The Legend of Kyrandia
Encyclopedia
The Legend of Kyrandia is a fantasy
point-and-click
adventure game
trilogy
with comedy elements, created by Westwood Studios
, and released for DOS
, Amiga
, FM Towns
and Apple Macintosh. It was based in a fantasy setting called Fables & Fiends, which has not been used beyond the trilogy, and is partly based on a multiplayer game with the same name
optionally available on Galacticomm's MajorBBS.
The games of the trilogy are named as follows:
Each installment of the series uses the perspective of a different character. In the first game, the player controls a young hero named Brandon. In the second, the player controls a royal female mystic named Zanthia. In the third and final game, the player controls Malcolm, the evil court jester
who was previously the main antagonist.
All three games are characterized by a quite innovative inventory system. It is notable for the variety of allowed physical actions you could subject the items to, especially the great freedom of dropping and picking up objects, which was used for some of the puzzles. In general, the puzzles in the series are based on experimenting with inventory items, combining them or depositing them in the correct places.
Malcolm has fun destroying trees of the country, and meets Kallak, turning him into stone. Brandon, oblivious of his past, soon discovers the truth about his origins. He finds out that Malcolm has stolen the Kyragem, a mystic stone that contains the kingdom's energy. Brandon has to recover the Kyragem and defeat Malcolm.
After many adventures, also including the obtaining of an important item and the king's chalice along the way (not to mention learning four different magical spells), Brandon is able to reach the king's castle, which Malcolm now occupies. Here he finds most of his former friends and allies from earlier in the game here, too, turned to stone by Malcolm as well as a magical scepter and king's crown. Putting these together he unlocks the way to Malcolm's personal chamber, where the Kyragem lies. He defeats Malcolm personally but only escapes momentarily before Malcolm returns. After becoming invisible (one of his magic powers) he walks up to a giant mirror, where Malcolm uses magic, appearing to throw a fireball, which bounces off the mirror, turning Malcolm to stone. In the ending cutscene Brandon becomes king, his friends are freed, and the Kyragem is returned to its proper place.
Also in this game Marko, who actually loves Zanthia, must be rescued several times by the player (if s/he so chooses; they can otherwise leave Marko to escape on his own). This game also features many more non-optional side quests. Rather, it is not as straightforward as the predecessor, which was intent on finding and defeating Malcolm. In this game the player must go to several different locations and perform various tasks to eventually be able to reach the main destination. For example one major plot point is to reach a volcanic island named "Volcania," which involves an extensive side quest with many different objectives, to reach the center of the Earth (where more tasks await Zanthia, such as playing fetch with a Stegosaurus or riding a T-Rex, retrieving items to be used to make potions — a major part of the game — before she can advance). For different destinations, Zanthia always magically changes her attire.
But after Zanthia retrieves an anchor stone, Marko opens a portal and tells her to meet with him at the "Wheels of Fate." After many other extensive quests, Zanthia reaches a floating island and uses an old rainbow machine to reach her destination. There, after retrieving several important items including a gear (through a very difficult three-part puzzle), she is able to go to the "control room" of sorts. There it turns out that the machine controlling Kyrandia has had a gear removed (thus causing everything to disappear). After she fixes it, the Hand appears again with a tied-up Marko. After a "battle" (mostly which includes Zanthia dodging the Hand's attacks until Marko is able to free himself), Marko throws the hand over the edge and it is ripped up by the massive gears and other machines outside of the control room. Marko then tells Zanthia that they should leave and that he has magic parachutes, calling her "sweetheart," which she repeats questioningly (shocked to hear the word).
In a final scene after the credits, the still-stone Malcolm is seen in a junkyard not far from the castle. He is struck by lightning and the camera focuses on his hand, as his fingers slowly move and off-screen screams are heard. The story is then continued in Book 3: Malcolm's Revenge.
developed the file format
.VQA
for video encoding for Legend of Kyrandia: Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge. Legend of Kyrandia 1 is fully compatible with ScummVM
0.9.0. Hand of Fate became supported by ScummVM in April 2008, Malcolm's Revenge in May 2008.
#191 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
Hand of Fate was reviewed in 1994 in Dragon #205 by Sandy Petersen
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
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...
point-and-click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
with comedy elements, created by Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...
, and released for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, FM Towns
FM Towns
The FM Towns system is a Japanese PC variant, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with regular PCs...
and Apple Macintosh. It was based in a fantasy setting called Fables & Fiends, which has not been used beyond the trilogy, and is partly based on a multiplayer game with the same name
Kyrandia (Major BBS)
Kyrandia is an adventure/role-playing game or MUD for Major BBS and Worldgroup BBS software. It was among the earliest games developed for that system.-History:...
optionally available on Galacticomm's MajorBBS.
