Original game, I played the remake
So finishing of the the last game you are able to import your character into the next, stats and part of your inventory. You start pretty much right after arriving in Shapeir. There you found out that it's sister city Raseir have fallen into darkness as the old emir have been overthrown and the Katta was driven away. So that is why the Kattas in Speilburg searched for a hero and it's you who answered the call. Also I changed my name since Niklas isn't much of a wizard name so now I'm known as Magus.
Well, he has the red cape
So how do you get to Raseir? There's a caravan in 16 days so you go around and do whatever you want until then. But first you need a map of the city, unfortunately your money isn't worth a cent since it's the wrong currency so you need to find the moneychanger. That resides in the city... which you need a map to find your way in. Obviously there was originally a map in the manual and apparently many missed asking for directions meaning many thought this was a copy protection measure. After a quick change you have enough money to buy everything you need. So mostly you explore the city and the desert. Desert... I hate those since I played King's Quest. Lucky there is really only 4 locations in the desert within a 11 x 8 grid (although the desert is infinite to the west and east... or at least it feels like it) and if you wanders of track or lose your bearings the saurus you are riding can bring you back to town in an instant. The city is more interesting. Filled with Katta merchants who sell you useful things or just decorations for your room at the inn. At the Adventure's Guild you can meet Rakeesh a Liontaur (yes that is a half man - half lion) and the Simbani warrior Uhura and her son Simba. You can train with Uhura to max out your fighting skills... which I was almost able to do during the course of the game. There's the blacksmith Issur who mostly is an ass. The magic shop owner Kaepon Laffin. The Apothecary owner Harik Attar. The Astrologer Abu al-Njun and finally the Enchantress Aziza. There's also the beggar and poet Omar and his companion, but they don't have fixed location. And of course the Saurus repair shop, but that is for the remake only and don't have any purpose at all.
Well, that is interesting... I guess
The desert as mentioned only have 4 locations. The oasis with the Dervish, a hermit. The griffin's nest with a sleeping griffin. A humanoid shaped withered tree and lastly a caged animal (this one I figured doesn't appear until a certain point in the story). So those are all locations and people of Shaper... what do you do? Basically you actually wait for the caravan so train with Uluru, fight monsters in the desert to get components to sell to Harik or just get some money from Jackalmen or Brigands. If you are a wizard like me you can play some magical games with Keapon Laffin or search for WIT that you were told exist in the city in the last game. Playing the game is rather important though since it's probably the best way to train some of your magical skills to max as well regaining your mana cause after 3 successful wins every win leads to Keapon restoring your mana and since there is no Erana's peace to use in this game that is the best option. Then WIT (Wizard's Institute of Technocery). If you look at the map you might guess where it is, but there is also another way of doing it, just cast Detect Magic in the streets and a magic arrow will appear and show you the way. You will end up at a dead end and using it again will reveal a door which you cast Open on and reveal a portal to WIT.
Merlin? And Hudini?
Here you are asked to chose a sponsor that can support your acceptance into a wizard. The only one willing is Erasmus... you shall not feel that confident. First you must prove your abilities to Erasmus by solving his magic riddle with the spells you have. Then you must solve the four elemental wizards challenges to be accepted. They are not that hard... especially since my skills was maxed out from the last game and that is pretty sufficient for this test. After that you are appointed as wizard and given the choice to further your training by locking yourself away at WIT and giving up being a hero. The answer is rather obvious cause if you can't make a difference, what's the point of having powers? The others are perplexed you said no while Erasmus congratulations you on this wise decision. You return back to Shapeir and can now play another game with Aziza. And you make all this in one day... it's gonna be a long time until the 16th day. Lucky for us, already at day 6 something happens. A fire elemental is attacking the city so it's up to you to stop it. Aziz tells you in short you need to best the elemental with a contrary element and capture it with a suitable "prison". So this is fire... a lamp. And Harik gives you some incense to make it leave the open space and there you douse it in water and captures it. A pity I don't have some water spells, then it could have been a battle for the ages. A couple of days later there is the wind element. Throw dirt at it, but how to capture it? Issur have a bellow above his shop so you ask. The prick challenge you to a arm wrestling contest. I'm a wizard and the town is in peril and you want me to wrestle for it? Forget that! At night I'm back, Levitate and steal the bellow for the cities greater good. So suck it air elemental. Next up is earth who walks the streets harassing the innocent. It's weak to fire so I pick up a sack and goes to hunt elementals. I corner him in an ally and begins hurling Flame Darts at him and before he can reach me he's turned to rubble so I pick him up. Now we can also finishing of some side quests. The caged beast is now in place and you find out that is really a man enchanted so you must break the spell by creating a dispel potion. Harik has all but two ingredients. A griffin feather and a fruit of compassion. The griffin is just take from the nest while the fruit needs a little more. First is finding the tree in the desert. Aziz tells you that this is Juliana, a healer that tried to escape brigands and a djinn turned her into a tree. So you must restore her spirit so you have to care for her, giving her water, give her a sense of purpose by telling your own journey to become a hero and help people and reminding her why she become a healer and then use the earth elemental to nourish her and give her back her name. The tree will be restored and as thanks she gives you the fruit of compassion. The thing is, you can't restore her human form, that can only someone who truly loves her. That is pretty good story telling in that you can do much as a hero, but not everything.
