Spear of Destiny (computer game)
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| Spear of Destiny | |
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| Developer(s) | id Software |
| Publisher(s) | FormGen Corporation |
| Engine | Wolfenstein 3D |
| Release date(s) | September 18, 1992 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Media | 3 720k Floppy Disks, CD (1) |
Spear of Destiny, often also called Spear, Wolfenstein: Spear of Destiny or just SoD, was first published on September 18, 1992 by FormGen Corporation and is the prequel to id Software's first person shooter Wolfenstein 3D. In this game, like in Wolfenstein 3D, the player assumes the role of allied spy B.J. Blazkowicz, on a mission trying to recapture the Spear of Destiny from the Nazis after it was stolen from Versailles.
The game consists of one 21-level episode, 19 of which need to be completed in order to win the game; graphics, gameplay, etc., are very similar to those of Wolfenstein 3D. The game's levels can be divided into four blocks ("Tunnels", "Dungeons", "Castle", and "Ramparts"), each ending with the player having to defeat a "boss" in the final level. After defeating the boss in level 18, the player could obtain the Spear of Destiny and proceed to defeat a last boss, the Angel of Death, on the game's 21st level. The remaining two levels of the game were secret levels that could be accessed from within the first 17 levels. Unlike Wolfenstein 3D, the game did not include a shareware version; however, a 2-level playable demo was distributed.
Enemies that players have to face include Nazi soldiers and officers, attack dogs and mutants with built-in machine guns.
Two further missions for Spear of Destiny, titled "Return to Danger" and "Ultimate Challenge" were also created and published by FormGen Cooperation in May 1994; these are collectively known as the "lost episodes", due to the fact that even their existence is not widely known. Each of these, too, consists of 21 levels, with a layout similar to that detailed above; they introduced some new graphics to Spear of Destiny, but are otherwise mostly a collection of more levels for the game. A CD version containing all three episodes, titled the "Spear of Destiny Super CD Package", was also released in late 1994.
The source code to Spear of Destiny was released in 1999 and ports to other platforms like Linux were made through the already available Wolfenstein 3D source ports.
[edit] Bosses
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Trans Grosse - He's the brother of Hans and Gretel, and just as wicked. He carries dual chainguns.
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Barnacle Wilhelm - A top official in Hitler's scheme of obtaining the power of the Spear of Destiny. After infiltrating his lair, you must stop him from helping Hitler gain control. Similar to General Fettgesicht, he sports a chain gun and a missile launcher, making him a deadly opponent to tangle with.
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Ubermutant - The greatest and most deadly of all of the creations of Dr. Schabbs. He's Dr. Schabbs' most powerful creation and he's a killing machine. He's got a chest mounted chain gun as well as numerous sharp edged cleavers. He's also extremely swift.
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Death Knight - An extremely dangerous opponent, he guards the Spear of Destiny. He carries dual chain guns and twin shoulder mounted rocket launchers, as well as wearing a special eyepiece to help aim his missiles. He is the most difficult boss in the entire Wolfenstein series.
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Angel of Death - After seizing the Spear of Destiny, you are transported to a hellish arena where you face the Angel of Death, a monstrous entity who guards the Spear. He is the final Boss in this game and his green projectile blasts are very powerful.
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[edit] External links
- Official Spear of Destiny website
- Wolfenstein 3D Archive, has a section on Spear of Destiny
- Icculus.org/Wolf3D
- WolfGL, an open source OpenGL port of Wolfenstein 3D
- The "Spear/Lost Episodes" Maps
