Summoner (video game)
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| Summoner | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Volition, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | THQ |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Mac OS, Windows |
| Release date | PlayStation 2 NA October 25, 2000 EU April 6, 2001 Windows |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media | PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM Windows/Mac 2 x CD-ROM |
| System requirements | Windows
Macintosh
|
| Input methods | keyboard, mouse, gamepad |
Summoner, developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ, is a third-person RPG. It was released on October 25, 2000 as a launch title for the PlayStation 2 and was subsequently ported to Windows and Mac OS.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The player can choose how short or prolonged the abundance of optional quests and side stories they will follow will be, which offer a diversion from the massive main storyline. The game also includes an abundance of spells that are cast in real time. It makes use of the RPG standard spell elemental alignments (Fire, Earth, Water, Wind/Air etc.) as well.
[edit] Plot
You play as Joseph of Ciran, a young man personally responsible for the destruction of your hometown. As a boy, Joseph summoned a demon to save his village and watched in horror while it murdered his family, friends and neighbours and destroyed all he held dear. Torn between the grief of his loss and the hatred of his new power, he cast away the ring which a man named Yago had given him and swore never to invoke his powers again. Joseph fled from Ciran with great haste, leaving behind all his memories of demons, death and horror.
Joseph's goal, achieved through his newly regained powers of summoning, is to defend Medeva from the Orenian invasion and to defeat the evil emperor, Murod, by using rings to summon the ultimate creature. Along the way he teams up with an assortment of characters, each with their own substoryline and optional quests. There are side quests with almost every NPC met in the game. These reveal more of the lore of Medeva, of which there is an abundance. Throughout the game you will experience voyages of many a mile through the use of a world map, similar to that of Final Fantasy VII. Using this completely 3D world map, Joseph can travel to the massive holy city of Lenele, the mysterious monastery on the Isle of Iona and many other exotic locations.
The main twist of the game occurs after the four Rings of Summoning are found. After returning to Yago with the Rings of Darkness, Light, Fire, and Stone, Yago instructs Joseph to put on all four rings and place his hand into a magical furnace. This action destroys Josephs hand, along with the rings, releasing the demons that had been bound within. Yago is shown to be possessed by the demon of darkness that destroyed Joseph's village. For a period afterwards Joseph is only capable of wielding one handed weapons.
Much of the game revolves around its extremely intricate and interwoven mythology. Early on in the game, the player is exposed to the major religions of Medeva and Orenia. Complete with their own Creation myth and apocalyptic chaos, the player soon discovers that these religions influence almost every character they encounter. Much like the Final Fantasy series mentioned hitherto, it tells the story of gods and goddesses that represent the four major elemental forces: Amasido of Water, Urath of Air, Lahara of Fire, and Vadaggar of Earth. This is explained further and in greater detail in the sequel to the game.
[edit] Main/Playable characters
Joseph - Born in Ciran with the mark of the summoner on his hand. He was given the Ring of Darkness by Yago, and once tried to use it to save his village from attack but unable to control the great power, the demon he summoned razed the village. Joseph was exiled from Ciran and travelled with Yago for a while, before throwing the dark ring down a well and running away to Masad, a sleepy town on the Darhu river. He promised himself he would forget all that happened at Ciran and never use his powers again. When Medeva is invaded Joseph is forced to find Yago, and somehow regain the power of summoning. As well as being able to summon monsters, Joseph is also a good warrior and has access to healing magic.
Flece - Flece was brought up as an orphan in the "Old City" district of Lenele where crime was prevalent. She is supposedly the illegitimate daughter of a prostitute who was knifed to death in the Alley of Dogs. She now works for Tancred, who has crowned himself "King of Fleas" and controls Lenele's underground. In a surprising twist she is revealed as the heir to the Orenian throne. Many consider her the best character in the game with the most development. She appears once briefly in the sequel.
Jekhar - Joseph's childhood friend whose family was murdered in the massacre caused by the demon unleashed by Joseph. Jekhar is now a soldier living in Lenele working under King Belias VI. He hates Joseph. He appears once briefly in the sequel alongside Flece, but it is only a cameo and he is left unnamed.
Rosalind - Estranged daughter of Yago. She studies Aosi, the language of Creation. She plays a minor but important part in the game and seemingly appears to Maia, the sequel's main character.