So suddenly I'm a tree hugger
With the fruit Harik creates the dispel potion and you administer it to the beast and we find out he was an apprentice to Ad Avis... who was one of the portraits at WIT. Seems we have the name of our antagonist. Anyway, there is one elemental left, water. Which is weak to wind so just blows it away from the fountain into a water sack (this one Aziza actually tells you when first mentioning capturing the elementals). That's done and we finally reach day 16. Pack your things and out unto the desert with the caravan as all the Kattas wish you luck and thanks you for saving them from the elementals. You're of, led by a centaur without name or face. But suddenly a brigand appears on the top of a cliff and hundreds of brigands attack you in the pass. The dust swirls everywhere and when the dust settles...
Awesome! We arrive in Raseir, a dictatorial Orwellian nightmare where guards patrol the streets and if you have water or no visa they will imprison you without pardon... or if you break any of the rules that are constantly shown around the city. At the Blue Parrot you are introduced to Signor Ferrari, the mafia underground leader and Ugarte the informant and water smuggler. Apparently Ad Avis knew you were coming and you are being watched so better be careful. Next day while walking down the fountain Ugarte is captured by the guard and dragged away shouting for you to save him, but with blades right at the throat you can only watch in horror as he is dragged away. Walking back you are called into an ally by a woman (kids, be very careful in real life if that happens). She takes you to meet the deposed Emir's niece (and incidentally the current figurehead Emirs daughter) that want to escape the city to avoid getting married to the captain of the guard that has been harassing you from the start and took Ugarte away. So you give her your spare clothes and your visa so she can catch up with the caravan.
Wish I got the X-ray glasses now
You head back to the Blue Parrot, but Ferrari is sensing the noose around his neck so he sells you out and the next day leaving the inn leads to instant capture and you are thrown into the dungeons with a Katta. This is your friends cousin who leads the underground resistance, but he was caught when someone betrayed him. You gain his trust by showing him a pin you were given by the jeweller in Shapeir that only friends can see. Now, the guards is really stupid since they took my things, but I'm a wizard with 200 skill points in the Open spell so take that. The Katta shows you a secret door and you are back in the city so you split up as he is preparing the resistance to launch an attack on the palace. You try to stay hidden, but as you leave the ally you are cornered by Ad Avis that hypnotise you into doing your bidding. He takes you to the Forbidden City where Suleiman fought Iblis and entombed him. This feels like it was inspired by Disney's Aladdin... if the movie didn't come out two years later. Really, you are sent in to retrieve Iblis by solving some puzzles and don't touch any treasures cause greed will lead to your fall... into a pit you can't escape. Making your way through the four trails you enters the final chamber and tries to grab Iblis, but Ad Avis teleports in and takes it before you can touch it, he destroys the door and teleports out. I guess he needed me to pinpoint where Iblis was, but still, why couldn't he done this himself? I know I know, the prophecy told him it would be me, but still. Anyway, I'm stuck and wanders around for some time until I see a ring gleaming in the darkness... or reflecting the light my magic lamp emits. The ring of course contains a genie (same as in the actual Aladdin) and he gives me 3 wishes. So two status boost and a teleportation back to Raseir where Ad Avis is preparing the ritual. The resistance is soon ready and I rush toward the palace. I Dazzle the guards and Levitate up to the balcony and rush inside. Before Ad Avis I see the captain of the guard and I put a Calm spell over him so he leaves while I Levitate down and Triggers a trap by the door and then opens it and rushes inside.
The stage is set, you're going down Ad Avis!
The stone gargoyle lungs at me, but a Trigger spell makes him collapse, I cast Reverse on myself and Fetch one of the candles to break the ritual. Ad Avis ends up turning the captain of the guard into a snake. While preparing a final deadly spell I sneak toward the side and throws a Force Bolt at the fire stand which makes Ad Avis catch on fire and fall to his death. Hero of Spielburg is now also Hero of Shapeir... and Raseir I guess. I'm brought back to Shapeir by my Katta friends and taken to the sultan who was Omar the Poet. My great deeds are recounted and as thanks I'm made prince of Shapeir and Rakeesh even gives me the option to become a Paladin... which I decline since I'm a wizard. The Wizard Magus.
Compared to the first game, I actually never finished it. I came as far as the earth or water elemental, but since I missed to pick up Omar's purse and give it back, which would have cost me the Paladin hood, I never finished it, until now that is. On the other hand I've watched PawDugan's LP on this game, but he played as a Thief and that is one of the reasons I choose magician since that doesn't seem as the most common class. And it's fun throwing Force Bolts and Flame Darts that eat up more than half the enemies HP. A pity the combat seems to favour the fighter since the monsters are constantly at your throat and you need room to cast a spell. Of course just put the difficulty slider way down and it becomes manageable. Improvements from last game (this might be unfair since this is a remake from the 2000's , but still applies) is the talk tree. Not until you actually have a reason to ask it a subject appears. For example the elementals. Either until you yourself see it or are told about can you ask the various important NPC's about them. Otherwise you could probably get most story points in one day. Speaking of days, that is probably one of the complaints I have about the game and that is that it takes to long to get to day 16, but that's probably my play style. You can sleep through most of the days, but if you don't train you will be defeated rather quickly. But still. In one day I was able to max out my dodge skill that was in it 40's when I imported the character and ending the game the lowest skill was agility with 160 or something like that. Of course the genie actually allowed you to have 2 skills at 250, but I only got one over 200 and that was strength since that is a skill that easily falls behind and still is important due to how much you can carry, max health and stamina. And leveling up the spells are chore. You don't have an instant mana refill unless you finish the magic games, but you need around 75-100 mana for a match. Lucky those games still exist though since they take care of 7 of the 10 spells in the game. At least I'm ready to level them up next game with 39 mana pills to bring over. The thing is, the 16 days is probably more for those starting from scratch to even have a chance to succeed these trails. Maybe I should bring over a fighter and a thief before starting Quest for Glory III: Wages of War? Just to see the other perspectives.
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