The games of the trilogy are named as follows:
- The Legend of Kyrandia Book One (released on floppy diskFloppy diskA floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
and CD-ROMCD-ROMA CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, came on nine disks for the Amiga version - this was the only game in the series converted for the Amiga) - The Legend of Kyrandia Book Two: The Hand of Fate (released on floppy disk and CD-ROM)
- The Legend of Kyrandia Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge (released on CD-ROM only)
Each installment of the series uses the perspective of a different character. In the first game, the player controls a young hero named Brandon. In the second, the player controls a royal female mystic named Zanthia. In the third and final game, the player controls Malcolm, the evil court jester
Court jester
A jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster, or buffoon was a person employed to tell jokes and provide general entertainment, typically for a European monarch. Jesters are stereotypically thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern...
who was previously the main antagonist.
Gameplay
The Legend of Kyrandia became known for its extremely simple interface, a feature present in all three games in the series. Though vaguely reminiscent of point-and-click adventure games of the period, the primary detail that distinguished Westwood's trilogy was the use of a single "use" action, as opposed to multi-action interfaces.All three games are characterized by a quite innovative inventory system. It is notable for the variety of allowed physical actions you could subject the items to, especially the great freedom of dropping and picking up objects, which was used for some of the puzzles. In general, the puzzles in the series are based on experimenting with inventory items, combining them or depositing them in the correct places.
Book One
In the fantasy kingdom of Kyrandia, King William and his wife, Queen Catherine, have been murdered by the evil court jester Malcolm, a madman who possesses vast magical powers. Brandon, the prince, has been hidden in the forest by the King's counselor Kallak, who raises him as his grandson.Malcolm has fun destroying trees of the country, and meets Kallak, turning him into stone. Brandon, oblivious of his past, soon discovers the truth about his origins. He finds out that Malcolm has stolen the Kyragem, a mystic stone that contains the kingdom's energy. Brandon has to recover the Kyragem and defeat Malcolm.
After many adventures, also including the obtaining of an important item and the king's chalice along the way (not to mention learning four different magical spells), Brandon is able to reach the king's castle, which Malcolm now occupies. Here he finds most of his former friends and allies from earlier in the game here, too, turned to stone by Malcolm as well as a magical scepter and king's crown. Putting these together he unlocks the way to Malcolm's personal chamber, where the Kyragem lies. He defeats Malcolm personally but only escapes momentarily before Malcolm returns. After becoming invisible (one of his magic powers) he walks up to a giant mirror, where Malcolm uses magic, appearing to throw a fireball, which bounces off the mirror, turning Malcolm to stone. In the ending cutscene Brandon becomes king, his friends are freed, and the Kyragem is returned to its proper place.
Book Two: The Hand of Fate
Years later, Zanthia, a young female alchemist and wizard encountered in the first game, discovers that the kingdom of Kyrandia is in great danger, disappearing piece by piece. The Mystics hold a meeting, and The Hand (a giant glove serving as Marko's assistant) formulates a plan, which requires a magic anchor stone from the center of the world. He chooses Zanthia to be the one who shall recover the stone. As it turns out, however, the quest for the anchor stone is a wild goose chase, used by The Hand to distract Zanthia and the other Mystics while it enacts its evil deeds. The Hand, supposedly a fragment of a long-deceased gigantic evil sorcerer, is the game's true villain, and Zanthia must defeat him by the end. This game was characterized by far more whimsical humor than its predecessor.Also in this game Marko, who actually loves Zanthia, must be rescued several times by the player (if s/he so chooses; they can otherwise leave Marko to escape on his own). This game also features many more non-optional side quests. Rather, it is not as straightforward as the predecessor, which was intent on finding and defeating Malcolm. In this game the player must go to several different locations and perform various tasks to eventually be able to reach the main destination. For example one major plot point is to reach a volcanic island named "Volcania," which involves an extensive side quest with many different objectives, to reach the center of the Earth (where more tasks await Zanthia, such as playing fetch with a Stegosaurus or riding a T-Rex, retrieving items to be used to make potions — a major part of the game — before she can advance). For different destinations, Zanthia always magically changes her attire.
But after Zanthia retrieves an anchor stone, Marko opens a portal and tells her to meet with him at the "Wheels of Fate." After many other extensive quests, Zanthia reaches a floating island and uses an old rainbow machine to reach her destination. There, after retrieving several important items including a gear (through a very difficult three-part puzzle), she is able to go to the "control room" of sorts. There it turns out that the machine controlling Kyrandia has had a gear removed (thus causing everything to disappear). After she fixes it, the Hand appears again with a tied-up Marko. After a "battle" (mostly which includes Zanthia dodging the Hand's attacks until Marko is able to free himself), Marko throws the hand over the edge and it is ripped up by the massive gears and other machines outside of the control room. Marko then tells Zanthia that they should leave and that he has magic parachutes, calling her "sweetheart," which she repeats questioningly (shocked to hear the word).
