OBITUS -------- Obitus is a gripping combination of RPG and arcade action. It places you in the role of Wil Mason as he finds himself mysteriously transported to Middlemere: a world of knights, trolls, dungeons, castles, wizards, princesses.... and death. This world, although not his own, is disturbingly familiar, and it is one from which he must escape. As Wil explores the four shires of Middlemere, he interacts with indigneous characters and objects in an effort to discover where he is and how he can get out. THE LAND THAT REMEMBERED TIME ----------------------------- Middlemere was a prosperous land. It thrived under the rule of King Cirkassia, its people were happy and everything in the garden seemed rosy. But even though the king was pleased with his empire and for his subjects, he was not a happy man. He craved children; an heir to the throne, someone to watch over the kingdom he had so proudly build and skillfully cultivated. Unfortunately, he coveted a son so badly that it was to be the undoing of his prosperour dynasty. Deep in the bowels of Castle Drakehurst, DomaKk the dark wizard worked his wicked ways. He hated to see a thriving land and so plotted to bring King Cirkassia's domain crashing down. The news that the king craved children was just the opportunity DomaKk had been waiting for. He visited the king in the guise of a human being and most loyal subject, and, spouting incantations around the throneroom, promised Cirkassia a wife and heirs. The king was dubious but at the same time joyfully expectant. DomaKk kept his wicked word and he 'fashioned' a romantic encounter for the king. The ensuing marriage was a spectacular affair the like of which Middlemere had never seen before. Cirkassia became the proud father of four sons. However, as the boys grew, the envious trait evoked into them by DomaKk grew also. They learned to hate one another. In fact, they detested each other so much that when eventually the king passed away the brothers began warring for possession of the land. None gained from the conflict and Middlemere was torn asunder, poverty and degradation was the result. The war continued for years, there seemed no end in sight. Meanwhile, DomaKk smiled and left for another temporal plane in which to cause havoc. Then, one day, as if by magic, a strange contraption appeared in the exact centre of Middlemere. Dread of the strange machine quickly spread and the four warlords cowered in their castles for fear of retribution. But nothing happened, the machine merelyt existed. Eventually the more learned of the land realised the machine was no threat, in fact the warlords themselves saw potential in it. individualy the four brothers visited the machine and took parts of it away. Each now in possession of a section of the machine, they discovered that ruling became easier as their subjects were so afraid of the strange contraption: those who held it, held power. Soon the warring ceased and a truce was signed. The remains of the machine were securely stored and the lords divided Middlemere equally into four shires. They were suddenly and strangely content to rule one quarter of the land each, although the shires remained heavily patrolled... just in case. A RAINY NIGHT IN MIDDLEMERE --------------------------- Wil Mason cruises safely through the winding roads of Middlemere towards home. Night driving in the country is so much easier that in suburbia. Stree lights dazzle and neons give him a headache, out here there's nothing to worry about but foxes and the odd farmer Ted. This rain doesn't help much though. He tries to remember the last time it was so heavy. His first and last holiday in Snowdonia probably, it's always chucking it down there. As the road gets narrower, Wil eases his foot off the accelerator to reduce his speed to better suit the conditions. The surrounding darkness, the rhythmic droning of the wipers and the splattering of the rain on the car combine to lull Wil into a relaxed state of mind. Something he's quite willing to give in to; anything to counter the stress of the last couple of hours. Trying to lecture medieval history to an uncaring group of 'mature students' is not the most rewarding of experiences. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he didn't feel so passionately for the subject himself. Soon be home... His Volvo estate is built for safety. Perhaps it is due to this sense of security together with his deep thoughts and the poor visibility that Wil fails to notice the branch in the road until the last minute. Snapping out of his musings, Wil overreacts and swerves madly to avoid hitting the branch... he succeeds and careers into the ditch. Slightly stunned, Wil quells a burst of anger as he attempts to restart his seemingly undamaged vehicle and fails. For some minutes he continues to turn the key only to hear a progressively less health battery struggling to bring the engine to life. Accepting the inevitable, Wil grabs his mac from the back seat and struggles to put it on. Slapping his hat on his head, he leaves the relative comfort of his car to face the now torrential rain. Knowing much of things historic and nothing of mechanics, Wil doesn't even consider opening the bonnet but instead heads off in to the darkness to find help. Spending the night in his car does not appeal. He splashes along the road for some twenty minutes. There is no sign of life, no sound but for the wind and rain. Then, off the road to his left, he sees a flickering light. Scrambling over the fence he heads towards it. Strangely the light gets no nearer. Cold and wet, Wil considers turning back for the road when he comes across a crumbling structure. Curiosity takes him closer. The building is a tower, a very old one that, due to decay, has lost some of its height. Four doors lead in to the tower, one of which is ajar. Wil enters. Closing the door behind him Wil finds himself in a suprisingly cosy, circular room with, thankfully, a watertight ceiling. Removing his sodden mac, he sits on the dry floor and assesses his situation. The sound of the wind and the rain is pleasant from within the sanctuary of the tower... a wave of tiredness flows over Wil. Sleep soon follows. He wakes to the sound of birds. The rain has stopped. Looking around he is supprised to find his mac... gone! In fact his whole attire has changed. His surroundings looks the same, a little cleaner perhaps and the four doors look a little less worm ridden, but he's definately still in the same tower. An attempt to open the doors confirms his worst fears: all four are jammed... or locked! Puzzlement, concern then panic washes over Wil as he shouts at the tower and attacks the four doors in an attempt to escape. Eventually, worn out, he sits and thinks... sleep comes again. Wil has no idea how long he slept but he wakes with a resolve to discover what's happened to him, where he is and how he can get home. The first thing to do is get out of this damn tower... Is that a key on the floor? THE GAME -------- You play the part of Wil Mason as he strives to learn of his whereabouts, find his way out of Middlemere and hopefully get back home. Obitus is made up of differing scenarios in which you need to interact and/or communicate with indigenous characters and objects if you are to succeed. MAZE SECTIONS ------------- The game has many maze sections which utilise incredibly smooth forward-scrolling techniques to portray your first-person-perspective movement. Items and characters encountered in these sections are interacted with via the icons at the base of the screen. PARALLAX SECTIONS ----------------- You run left or right across amazingly detailed parallax screens, shooting - with selected weapon - or avoiding adversaries bent on preventing your progress. Beware for they conceal themselves well! INTERIOR SECTIONS ----------------- A combination of the above two sections. Interiors enable you to explore castles, abbeys and churches during your quest for escape. Interaction with characters is possible either via the icons at the base of the screen or by using whatever weapon you're currently carrying (press fire on joystick) Objects are manipulated using icons. Characters to meet in Obitus include: trolls, slaves, soldiers, knights, mages, wolves, rogues, impalers and wizards. In-game objects include: gems, torches, weapons, arrows, daggers, riches, talismans, chalices, spells, GemStones, keys, food and strength potions. INSTRUCTIONS ------------ Mouse: The mouse directs your hand-shaped pointer to icons or objects on-screen, click to activate. MAZE SECTIONS: Joystick: Forward Walk Forward Back Walk Backwards Left Turn Left Right Turn Right PARALLAX SECTIONS: Up Jump Down Crouch Left Run Left Right Run Right Left Diagonal Jump Left Right Diagonal Jump Right Fire & Down Weapon Select Fire & Right Move 'weapon select' Right Fire Use Weapon INTERIOR SECTIONS: Joystick: Up Run into screen Down Run out of screen Left Run left Right Run right Fire Activate weapon End.............