Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
Encyclopedia
Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum (also known as Might and Magic Book 1, Might and Magic 1, MM1 or simply Might and Magic) is an early computer role-playing game released for the Apple II
, IBM PC, NES
and a number of other platforms, and is the first game in the Might and Magic
series. It was published in 1986 by New World Computing
and also later re-released in the Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Limited Edition and then in Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Special Edition.
over three years. Van Caneghem had difficulty finding a publisher to distribute MM1, so he handled the distribution himself from his own apartment until he was able to broker a deal with Activision
.
Due to its popularity the game was ported
to a number of other platforms that were popular at the time, and eight sequels were released over the next fifteen years.
A port of Might and Magic was released for Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1992. While the basic gameplay was similar to ports released on earlier platforms, the graphics and general polish on the game reflected the later release date and greater capability of the Nintendo platform.
The game was remade again for release in Japan on the TurboGrafx-16
(PC Engine) platform. This version of the game was released on CD rather than cartridge and was able to feature digitized voices for dialogue as a result of the increased storage capacity offered by the CD medium.
The game is set on the world of VARN (Vehicular Astropod Research Nacelle) which features expansive outdoor terrain, castles, caves, underground cities and an Astral Plane.
The game centers on six adventurers who are trying to discover the secret of the Inner Sanctum: a kind of "holy grail" quest. While trying to discover the Inner Sanctum, the heroes discover information about Corak's hunt for the missing villain Sheltem. They end up unmasking Sheltem, who had been masquerading as the King, and defeating his evil machinations. At the end of the game they go through the "Gates to Another World" and travel to CRON, not knowing that Sheltem has also escaped to that world.
Although VARN is populated mostly by medieval
fantasy
tropes such as knight
s in armor, mythical monster
s and magician
s, a number of science fiction
elements enter the setting. As an example, the Sheltem plot is first introduced when the adventurers visit the site of a crashed space ship
and are told by aliens that their prisoner is at large in the world.
Characters have "statistics" (analogous to Dungeons and Dragons Ability scores) of Might, Endurance, Accuracy, Personality, Intelligence and Luck.
There are six character class
es:
The player assigns each character a race at creation time: Human
, Elf
, Half-orc
, Gnome
or Dwarf. This affects the character's starting statistics, and their resistance to various forms of attack.
Alignment
is also chosen for all characters, but because the party acts collectively all of the time, the implications of this are minimal. Alignment plays some part in the game, in particular to determine the reward for one of the game's quests.
Characters can also be male or female. Like alignment, gender serves minimal purpose in the game, save for a few situations (notably, the city of Portsmith, in which all males, and only males, are injured when stepping through certain areas of the city). A character's gender can be changed back and forth via certain actions within the game world.
Sorcerer spells tend to be of an offensive nature, inflicting damage on enemy creatures.
Clerical spells are usually more defensive, focusing on healing, defense and removal of poison and other undesirable effects.
The world is presented as a labyrinth, utilizing a first person perspective
interface similar to that employed by The Bard's Tale, where the gaming world is divided into a maze-like grid and the player's movement options are to move forward or backward, or turn ninety degrees left or right. The walls represent mountain ridges, cave stone, rows of trees or whatever obstruction might be expected in the terrain being explored.
Exploration, like combat, is turn-based in Might and Magic; hence in-game time does not pass while the player delays.
If the party moves to a place where there are hostile creatures, or if a random encounter occurs, the game switches to a combat phase.
On most platforms, the combat interface is presented in a text-only format. Turn-based combat is conducted, with each combatant acting in order of their speed statistic. Each round a random speed bonus is applied to either the player's party or the enemy creatures. On each player-character's turn, the player selects an action from a list of options, including attacking a creature, casting a spell or attempting to run away.
Combat ends when all combatants from one side or the other have either been rendered unconscious or dead (usually by having their hit point
s reduced to zero), or fled from combat. The player can also lose at combat by allowing all members of the party to succumb to sleep or paralysis effects.
magazine praised Might and Magic for its wealth of content, non-linear play and aspects of its graphics, though it notes that the game graphics lack animation, and that there is limited graphical representation of enemy combatants. Computer Gaming World
similarly praised the game's extensiveness, but noted early versions of the game only equipped new party members with clubs, making the beginning of the game very difficult. Modern commentators acknowledge MM1 for the immense scope of its world, for its freedom of exploration and for pioneering aspects such as incorporating player characters' race, gender and alignment into the gameplay.
