| Witchaven | |
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The game's cover picture, painted by Ken Kelly |
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| Developer(s) | AWE Productions[1] Capstone Software |
| Publisher(s) | Intracorp Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | Mike Pitts James M. Wheeler |
| Composer(s) | Joe Abbati |
| Engine | Build engine |
| Platform(s) | PC (DOS) |
| Release date(s) | Halloween 1995 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer (up to 16 players) |
| Rating(s) | ELSPA: 15+ RSAC: V3: Blood and Gore NS2: Partial Nudity |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM |
| System requirements
PC 486, 8 MB RAM |
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Witchaven is a fantasy computer game developed by Capstone Software and released by Intracorp Entertainment in 1995. It was followed by the sequel named Witchaven II: Blood Vengeance in 1996.
Contents |
In Witchaven, the player takes on the role of Grondoval, a knight in service of his homeland Stazhia. He has been just chosen by his master, Lord Verkapheron, to travel to the forbidding Island of Char. The island, now known as Witchaven, is the domain of the powerful witch known as Illwhyrin who is responsible for plunging Stahzia into never-ending darkness. In her lair, hidden in a massive subterranean maze, Illwhyrin is casting malevolent spells, consorting with demons, keeping vicious monsters as pets, and performing human sacrifices. For years, adventurers from across the Prime Realms have journeyed into those dark depths seeking glory and wealth, but few have returned. Those who did come back told tales of a horrifying evil. Now, a rumor persists that the witch seeks to lift a dimensional barrier, known as the Veil, that separates the game's universe from chaotic Nether Reaches. Each day brings her closer to creating a permanent portal through the Veil to allow the demon lord to traverse into the Prime Realms and rule the world. When word of this reaches Stazhia, Grondoval sets out for Char by boat, armed only with a dagger and the determination to save his people. His mission is to fight his way through the hordes of monsters and hellspawn dwelling in a labyrinth of dark caves and dungeons, to reach Illwhyrin's inner sanctum and stop her before she can succeed in her plans.
The original version of the game's story, which was featured in early promotional materials, involved a plot by a coven of three witches[2] to activate the two-century dormant volcano of Char, causing it to erupt and threaten the surrounding areas. The unnamed hero's quest was to break this curse by vanquishing the witches. Although the story changed before the game's release, the owner's manual mentions a volcano and speaks about destruction of "the witches in their wretched lair" when telling the game's backstory. Similarly, the official website includes the phrase the "Witches of Char" in its description of the game.[3] Despite the implication that there are several witches, Illwhyrin is the only boss of the game.
Although the game is considered an first-person shooter, the game has several fantasy and role-playing game elements. These include character progression through acquired experience points, level advancement, a constantly increasing number of hit points and weapons proficiency, and access to more powerful spells at higher levels. The game also has a focus on close-quarters combat, unlike the standard run-and-gun gameplay of most first-person shooters or fantasy games at the time. Overall gameplay works like many other typical old-school first-person shooters in that the player must kill everything that moves in his path while searching for an exit that would lead to the next level. There are also options to adjust the game's difficulty and gore levels.
The game also offered a LAN-based deathmatch-style multiplayer mode for up to 16 competitors. This made it the first 3D action game to feature so many players simultaneously.
There are ten weapons in Witchaven, each with a different attack range. Among them are bare fists, a dagger, a short sword, a morning star, a broadsword, a battle axe, a bow and arrows, a pike axe, a two-handed sword and a halberd. One of the game's more innovative features is that weapons are not infinitely durable. With the exceptions of the fists, weapons will break down with repeated use and replacements must be found in order to continue fighting.
Fighting consists of a mixture of hand-to-hand combat and magical abilities. There are several types of the scroll-based spells which can be cast by the player, such as the Fireball, Fly, Freeze, Scare, Unlock, and Nuke invocations. There are also various potions scattered through Witchaven, that the player can drink for health, stamina, and fire resistance, among others. There is a plethora of enemies the player must contend with, including goblins, ogres, imps, skeletons, willow wisps, and fire drakes. All of these creatures are bound in loyal servitude to the villain Illwhyrin, but some of them are prone to fighting against the other types of enemies. For instance, differently-colored rival goblin tribes will attack each other if put in close proximity.
The game's development began in 1994, following the completion of Operation Body Count. It started with an idea for a "violent, first-person action game set in a fantasy universe ruled by a coven of evil witches who must be eradicated from their lairs".[4] Along with William Shatner's TekWar, also made by Capstone in 1995, Witchaven was one of the first games released to use an early version of Build engines. Generic enemies are actually clay-made models, first photographed at every angle, then turned into computer sprites. In-game weapon models were created by using digitization. During early development, heroes were split into two classes, spellcaster or warrior. Early plans called for the player to choose a class and a gender.[2] These features were later abandoned in favor of a predefined male hero character, Grondoval, capable of using both weapons and spells.
The game's three-level demo version included features that differed from the full version. The demo version only included five weapons to wield and only six spells. Instead of a potion that cured poison, the demo version used an armour potion that increased armor value. Similarly, the fire resistance potion was replaced with a fire walk potion.
Reviewers often criticed the game's bad AI of enemies and poor design of repetitive levels; however, its graphics were usually praised.[5] Regarding the game's dark theme and brutality, PC Zone recalled Witchaven being "sick, twisted, gory and depraved".[6] Computer Gaming World called the game "less than spellbounding", and very disappointing for its lack of real gameplay immersion despite "eye-popping gore and a few cosmetic" RPG elements", concluding it to be "just another staid Doom clone".[7] GameSpot rated the game only 53%, commenting that "in-your-face combat is novel at first, but after a few hours of play, you'll be praying for a BFG- 9000."[8]
A direct sequel to Witchaven was released in 1996. In this game, the witches of Char are dead, yet their legacy of evil still lives on. Grondoval's new mission is to defeat Cicae-Argoth, Illwhyrin's sister. The gameplay of Witchaven II: Blood Vengeance is heavily based on the original game, different only in story, weapon selection, and enemy variance. A third game was planned, but, before any work on it started, Intracorp bankrupted and Capstone was shut down.
A black metal band, formed in 2006, took the title "Witchaven" from the series title.[9]
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