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The
land of Khantun is devastated and lies in ruins. Since
that dark day when Kaimen stole the Orb of Celestial
Harmony, the forces of dissolution inherent to the land
have reigned supreme. Unseasonable rain and drought
plague the land, perhaps a natural reaction to the presence
of the Orb in the material planes of Earth, Water, Air
and Fire.
However,
there is a champion who could possibly end these dark
days and restore the peace and tranquillity . . . you!
Under the guidance of Moebius the Monk, the player's
character journeys to the Fire plane to seek out and
finally destroy Kaimen.
Before
the quest is undertaken there's an option to create,
destroy or examine a character. Up to seven adventurous
persons are stored at one time, and any of these can
be chosen to go forth.
The
combat screen in Moebius -- Barbarian
it ain't
There
is also the option to select training mode, which allows
a newly created character to increase his energy and
abilities. The first part of training is a sparring
session with a palace guard or an assassin, using either
bare hands or swordplay. There are 12 actions, controlled
via the keyboard, which include a series of kicks and
punches, as well as walking and avoiding moves. The
contest's rules are simple: the first combatant to lose
all his body energy loses.
The
next part of training is divination. This involves keeping
an excited spirit inside the confines of a square for
an allotted time by controlling it with predefined keys.
The result of this spiritual exercise defines your initial
mental energy. Training is crucial, as only through
its successful completion may the quest for the Orb
proceed.
The
digitised countenance of Moebius
The
material planes in which the character travels are (in
order): Earth. Water, Air and Fire. The character is
depicted as a rectangular Ninja-style head and shoulders
whose movements across the terrain are again controlled
by pre-defined keys. Objects, including water, trees,
rocks and vegetation hinder progress, although some
may be overcome if the correct weapon is held. For example,
the sword cuts a path through vegetation and the hammer
smashes through rocks. Animal life, be it good or evil,
are other obstacles to overcome.
At
any time during the wanderings, pressing the F1 key
pauses the action and allows entry to the options menu.
This allows the character to complete a specific action,
including view, communicate, magic, get and quit/restart.
Communicating with the locals is only successful if
the character is empty handed, as they become fearful
and call for a guard. Any weapons carried by the adversaries
become the characters' when he has defeated them. Other
objects are also dropped when an attacker dies, and
the character is given the option to take or leave them.
Magic
is an essential weapon to master if the enemies are
to be found and defeated, and much magical experience
is to be found along the route to the Orb. When the
character completes a successful task, Moebius appears
and utters words of encouragement which increase the
character's mind and body power -- and this is essential
if Karmen is to be defeated.
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