The Apple II version of the game was reviewed in 1987 in Dragon
#122 by Patricia Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. Lesser stated that "This adventure is awesome in its scope, completely fascinating, graphically
pleasing, and one of the top five games ever produced for a computer." In a subsequent column, the reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars. Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser reviewed the IBM version of the game in 1988 in Dragon #132, also giving it 5 out of 5 stars. The Lessers reviewed the MacIntosh version of the game in Dragon #140, giving the Macintosh II version 4½ stars, and the Macintosh Plus version 3½ stars. The Lessers reviewed the Sega Genesis version of the game in Dragon #175, giving that version of the game 5 out of 5 stars.
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
, IBM PC, NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and a number of other platforms, and is the first game in the Might and Magic
Might and Magic
Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games from New World Computing, which in 1996 became a subsidiary of The 3DO Company...
series. It was published in 1986 by New World Computing
New World Computing
New World Computing, Inc. was an American computer game developer and publisher founded in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem, his wife, Michaela Van Caneghem, and Mark Caldwell. It was best known for its work on the Might and Magic computer role-playing game series and its spin-offs, especially Heroes of...
and also later re-released in the Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, commonly abbreviated to Might and Magic VI or simply MM6, is a role-playing video game developed by New World Computing and published by 3DO in 1998...
Limited Edition and then in Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, commonly abbreviated to Might and Magic VI or simply MM6, is a role-playing video game developed by New World Computing and published by 3DO in 1998...
Special Edition.
Development
The original Apple II version of the game was written almost single-handedly by Jon Van CaneghemJon Van Caneghem
Jon Van Caneghem is an American video game director, designer and producer. He is best known for launching development studio New World Computing in 1983, making his design debut in 1986 with Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum...
over three years. Van Caneghem had difficulty finding a publisher to distribute MM1, so he handled the distribution himself from his own apartment until he was able to broker a deal with Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
.
Due to its popularity the game was ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to a number of other platforms that were popular at the time, and eight sequels were released over the next fifteen years.
A port of Might and Magic was released for Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1992. While the basic gameplay was similar to ports released on earlier platforms, the graphics and general polish on the game reflected the later release date and greater capability of the Nintendo platform.
The game was remade again for release in Japan on the TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
(PC Engine) platform. This version of the game was released on CD rather than cartridge and was able to feature digitized voices for dialogue as a result of the increased storage capacity offered by the CD medium.
Plot and setting
The game centers on six adventurers who are trying to discover the secret of the Inner Sanctum: a kind of "holy grail" quest. While trying to discover the Inner Sanctum, the heroes discover information about Corak's hunt for the missing villain Sheltem. They end up unmasking Sheltem, who had been masquerading as the King, and defeating his evil machinations. At the end of the game they go through the "Gates to Another World" and travel to CRON, not knowing that Sheltem has also escaped to that world.
Although VARN is populated mostly by medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
tropes such as knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s in armor, mythical monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s and magician
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
s, a number of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
elements enter the setting. As an example, the Sheltem plot is first introduced when the adventurers visit the site of a crashed space ship
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
and are told by aliens that their prisoner is at large in the world.
Characters
The characters in Might and Magic and its successors are defined by a number of rules, conforming loosely to the fantasy roleplaying archetypes.Characters have "statistics" (analogous to Dungeons and Dragons Ability scores) of Might, Endurance, Accuracy, Personality, Intelligence and Luck.
There are six character class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
es:
- Knight characters are based on the Dungeons and Dragons FighterFighter (Dungeons & Dragons)The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
class. - Cleric characters are like D&D ClericsCleric (Dungeons & Dragons)The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
. - Robbers are like the old D&D ThiefRogue (Dungeons & Dragons)The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
class. - Sorcerers (called Wizards in the NESNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
version) are like the old Magic-UserWizard (Dungeons & Dragons)The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
s. - Paladins are fighter type characters who gain access to Clerical magic at higher experience levels. Unlike their D&D equivalentPaladin (Dungeons & Dragons)The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster...
