Amaranth Games
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Amaranth Games is an independent game developing company, specializing in role-playing games. It is owned and operated by Amanda Fitch. The first game was the freeware game Gaea Fallen, followed by Ahriman's Prophecy, Aveyond I: Rhen's Quest, Grimms' Hatchery and the recently released Aveyond II: Ean's Quest.[1]
The name "Amaranth" is a reference to the flower (also called chrusanthemon and elichrusos), which was a symbol of immortality in ancient Greece.
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[edit] Ahriman’s Prophecy
| Ahriman's Prophecy | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Publisher(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Designer(s) | Amanda Fitch |
| Series | Aveyond |
| Engine | RPG Maker 2003 |
| Platform(s) | Windows 98+ |
| Release date | 7 March 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Computer role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-Player |
| Media | Internet download |
| System requirements | 300MHz Processor, 128MB RAM, DirectX 5.0 or higher |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
Ahriman's Prophecy is a freeware adventure game. The game proved so good with gamers that Fitch decided to develop games full-time as a career.[1]
[edit] Plot
Ahriman's Prophecy, the first of the series, starts as a young girl, Talia Maurva, is sent to be "named", a ritual set up by the people of her village to determine the profession of their adult life, although the seer the children were sent to was not too keen about the job pressed upon her. Destiny changes for Talia, who, when looking into the seer’s pool, sees a dark ceremony by the younger prince of a nearby kingdom, Candar. He and his dark priest were attempting to resurrect the dead warlock emperor, Ahriman, whose history in battle and warfare is legendary. The seer, sensing that Talia is different, sends her and her escort to the mainland where a school of magic, in the city of Thais. Devin Perry, a friend of Talia's, agrees to escort her to the mainland. Just after she completes her training three years later, Talia is summoned into a dream by her headmaster and a high priestess of the dreamland. They want her to slip across the continent to warn another order of priestesses that Ahriman is being resurrected, and the prophecy that surrounded his resurrection must be stopped before the thirteenth moon. Confused and disorientated, Talia nevertheless sets out on a journey that seems to pave the way to some peace.
Talia and Devin set off to find the Dyuti Priestesses. Upon arrival, however, they find out that the place has been completely destroyed. A letter in a dead priestess's hand tells them to warn Seafall Shrine of the events.
When they get to that other shrine, the head priestess tells them that "the answer lies below". "Below", or the Underworld, where Awhren gives the newborn heroes the Death Relic and tells them that the only way to defeat Ahriman is to find all six relics and combine them into one powerful stone called Agea. This mystical rock was split after it was proven too powerful and dangerous.
Talia gathers the Relics, but as she tries to reform it again, she almost gets foiled by the Prince. However, the heroes eventually beat Ahriman... or so it seems.
[edit] Characters
- Talia Maurva, the Magick Wielder
Peasant girl from a small island village called Elden. Her aspiration in life is to become a herbalist. Fate takes Talia in another direction. She later learns she is a powerful magick wielder who is destined to stop the Ahriman Prophecy.
- Devin Perry, the Knight
Blacksmith journeyman from Elden who dreams of becoming a knight. When Devin learns Talia must embark on a dangerous quest, he is the only villager to step forward and offer her protection on her journey.
- Alicia Pendragon, the Princess
Rude Thais princess who’s aspiration is to avoid her courtly duty... to get married to a prince, live happily ever after, and have a litter of children. Although she is demanding and has little respect for commoners, she is a gifted swordswoman who dreams of becoming a mercenary.
- Jack, the Thief
Young sneaky thief who has lived on the streets of Thais for his short, miserable life. Although he is weak, he is gifted at picking locks and pockets
- Frederick le Mew, the Shapechanger
Apprentice shapechanger from a secluded village run by animals. Frederick is tired of his shapechanging classes and wishes to learn how to turn into some creature other than a chicken.
- Haddan Albardk, the Mercenary
Veteran mercenary who cares little for the woes of the world. Although this dwarf is small, he is incredibly strong. For the right price, he will provide mercenary services.[2]
[edit] Aveyond I: Rhen’s Quest
| Aveyond I: Rhen's Quest | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Publisher(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Designer(s) | Amanda Fitch |
| Series | Aveyond |
| Engine | RPG Maker XP |
| Platform(s) | Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP |
| Release date | 10 January 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Computer role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-Player |
| Media | Internet download, CD-ROM |
| System requirements | 300MHz Processor, 256MB RAM, DirectX 8.0 |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
The sequel to Ahriman's Prophecy, this game features a different map from its prequel except for two islands (see Backstory).