In a final scene after the credits, the still-stone Malcolm is seen in a junkyard not far from the castle. He is struck by lightning and the camera focuses on his hand, as his fingers slowly move and off-screen screams are heard. The story is then continued in Book 3: Malcolm's Revenge.
Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge
After Malcolm's defeat against Brandon in the first game, Malcolm had been turned into a statue, but after having been struck by lightning, he was liberated from the spell. Malcolm then decides to take his revenge upon Brandon and Kallak, helped by his evil conscience, Gunther. Even though he lost his powerful magic, Malcolm decides to use his malicious wit and cunning to go through with his revenge. He eventually proves his innocence of the murder of Brandon's parents.Characters
- Brandon Voiced by Joseph D. KucanJoseph D. KucanJoseph David Kucan is a Video game developer, director, actor, screenwriter, and casting director for various gaming companies and movies. He is a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada. He is well known for his role as Kane from the Command & Conquer series.-Early life:Kucan was born in Las Vegas, Nevada....
: The protagonist of the first game in the series. A humble young woodsman in the forest of Kyrandia, Brandon is in fact the Prince of Kyrandia and heir to the throne. When he was just a baby, his parents were murdered, and soon afterward Kallak fled to the forest with him and raised him as his grandson. When Malcolm attacks Kyrandia and turns Kallak into stone, Brandon sets out to defeat the evil jester. In the tradition of adventure game heroes like Roger Wilco and Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Ulysses Threepwood is the main character of the Monkey Island series of computer adventure games by LucasArts. The voice of Guybrush is actor Dominic Armato in the third, fourth and fifth games, as well as the enhanced remakes of The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's...
, Brandon is depicted as well-meaning, but not particularly bright. By the third game in the series, Brandon has inherited the throne and become King of Kyrandia, but his counselor Kallak holds the real power due to Brandon's somewhat dim-witted nature.
- Zanthia Voiced by Bonnie Lynn Toups (voiced by Ginalyn Torrecilla in Book One) : The protagonist of the second game in the series. Zanthia is a member of the Counsel of Mystics and a powerful magic-user, although she is highly dependent on the use of reagents in order to cast spells. Perhaps the sanest of Kyrandia's inhabitants, Zanthia's personality is witty, confident, and level-headed.
- Malcolm Voiced by Eric Randall (voiced by Gary W. Hyatt in Book One ): The main antagonist of the series, and the protagonist of the third and final game. Malcolm is a mean-spirited, sarcastic, and slightly deranged jester who commands incredibly powerful magic. He is also the cousin of the late King of Kyrandia, and widely believed to be the murderer of the royal family (although this is revealed to be untrue at the very end of the last game). At the end of the first game, Malcolm is defeated by Brandon, who reflects his own magic back at him and turns him into stone. In the third game, Malcolm is freed by a bolt of lightning, but loses his magical powers, forcing him to rely on his wits to survive, get his revenge, and ultimately clear his name.
Game design
Westwood StudiosWestwood Studios
Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...
developed the file format
File format
A file format is a particular way that information is encoded for storage in a computer file.Since a disk drive, or indeed any computer storage, can store only bits, the computer must have some way of converting information to 0s and 1s and vice-versa. There are different kinds of formats for...
.VQA
.VQA
Vector Quantized Animation, known by its acronym VQA is a file format originally developed by Westwood Studios for video encoding in their game The Legend of Kyrandia and monopoly.- Description :...
for video encoding for Legend of Kyrandia: Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge. Legend of Kyrandia 1 is fully compatible with ScummVM
ScummVM
ScummVM is a collection of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system , it now also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies like Revolution Software and Adventure Soft. It was originally written by Ludvig Strigeus...
0.9.0. Hand of Fate became supported by ScummVM in April 2008, Malcolm's Revenge in May 2008.
Reception
The original The Legend of Kyrandia was reviewed in 1993 in DragonDragon (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...
#191 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
Hand of Fate was reviewed in 1994 in Dragon #205 by Sandy Petersen
Sandy Petersen
Carl Sanford Joslyn Petersen is a game designer.Petersen was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended University of California, Berkeley, majoring in zoology....
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
External links
- ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/kyrandia1/ - non-interactive demo, screenshots, update
- ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/kyrandia2/ - demo, screenshots, update
- ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/kyrandia3/ - media