Software:Conan: The Mysteries of Time
| Conan | |
|---|---|
 Cover art (NES) | |
| Developer(s) | Mindscape |
| Publisher(s) | Mindscape |
| Composer(s) | Nick Eastridge |
| Platform(s) | NES |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Conan (also known as Conan: The Mysteries of Time) is a side-scrolling action video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System released in 1991. It was developed and published by Mindscape. While it features the Conan the Barbarian character, it is a simple adaptation of a computer game called Myth, which was developed by System 3.[1]
Gameplay
One night, the titular Conan, who seeks the throne of Aquilonia, is informed of a legend by a mysterious old man named Nemonios popping out of a campfire; there are Four Urns of the kingdom's Early Kings have vanished from their location in the Crypt of Cahalla, and that whoever returns these Urns shall gain the throne.[2]
Conan is an action-adventure video game that lasts six levels:[3] the Catacombs of Belveras,[4] the Ruins of Ry-leeh in Brythunia,[4] Kordavo at the "mouth" of the Black River,[5] the Forests of Asgard,[5] the Sky Castle of Vanaheim, and the Tombs of Zamboula, the location of the four Urns.[5] It is also a puzzle game, as the player has to figure out the hidden locations of special weapons to complete bosses;[3][6] info about the items are in the game's instruction manual, except for the location.[6]
Reception
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Critical reviews for Conan were mixed-to-negative; Skyler Miller of AllGame called it one of the worst NES titles ever,[7] the author of Video Game Bible, 1985–2002, Andy Slaven, labeled it "platform gaming at its worst,"[9] and Game Players journalist Jeff Lundrigan described it as an interesting "combat puzzle" gameplay idea marred by poor execution.[6]
The difficulty was frequently criticized, with reviewers claiming that it's near impossible to get past the first level[8][7] and beat the game without cheat codes.[1] Lundrigan noted that while the character jumps in the air, his movement stops when hit by an enemy, leading to instant kills as a result of falling in bottomless pits.[6] Brett Weiss wrote the player had to work with "pitiful, sluggish attacks (including short-range punches, limp swordsmanship, and hard-to-execute jump kicks)."[1]
Reviews, even a positive one from GamePro also attributed the difficulty to the awkward controls, criticizing decisions of pressing down to jump[8][7][6] and having to push both an A-or-B button and the D-pad to perform movements like ducking.[3] The backgrounds were also dismissed as bland.[8][7]
Notes
References
Citations
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Weiss, Brett (2012). Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland. ISBN 9781476601410. https://books.google.com/books?id=F01wiUr9LKQC&q=catacombs+and+belveras&pg=PT184. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ↑ Instruction manual 1990, pp. 5–9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Missing Link (August 1991). "Conan". GamePro (25): 20.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Instruction manual 1990, p. 10.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Instruction manual 1990, p. 11.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lundrigan, Jeff (July 1991). "Conan". Game Players (25): 79.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Miller, Skyler. "Conan". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14782&tab=review.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "RETRO REVIEW: Conan – The Mysteries of Time". Exposed. August 19, 2015. https://www.exposedmagazine.co.uk/gaming/review-conan/.
- ↑ Slaven, Andy (2002). Video Game Bible, 1985-2002. Trafford. p. 100. ISBN 9781553697312. https://books.google.com/books?id=PnPRd6QwvbQC&dq=conan+%22Video+game+bible%22&pg=PA100. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
Bibliography
- Conan instruction manual. Mindscape. 1990. pp. 1–19.
External links
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