[edit] Backstory
(Between Ahriman's Prophecy and Aveyond I)
Sixteen years prior to Aveyond I: Rhen’s Quest, the forces of the demon Ahriman destroyed and sunk most of the surrounding areas and isles around Thais. This was because Alicia Pendragon, queen of Thais, was foretold to give birth to a child who would defeat a great demon and save the city if she reached adulthood. It was the foretelling of this birth that Ahriman wanted Thais destroyed. Tailor Darzon, a young but trusted general of Thais, offered to take the child to a safe place and raise her where the demon would not find her. As Thais and the queen fell, Tailor fled the kingdom with the child and escaped across the ocean to the Western Isle. He almost didn't make it, but Talia Maurva, the Druid of Dreams, saved their lives. Tailor settled in the small mountain village of Clearwater.
[edit] Plot
When the game starts, the protagonist, Rhen, gets teleported in what is thought to be a part of the Dreamland. A priestess, barely alive after the daeva Agas attacked her, is quickly brought back through the portal to Clearwater. Her thousand questions were only partially answered by the stranger, who didn’t know what to tell her after all this time. Unfortunately, before she knew more, a case of mistaken identity causes Rhen, instead of the priestess, to be kidnapped by a slave trader and she was sold to a family residing on the Eastern Isle, an ocean away from Clearwater.
This slave trader was, in fact, employed by Ahriman’s newest lieutenant, the sun priest Dameon Maurva. A long and bitter family history prompts Dameon to forsake his duty as the Druid of Light to serve Ahriman, as his father, the previous Druid of Light, had. When they found out about the slave trader’s mistake, Ahriman had the Dark Seer Indra read Rhen’s apocalypse. He learns then, that this child will destroy him, but he couldn't kill her or he will also be destroyed. So, he sends his minions to find her and turn her to his side, as Indra proclaimed.
Meanwhile, Rhen was found to have a great aptitude for sword magic, and was released from slavery and sent to the eastern capital city to learn the art of sword singing. After she was raised to a novice, however, she reunites with the priestess, who was actually Talia, who tells her that she must reunite all eight druids of the world so that an artifact of great importance could be revealed, and that it was her destiny to finally vanquish Ahriman once and for all. Along her journey, Rhen will discover secrets about her past and will have to make decisions that will determine the direction of her future as well as the fate of the world.
[edit] Characters
- Rhen Darzon, the Sword Singer
Peasant girl from a small mountain village called Clearwater. She is captured and sold as a slave in Ghalarah to Mistress Rona Tenobor, but is freed when it is discovered she can learn sword magic and become a sword singer.
- Lars Tenobor, the Sorcerer
Mean-spirited noble boy who is from the eastern city Ghalarah. He is the son of Mistress Rona Tenobor who owns Rhen. In the city, it is well known that Lars can learn magic and is going to become a sorcerer. When he learns that Rhen is going to attend his school and become a sword singer, he sets out to make her life miserable.
- Dameon Maurva, the Sun Priest
Young, powerful sun priest who has turned away from the light. He joins Rhen and attempts to lure her into his evil master’s grasp but eventually grew to love her.
- Elinidana'ter'Lithir de Aramati, the Summoner
Exotic demon summoner who is from a southern city called Veldt. She has three husbands, but has left her city to find a new husband to add to her collection
- Galahad Teomes, the Paladin
Royal paladin who sees the world in black and white. He is convinced that magic does not exist and joins the party because he thinks Rhen must be protected from the forces of evil, which includes the vampress, Te’ijal.
- Tei'jal Ravenfoot, the Vampress
Vampress who has the desire to leave her midnight village and see the surface. She has a mean bite and an unhealthy appetite for pure-hearted paladins.
- Pirate John, the Pirate
Randy pirate who is good at getting in trouble. In his earlier days, he was a daring dragon rider for the empire of Veldt, but left to escape a Veldt woman with four husbands.
- Mad Marge, the Bar Maid
Tough tavern owner with a short temper. She is as big as a horse and as mean as a bear with a sore tooth.
[edit] Music Soundtrack
The soundtrack was written and recorded by Aaron Walz of Walz Music. The score features many recorded symphonic instruments, a rare feature for an independent game. The soundtrack won Game Tunnel's Game of the Year: Sound award for 2006[3].
[edit] Reception
Independent gaming website Game Tunnel awarded Aveyond their Game of the Month and Gold Award in March 2006[4].
| Publication | Response |
|---|---|
| Ace Gamez | 9/10[5] |
| Gamezebo | 3.5/5[6] |
| Game Plasma | 8/10[7] |
| Netjak | 5.1/10[8] |
| Quandary | 4/5[9] |
| RPGFan | 83%[10] |
It is often pointed out (especially in the French gaming community) that Aveyond is the first RPG Maker XP game to be actually sold.