[edit] Minor characters
Emperor Murod - The former leader of the Society of the Jade Temple who betrayed the late Orenian Emperor and usurped the throne. He has now enslaved his people and is planning to rebuild the Tower of Eleh and crown himself Emperor of Heaven.
The Four Riders -No one but Murod knows the origins these warriors,as they can be either warriors or beings made by Murod's dark magic. Each Rider has unique attacks and skills. When first encountered, they are mounted on their respective horses. After a brief combat encounter, they dismount to continue fighting, before fleeing. Later in the game, 2 Riders must be fought simultaneously.
Yago - A former member of the Order of Iona and Rosalind's estranged father. Yago left the monastery to seek a boy born of the Mark. Yet his efforts to teach Joseph the power of summoning failed and resulted in the destruction of Ciran. After Ciran was destroyed, Yago moved to Lenele. He is a playable character in the sequel who seeks Rosalind.
King Belias VI - Wise ruler of the Kingdom of Medeva, who has been its ruler for sixteen years.
Ferenic of Moano- Hierophant of Urath in the Temple of Lenele. Joseph can visit him and learn the mythology of the game. Later he is replaced by Krobellus as Hierophant in Summoner 2.
Abbot Laurent -the head monk of the Priesthood of Iona. He has spent his whole life reading Aosi. According to him, Ghuval IS Aosi, and that his banishment by his children was imprisonment in the language of Creation. Should Ghuval be freed, the world will end.
Aoqi - A mysterious "woman in white", head of the Jade Temple Society, and Flece's mother.
Machival - The Demon of Darkness. He is the demon that destroyed Ciran.
Luminar The Demon Of Light.
Titus The Demon of Earth
Pyrul The Demon of Fire
[edit] Places
Ciran -The home of Joseph that he destroyed unwillingly when he used the Ring of Darkness to deflect an attack by raiders. The Demon Machival was ultimately responsible, yet Joseph was blamed and exiled.
Lenele -The capital city of the kingdom of Medeva. Lenele holds the castle of King Bellias, as well as the Temple of Urath. Lenele is believed to be the site of the ancient city of Ilaosi, for Lenele means "city of the gods." Lenele is divided into four major sections: The Outskirts contain the harbor and entrance to the city proper. The Marketplace comprises both the Avarum, where merchants set up temporary trading posts, and the Craftsmens' Island. The Old City is the residence of Lenele's working class and criminal elements. The original castle Keep is here, now used as a state prison. The Crown district contains a park and other hangouts for nobles. The Plaza leads to the Temple of Urath and the Castle.
Iona -the island home of the Order of Iona. Here monks care for the Great Library built by Sir Carados. The books in the library contain Aosi-the Language of Creation, which Ghuval used to make Khosos and Urghal. Because of the extreme nature of these glyphs, no monk of the Order can ever return, should they leave the Library. The Island is also home to the catacombs which house the tombs of the first thirteen kings of Medeva.
Saanavarh -called the "Mountain of the Wise," it is the home of the Khosani, who made the Rings of the Summoner. Here, they fled after Amasido destroyed their home in vengeance over the death of Iona. The Khosani mine precious metals in their cities underground.
Ikaemos -once a sprawling ancient civilization, Ikaemos was destroyed when the River god became angry that the Priest King refused to sacrifice humans to him. He sent a flood to kill and damn all the population, but the Priest King turned everything to stone before he could.
Orenia -a large kingdom to the north of Medeva. Orenia is ruled by Emperor Murrod, who has threatened war against Medeva unless the Summoner is turned over to him. Orenia is ruled from the Jade Temple, where the Seers prognosticate the future to Orenia's rulers. Also in Orenia is the lakeside village of Wolong, and the haunted forest of Liangshan.
[edit] Extras
- After completing the game and viewing the credits, a computer animated version of the Dungeons and Dragons sketch titled "Summoner Geeks" plays. It was circulated on the internet as a promotional video before the release of the game. It featured characters from both Summoner and Red Faction.
[edit] Reception
- Summoner for the PS2 received a 74 out of 100 from 16 different reviews at Metacritic.[1]
- Summoner for Windows received a 78 out of a 100 from 14 different reviews at Metacritic.[2]
[edit] Sequel
A sequel, Summoner 2, was released in 2002.
[edit] References
- ^ Summoner PS2 Reviews:. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
- ^ Summoner PC Reviews:. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
