth
in Crete. He soon catches up and defeats her, at the same time finding a magical gateway to Albion beneath the maze.
In Albion, Cornelius, Ariadne and Lucan encounter Sir Lancelot
, loyal knight of the deceased King Arthur. He reveals the Overlord usurped and murdered Arthur, hunting his loyal surviving knights over Albion. Lucan reveals that finding Merlin
, Arthur's royal wizard, may be the only way to stop the Overlord. Cornelius arrives in Broceliande
, the last known whereabouts of Merlin, to find his tower empty. They continue their quest onto mainland Albion and Salisbury Plain
, where Lucan is slain by the Overlord and the remaining protagonists flee. Cornelius continues his quest, gathering Arthur's loyal knights and attacking Camelot
, freeing Ariadne and Lancelot and retaking the castle. Cornelius and his allies eventually meet the Overlord at Dinas Emrys
, discover that he is Merlin, defeat him, and return to the mundane world.
, and received good comments in several of the game's reviews. As stated by Simon Emmerson
, founder of the group:
The game's creatures and mythological characters were constructed by animation expert Alan Friswell, using the stop-motion techniques made popular in the films of Willis O'Brien
and Ray Harryhausen
. The figures were made of modelling clay and latex rubber, over an armature of wire and ball-and-socket joints. The models were then moved incrementally, while being filmed one frame at a time.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game designed by Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop
Julian Gollop is a British designer of strategy video games and founder of the defunct game studios Mythos Games and Codo Technologies.Gollop's career spans over 25 years, during which he has designed games for numerous systems over the years, from the early 8-bit home computers to 32-bit PCs...
and developed by Mythos Games
Mythos Games
Mythos Games is a defunct British video game developer company founded by Julian Gollop.-Games developed by Mythos Games:* Rebelstar II * Laser Squad * Lords of Chaos * Magic & Mayhem -External links:*...
. It was published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment (European release) in late 1998, and by Bethesda
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
(North American release) soon after in 1999. Although the game received generally positive criticisms, it met a quiet public reception.
Magic and Mayhem was designed by Gollop as the next incarnation of his successful Chaos video game concept, involving the same mythical wizard combat. Like Chaos, the player assumes the role of a wizard that can cast spells and summon creatures in order to defeat the other wizards in the battle.
In the single player campaign, the player assumes the role of Cornelius, a young magician who yearns to become his uncle Lucan's apprentice. He arrives at Lucan's home shortly after graduation from the Hermetic Academy and eager to begin his study, only to find his uncle gone and the home in ruins.
Gameplay
The player's primary character is their wizard, and who can cast spells, summon creatures and (in the campaign) interact with other characters. The wizard and any summoned creatures are controlled, as in most strategy games, by dragging selection boxes and using the mouse buttons to interact and issue orders. Casting spells and summoning creatures uses manaMagic point
Magic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
. Wizards replenish their mana by occupying "Places of Power" with their creatures, or using up one-use "mana sprites" that are picked up around the map. Magic and Mayhem is built into an isometric
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
grid, with creatures occupying (or flying above) squares on the board.
The game includes two game modes; the campaign progression and a "quick battle" option, similar to a deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
. The campaign is single player only, but quick battle can be either single or multiplayer over a LAN
Län
Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
network.
Magic and Mayhem uses a unique spell system, in which magical ingredients are needed to be able to cast each spell in the game. In the campaign game mode, these ingredients (such as Brimstone, Clover and Zircon) are gradually acquired as the game progresses. Before each level begins, the player can use their Portmanteau spell-box to combine an ingredient with a "talisman" of either Law, Chaos or Neutrality. This results in a spell that the player can use for the duration of the battle, and which can be changed again after the battle has ended.
Setting
Magic and Mayhem is set in three mythological/historical realms; AvalonAvalon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...
, Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Albion
Albion
Albion is the oldest known name of the island of Great Britain. Today, it is still sometimes used poetically to refer to the island or England in particular. It is also the basis of the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland, Alba...
, covering Celt
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
ic, Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and Arthurian themes respectively. In the campaign, the player journeys their way through each realm in order, with map design and terrain corresponding to the current realm. For example, maps set in Albion may include medieval gothic castles, whereas Greek maps contain classical mediterranean architecture.
Geographically, each realm is not strictly adherent to their historic counterparts; for instance, the "Greek" realm is modified slightly, with Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
and Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
separated from Greece by only a thin stretch of ocean channel. Myths, such as Jason and the Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the gold-haired winged ram, which can be procured in Colchis. It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest by order of King Pelias for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus...
, are also modified slightly, with Cornelius rather than Jason retrieving the artefact.
Story
The game's introductory movie presents Cornelius as he visits his uncle's magical laboratory, only to find it in ruins. He deduces that something bad must have befallen the absent Lucan, as his flying machine is primed and ready for a trip. Cornelius decides to undertake the journey his uncle was planning. A raven, soon after introduced as Hermes, accompanies Cornelius from thereon throughout the game, who decides this must be Lucan's familiarFamiliar spirit
In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits were supernatural entities believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic...
.