[edit] Grimm’s Hatchery
| Grimm's Hatchery | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Publisher(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Designer(s) | Amanda Fitch |
| Platform(s) | Windows 98+ |
| Release date | February 2007 |
| Mode(s) | Single-Player |
| Media | Internet download |
| System requirements | 500MHz Processor, 256MB RAM, DirectX 8.0, 3D accelerated video card with OpenGL or D3D support |
| Input methods | Mouse |
[edit] Gameplay
Players control an unnamed prince, whose mother was queen of the Candar Kingdom (see Ahriman's Prophecy above). Control of the kingdom passed to the player-character's stepfather, who has since died as well and left the Candar Kingdom to his evil son, Lord Boras. However, the king stipulated in his will that if the player earns a defined amount of gold coins in some amount of days running his hatch business, they can remove Lord Boras out, and take the castle for themselves.[11]
The method of acquiring money is to run farms and breed magical pets, selling the eggs produced by the livestock or hatch pets themselves. This takes place in a number of locations called hatcheries, which consist of a single screen where all of the player's livestock are visible. Each time the player uses an in-game day, the game-proper begins. All pets are visible in the hatchery, where for a limited time the player must feed them, collect eggs and destroy the enemies which appear and try to kill the pets. This is all accomplished by clicking the mouse. Pets left hungry or poisoned for too long perish, both food and medicine must be purchased by the player in-between action sequences.[12]
At the end of each day, the player can navigate static screens which make up the gameworld, in order to obtain quests, sell eggs and/or pets, gain access to new hatcheries and areas and to gossip with non-player characters. Certain pets require more expensive hatcheries in order to be farmed (each pet is attached to one hatchery). Players can attempt to hatch eggs in order to produce pets, which are more valuable than eggs and can be used at hatcheries to generate more eggs. This is a form of gambling, since eggs which do not hatch are destroyed; whether an egg hatches or not is random.[12]
[edit] Reception
Grimm's Hatchery received a positive though not ecstatic response from the indie gaming community. The game has been praised for the depth of its fantasy setting, set in the same universe as the Aveyond series.[11] John Bardinelli of Game Tunnel described it as "a lush, fantasy-style setting that draws you into the game",[13] Casual Review's Nick Kojima stated "like Aveyond, it has a warm happy vibe in a fantasy setting that is strangely compelling".[12]
The action aspects of the game are nevertheless widely regarded as repetitive, Mike Hommel of Game Tunnel said "it's extremely repetitive - every time it's click on eggs, click on hungry pets, click until your fingers bleed on angry monsters that always come from the same spot".[13] Marc Saltzman from Gamezebo agreed, "game-play can get monotonous over time".[11]
[edit] Aveyond II: Ean’s Quest
| Aveyond II: Ean's Quest | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Publisher(s) | Amaranth Games |
| Designer(s) | Amanda Fitch |
| Series | Aveyond |
| Engine | RPG Maker XP |
| Platform(s) | Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows Vista |
| Release date | 5 December 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Computer role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-Player |
| Media | Internet download |
| System requirements | 300MHz Processor, 256MB RAM, DirectX 8.0 |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse |
Combining and improving on the gameplay of its prequels, Ahriman's Prophecy and Aveyond I, including a few returning characters, both main and cameo, Aveyond II: Ean's Quest is a virtual treasure trove.
[edit] Plot
Ean (a male changeling[14]) and Iya (a female song mage[14]) are two young elves who live in a far away place called the Vale. One day, Ean wakes up to find that Iya, his best friend, is mysteriously missing and that no one remembers who she is. A very strange thing has also occurred... snow has fallen in the Vale. Ean sets out on a quest to find his missing friend; a quest that will take him away from his beloved home to the mainland below. On his quest, Ean will find that dear Iya has been swept away by the Snow Queen (who last appeared in Aveyond I: Rhen’s Quest), and that her heart is slowly turning to ice. Ean must save his friend and Iya must learn to control her wild powers that the Snow Queen desires for herself. The fate of Ean and Iya is the key to defeating the Snow Queen's terrible plot to cover the world in ice.[1]
[edit] Characters
- Ean Okho, the Shapeling
Ean, a young elf who is learning how to become a forager in Elfwood, is small and thinks he isn't strong. His best friend, Iya, whom he has known all his life, disagrees. When Iya disappears, he must brave entering the Land of Man to search for her.
- Iya Tiki, the Singer
Iya, Ean's best friend, is a young elf interested in forest magic. She greatly desires to become a respected singer in the Vale, carrying on her mother's and grandmothers' heritage. In previous attempts Iya has failed the singing test, and when she falters again, she is distraught and considers herself a complete failure. The night following the test something wondrous yet strange happens, and Iya disappears.