, there is no restriction on their alignment. - Archers are more limited fighter characters, who can use ranged weapons even when on the front line of combat, and gain access to Sorcerer spells at higher levels.
The player assigns each character a race at creation time: Human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
, Elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
, Half-orc
Half-orc
The half-orc is a creature born to mixed orc and human parentage in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The half-orc is a playable race for D&D player characters. Half-orcs are typically born in wild frontiers where human and orc tribes come into contact. Half-orcs are between six and seven...
, Gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
or Dwarf. This affects the character's starting statistics, and their resistance to various forms of attack.
Alignment
Alignment (role-playing games)
In some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
is also chosen for all characters, but because the party acts collectively all of the time, the implications of this are minimal. Alignment plays some part in the game, in particular to determine the reward for one of the game's quests.
Characters can also be male or female. Like alignment, gender serves minimal purpose in the game, save for a few situations (notably, the city of Portsmith, in which all males, and only males, are injured when stepping through certain areas of the city). A character's gender can be changed back and forth via certain actions within the game world.
Magic
There are two types of magic spells in Might and Magic: Sorcerer spells and Clerical spells. Sorcerer spells are available to Sorcerer and Archer characters; Clerical spells are available to Cleric and Paladin characters. Daily spellcasting ability is limited by a character's spell points. For users of Sorcerer spells, the number of spell points available depends on that character's Intelligence statistic. For Clerical spellcasters, the number of spell points depends on the character's Personality statistic.Sorcerer spells tend to be of an offensive nature, inflicting damage on enemy creatures.
Clerical spells are usually more defensive, focusing on healing, defense and removal of poison and other undesirable effects.
Exploration
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
interface similar to that employed by The Bard's Tale, where the gaming world is divided into a maze-like grid and the player's movement options are to move forward or backward, or turn ninety degrees left or right. The walls represent mountain ridges, cave stone, rows of trees or whatever obstruction might be expected in the terrain being explored.
Exploration, like combat, is turn-based in Might and Magic; hence in-game time does not pass while the player delays.
If the party moves to a place where there are hostile creatures, or if a random encounter occurs, the game switches to a combat phase.
Combat
When hostile creatures are encountered, the player is usually given the option to run away, attempt to surrender to the creatures, try to bribe them, or to attack. If the player elects to attack, or if their combat evasion attempt fails, the game enters combat mode.On most platforms, the combat interface is presented in a text-only format. Turn-based combat is conducted, with each combatant acting in order of their speed statistic. Each round a random speed bonus is applied to either the player's party or the enemy creatures. On each player-character's turn, the player selects an action from a list of options, including attacking a creature, casting a spell or attempting to run away.
Combat ends when all combatants from one side or the other have either been rendered unconscious or dead (usually by having their hit point
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
s reduced to zero), or fled from combat. The player can also lose at combat by allowing all members of the party to succumb to sleep or paralysis effects.
Reception
In 1987, Compute!COMPUTE!
Compute! was an American computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994, though it can trace its origin to 1978 in Len Lindsay's PET Gazette, one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET computer. In its 1980s heyday Compute! covered all major platforms, and several single-platform...
magazine praised Might and Magic for its wealth of content, non-linear play and aspects of its graphics, though it notes that the game graphics lack animation, and that there is limited graphical representation of enemy combatants. Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
similarly praised the game's extensiveness, but noted early versions of the game only equipped new party members with clubs, making the beginning of the game very difficult. Modern commentators acknowledge MM1 for the immense scope of its world, for its freedom of exploration and for pioneering aspects such as incorporating player characters' race, gender and alignment into the gameplay.
The Apple II version of the game was reviewed in 1987 in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#122 by Patricia Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. Lesser stated that "This adventure is awesome in its scope, completely fascinating, graphically
pleasing, and one of the top five games ever produced for a computer." In a subsequent column, the reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars. Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser reviewed the IBM version of the game in 1988 in Dragon #132, also giving it 5 out of 5 stars. The Lessers reviewed the MacIntosh version of the game in Dragon #140, giving the Macintosh II version 4½ stars, and the Macintosh Plus version 3½ stars. The Lessers reviewed the Sega Genesis version of the game in Dragon #175, giving that version of the game 5 out of 5 stars.