Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness
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| Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness | |
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| Developer(s) | Sierra |
| Publisher(s) | Sierra |
| Designer(s) | Lori Ann Cole, Corey Cole |
| Release date(s) | 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game/CRPG (hybrid) |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Kids to Adults (K-A) |
| Platform(s) | PC: DOS, Windows |
| Media | Floppy disk, CD |
| Input | Computer keyboard, computer mouse |
Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness is an adventure game/role-playing game hybrid. It is the fourth installment of the Quest for Glory computer game series by Sierra Entertainment.
Drawn without warning from victory in Tarna, the Hero arrives without equipment or explanation in the middle of the hazardous Dark Caves in the distant land of Mordavia. Upon escaping from the closing cave mouth, he meets a mysterious young woman named Katrina who assists him again several times in his journey. He encounters several old foes, including the not-quite-dead Ad Avis and the ogress Baba Yaga, and makes several bizarre new allies. The Hero is ultimately coerced into assisting Ad Avis' Dark Master in collecting the Dark Rituals that will awaken Avoozl the Dark One (an obvious Cthulhu pastiche, and most likely a reference to the Slavic deity Chernobog) from his slumber underneath the Dark Caves. Naturally, the Hero is freed from this control and thwarts their plan, destroying Ad Avis in the process. During the celebration of the Hero's somewhat pyrrhic victory, the wizard Erasmus appears, summoning the Hero to the land of Silmaria.
Quest for Glory IV is easily the darkest of the game series with its dark cult and numerous undead and Lovecraftian monsters. The floppy disk version is notorious for having many in-game bugs, but a patch was eventually released. Sierra also released a CD-ROM version of the game that had the same patch already applied. The soundtrack, made by Aubrey Hodges, was largely original although it included a reprise of the hero's theme, and a version of Anitra's Dance by Edvard Grieg provided the background music at the Mordavian Inn. This was also the first game in the series to feature voice actors, and John Rhys-Davies provided the voice for the narrator.
A particularly detailed sequence in the game involved the Gypsy Magda gathering information about the hero's future and his possible enemies or allies using a deck of Tarot cards. The images used for the game were taken from the Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg[1], a Rider-Waite-Smith clone deck, and the layout used appears to be unique to the game.
Those attempting to run the game on modern day computers will likely encounter the infamous "Error 52" and other bugs that will prevent them from finishing the game. The bugs can be dealt with via the use of a CPU slowdown program, or one of the unofficial patches for Sierra classic quests (in the External links section). Another solution to this bug is to run the game in a Windows 95 or DOS emulator (such as DOSBox).
[edit] External links
- Unofficial patches to the games made in SCI (QG1 remake, QG3 and QG4)
- Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness at the Internet Movie Database
- Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness at MobyGames
| Game | Characters | Location in Glorianna |
| Quest for Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero |
Abdulla Doo (The Robbed Merchant), Amelia Appleberry (The Healer), Antwerp (The Bouncing Blob), Baba Yaga (The Evil Witch), Barnard von Spielburg (The Baronet), Bonehead (Gatekeeper Skull), Boris (Fencer of Stolen Goods), Brauggi (The Ice Giant), Bruno (The Thief at the Town Gate), Brutus (Key Carrying Brigand), Chief Thief (Thieves Guild Master), Crusher (Goon Tavern Thug), Damiano (Zara's Bat-Like Familiar), Dryad (The Tree Woman), Elsa von Spielburg (The Brigand Leader), Erana (The Spirit of All That is Good), Erasmus (The Wizard), Fairies (Ring of Mushrooms Pixies), Fenrus (Erasmus' Rodent Familiar), Heinrich Pferdefedern (The Centaur Farmer), Henry the Hermit ('Enry the 'Ermit), The Hero (YOU), Hilde Pferdefedern (The Farmer's Daughter), Karl (The Castle Gatekeeper), Kaspar (The Dry Goods Store Clerk), Kobold Magic User (The Baronet's Captor), Meeps (Including the Green Meep), Otto von Goon (The Sheriff's Right-Hand Goon), Sam (The Beggar), Shameen (The Katta Innkeeper), Shema (The Katta Waitress), Shultz Meistersson (The Sheriff), Stefan von Spielburg (The Baron), Toro (The Minotaur), Weapon Master (The Castle Swordsman), Wolfgang Abenteuer (The Adventurer's Guild Master), Yorick (The Brigand Warlock) & Zara (The Magic Shop Owner) |
Spielburg |
| Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire |
Abdulla Doo (Your Friend From Spielburg), Abu al-Njun (The Astrologer), Ad Avis (The Evil Sorcerer), Al Scurva (The Caged Beast), Ali Chica (Map Selling Chico Marx), Ali Fakir (Saurus Selling Groucho Marx), Arus Al-din (The Saurus Turned Emir), Aziza (The Enchantress), Dervish (Bearded Oasis Hermit), Dinarzad (The Money Changer), Djinni (The Genie), Element Wizards (Earth, Air, Wind & Fire), Erana (The Good Sorceress in WIT), Erasmus (The Wizard in WIT), Harik Attar (From the Apothecary), The Hero (YOU), Issur (Weapon's Shop Strongman), Ja'afar (Omar's Translator), Julanar (Enchanted Woman in the Tree), Keapon Laffin (Humorous Magic Shop Owner), Khaveen (Military Head of Rasier), Mayzun (Guardian of Zayishah), Omar (Sultan Harun Al-Rashid Disguised as a Poet), Rakeesh Sah Tarna (The Paladin Liontaur), Shameen (The Katta Innkeeper), Shema (The Katta Waitress & Dancer), Sharaf (The Captured Katta), Signor Ferrari (Rasier's Chief Thief), Simba (Uhura's Baby), Ugarte (Ferrari's Henchman), Uhura (The Adventurer's Guild Master), Walid (EOF Thug) & Zayishah (The Emir's Daughter) |
Raseir & Shapeir |
| Quest for Glory III: Wages of War |
Ad Avis (The Evil Sorcerer), Arne Saknoosen (Aardvark Earth Pig Adventurer), Aziza (The Enchantress in Shapeir), Demon Wizard (The Evil Master), Harami (The Dishonored Thief), The Hero (YOU), Jana Jamil (Tarna's Welcome Inn Waitress), Johari (Your Leopard Woman Wife), Kalb (Meat Selling Dog-Man), Khatib Mukar'ram (Survivor of the Peace Mission), Kreesha (Rakeesh's Magical Partner), Laibon (Leader of the Simbani), Manu (Friendly Talking Monkey), Rajah Sah Tarna (King of Tarna), Rakeesh Sah Tarna (The Paladin Liontaur), Reeshaka (Rakeesh & Kreesha's Daughter), Salim Nafs (Far Out Herbalistic Healer), Shallah (Shema & Shameen's Nephew), Simba (Uhura's Baby), Uhura (Simbani Warrior & Mother) & Yesufu (Simbani Warrior & Friend) |
Tarna in Fricana |
| Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness |
Ad Avis (The Evil Sorcerer), Anna (Lost Spirit), Avoozl (The Dark One), Baba Yaga (The Evil Witch), Bonehead (Gatekeeper Skull), Boris Stovich (Gatekeeper), Dmitri Ivanov (Burgomeister), Dr. Cranium, Erana (The Good Sorceress), Erasmus (The Wizard), Fenrus (Erasmus' Rodent Familiar), Gypsy Dave, The Hero (YOU), Katrina, Olga (Shop owner), Piotyr (Paladin), Punny Bones (Down and out jester), Tatiana, Rusalki & Toby |
Mordavia |
| Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire |
Ann Agrama (Gnome innkeeper), Arestes, Bruno, Elsa von Spielburg, Erana, Fenrus, Faldor, Gort, Julanar, Katrina, Kokeeno Pookameeso, Logos, Magnum Opus, Minos, Rakeesh, Shakra, Signor Ferrari, Salim Nafs, Toro & Ugarte |
Silmaria in Marete |