Cornelius crashes in Avalon, ruining the flying machine. He begins his quest to find his uncle, soon encountering hostile wizards who are none-too-helpful in aiding him. On his journey through Avalon, he meets allies including Twigkindle the brownie king and Percival
Percival
Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his story is allotted to the historical Peredur...
the knight, the latter of which joins Cornelius in return for his aid in finding the Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
. The two soon acquire the Grail, and eventually reach the castle Joyous Garde, the centre of villainy in Avalon. After an epic battle with the resident baron-wizard Bertilak, Cornelius finds and frees his uncle Lucan, only to confront the game's main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, the Overlord. The Overlord demands Cornelius hand over the Grail, but when Cornelius refuses, the Overlord leaves without a fight. Lucan, who had been kidnapped by the Overlord's minions, reveals that his power is weak in Avalon. After the battle, Cornelius wants nothing more than to return to the mundane world with Lucan, but it is revealed they must find a specific portal to do so, so their quest must continue through a magical gateway into Greece.
Arriving in Greece, Cornelius continues to travel looking for a way back home, but encountering yet more hostile wizards and evidence of the Overlord's misdeeds. He stumbles upon Ariadne
Ariadne
Ariadne , in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and was the bride of the god Dionysus.-Minos and Theseus:...
, angering her by his intrusion into her home, but besting her in combat and forcing her to flee. He eventually arrives in Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
, defeats the tyrannical wizard that keeps the city in anarchy, and consults the Oracle
Pythia
The Pythia , commonly known as the Oracle of Delphi, was the priestess at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited for her prophecies inspired by Apollo. The Delphic oracle was established in the 8th century BC...
on the Grail. It is revealed that the Grail grants immortality, and explains why the Overlord demanded it of Cornelius in Avalon. The Oracle also reveals that the Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the gold-haired winged ram, which can be procured in Colchis. It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest by order of King Pelias for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus...
of Colchis must be retrieved for the Grail to work. Cornelius travels to Colchis and defeats the dragon that guards the Fleece, taking it for himself. After killing the ruler of Colchis, King Aeetes
Aeëtes
In Greek mythology, Aeëtes , , , was a King of Colchis , son of the sun-god Helios and the Oceanid Perseis , brother of Circe and Pasiphae, and father of Medea, Chalciope and Apsyrtus...
, he unwittingly releases the witch Medea
Medea
Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children, Mermeros and Pheres. In Euripides's play Medea, Jason leaves Medea when Creon, king of...
who escapes back to the mainland. Cornelius arrives in Sparta to find the city in ruins by the hand of the Overlord. He finds Ariadne and Lucan sheltering from Medea, who turns out to be a servant of the Overlord. Cornelius defeats Medea a second time, and forces her to flee to the Labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
in Crete. He soon catches up and defeats her, at the same time finding a magical gateway to Albion beneath the maze.
In Albion, Cornelius, Ariadne and Lucan encounter Sir Lancelot
Lancelot
Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...
, loyal knight of the deceased King Arthur. He reveals the Overlord usurped and murdered Arthur, hunting his loyal surviving knights over Albion. Lucan reveals that finding Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, Arthur's royal wizard, may be the only way to stop the Overlord. Cornelius arrives in Broceliande
Brocéliande
Brocéliande is the name of a legendary forest that first appears in literature in 1160, in the Roman de Rou, a verse chronicle written by Wace....
, the last known whereabouts of Merlin, to find his tower empty. They continue their quest onto mainland Albion and Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, where Lucan is slain by the Overlord and the remaining protagonists flee. Cornelius continues his quest, gathering Arthur's loyal knights and attacking Camelot
Camelot
Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
, freeing Ariadne and Lancelot and retaking the castle. Cornelius and his allies eventually meet the Overlord at Dinas Emrys
Dinas Emrys
Dinas Emrys is a rocky and wooded hillock near Beddgelert in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Rising some 250 ft above the floor of the Glaslyn river valley, it overlooks the southern end of Llyn Dinas in Snowdonia. Little remains of the castle structures that once stood here, save its stone...
, discover that he is Merlin, defeat him, and return to the mundane world.
Music
The background music for Magic and Mayhem was composed by the Afro Celt Sound SystemAfro Celt Sound System
The Afro Celt Sound System is a musical group which fuses modern electronic dance rhythms with traditional Irish and West African music...
, and received good comments in several of the game's reviews. As stated by Simon Emmerson
Simon Emmerson
For the experimental music artist, see Simon Emmerson .Simon Emmerson is a Grammy Award-nominated record producer, guitarist, DJ and founder of the group Afro Celt Sound System....
, founder of the group:
Movies and cutscenes
Magic and Mayhem uses distinctive claymation for its movie cutscenes.The game's creatures and mythological characters were constructed by animation expert Alan Friswell, using the stop-motion techniques made popular in the films of Willis O'Brien
Willis O'Brien
Willis Harold O'Brien was an Irish American pioneering motion picture special effects artist who perfected and specialized in stop-motion animation. He was affectionately known to his family and close friends as "Obie"....
and Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
. The figures were made of modelling clay and latex rubber, over an armature of wire and ball-and-socket joints. The models were then moved incrementally, while being filmed one frame at a time.
External links
- Magic and Mayhem at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Magic and Mayhem community forums