- Rye Zoyle, the Ranger
Rye, a quiet lad with a good hand for a bow, spends most of his time in the forest. He feels more comfortable there with the forest animals than with the villagers in Ryva. He has recently grown tired of Ryva and wants to leave and explore the world.
- Nicolas Pendragon, the White Mage
Nicolas, the younger brother of Prince Uthar, is a young man caught up in his looks and titles. He is a powerful but arrogant healer, who willingly uses his skills to help nobility, but scoffs at helping dirty peasants. He absolutely detests witches, and refuses to be in any group containing one. He is the great-grandson of Rhen Pendragon.
- Gavin Morven, the Warlock
Gavin, a warlock, is very good at magic. In his village of Bogwood, all of the witches are in love with him, which he finds quite funny but tiresome. He has a wicked sense of humor and he is a little diabolical. Gavin dislikes nobility and will not travel with Nicolas.
- Emma Willow, the Fighter
Emma, who has been a servant for several years in the city of Candar, loves sword fighting and desperately wants to attend the School of War and Magic in Thais. A brave and determined girl, she likes to perfect everything that she learns.
- Jack, the Thief
Jack, a street urchin who thinks everyone is a fool, is a thief with a quick tongue and fast fingers. Not having the best of luck, he is always getting into trouble. However, he can pick almost any lock, which is a valuable ability, and his nimble fingers may help you obtain more spoils in a battle.
- Ava One Eye, the Pirate
Ava One Eye, whose allegiance is to Uthar Pendragon, is an agent for Thais. Having spent her life on a ship, she is an experienced captain. Being very smart, little impresses her. She has a hard hand and doesn't care for the weak of mind. Uthar calls her Rip when she is spying for him.
[edit] Music Soundtrack
The soundtrack was written and recorded by Aaron Walz of Walz Music. The score features many recorded symphonic instruments, a rare feature for an independent game.
[edit] Future Games
 |
This article or section contains information about an unreleased video game. The content may change substantially as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details. |
There are already preliminary plans for Aveyond III and Aveyond IV. Te'ijal (the vampire from Aveyond I, who also made a cameo appearance in Aveyond II) will be returning as a "key character" in Aveyond III along with Galahad(The paladin married to Te'jal from Aveyond I and Aveyond II), while Jack (the young thief from Ahriman's Prophecy and Aveyond II) will "probably be the main character" of Aveyond IV[15].
On Aveyond III:
This one is going to be a bit darker than the others (Te'ijal is a lead character), but because of its nature, it's probably going to have a healthy dose of comedy, featuring the sufferage of our dear heroes.
– Amanda Fitch, [16]
Te'ijal & Galahad will be back as main characters, I'm introducing a new character Mel, a girl thief. She will be the protagonist. You saw a glimpse of her in Ahirman's Prophecy (Jack's cohort). The main bad guy is a pretty tough Vampire Lord who wants to enslave the "day walkers" and blot out the sun or something. We might actually see Galahad set free, and I've got a wicked surprise at the end.
– Amanda Fitch, [17]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Barnson, Jay (2006-11-13). Interview With Amanda Fitch, Indie RPG and Casual Game Designer. Rampant Games. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ Ahriman's Prophecy Player Guide (Adobe Acrobat Document). Amaranth Games (2007-04-17).
- ^ 2006 Top 10 Games of the Year. Game Tunnel (2006-12-30). Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ^ March 2006 Indie Game Monthly Round-Up. Game Tunnel (2006-03-19). Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ Wilcox, Greg. Reviewed - Aveyond. Ace Gamez. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ Saltzman, Marc (2007-07-10). Aveyond Review. Gamezebo. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ Vawter, Andrew (2006-02-12). Aveyond Review. Game Plasma. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ Edwards, Mark (2006-08-29). Aveyond - Windows Review. Netjak. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ Kyratzes, Jonas. Aveyond Review by Quandary. Quandary. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ Buchanan, Levi (2006-06-28). RPGFan Reviews - Aveyond. RPGFan. Retrieved on 2007-05-24.
- ^ a b c Saltzman, Marc (2007-04-05). Grimm's Hatchery Review. Gamezebo. Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ a b c Kojima, Nick (2007-03-26). Grimm's Hatchery Full Review. Casual Review. Retrieved on 2007-04-21.
- ^ a b Grimm's Hatchery - Review by Game Tunnel. Game Tunnel (2007-04-24). Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ a b Introducing our newest members of the Aveyond family. Amaranth Games (2007-05-11). Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ Alright, let's be honest here..... Amaranth Games (2007-12-12). Retrieved on 2007-12-24.
- ^ Fitch, Amanda (2008-03-20). Where's my coffee?. Amaranth Games. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
- ^ Fitch, Amanda (2008-05-15). Post from Yummy Drink Factory... RIGHT.... Amaranth Games. Retrieved on 2008-06-13.
