Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire
| Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Sierra |
| Publisher(s) | Sierra |
| Designer(s) | Lori Ann Cole |
| Programmer(s) | Eric Lengyel |
| Composer(s) | Chance Thomas |
| Series | Quest for Glory |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Distribution | CD |
Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire is the fifth and final game in the Quest for Glory computer game series by Sierra Entertainment. Unlike the first four games, Dragon Fire is primarily an action role-playing game[1] with some elements of graphical adventure.
Plot
Erasmus introduces the player character, the Hero, to the Greece-like kingdom of Silmaria, whose king was recently assassinated. Thus, the traditional Rites of Rulership are due to commence, and the victor will be crowned king. The Hero enters the contest with the assistance of Erasmus, Rakeesh, and many old friends from previous entries in the series. The Hero competes against competitors, including the Silmarian guard Kokeeno Pookameeso, the warlord Magnum Opus, the hulking Gort, and the warrior Elsa Von Spielburg, who played a significant role in the first game.
As the Rites commence, an unknown assassin begins systematically picking off the contestants. Each contestant is murdered by a poison dagger, and they all are murdered near Dragon Pillars, the objects used to keep the Dragon of Silmaria locked up. After completing the second Rite, defeating the General of the Mercenaries, Rakeesh is attacked by the assassin and, depending on the course of action chosen by the player, either lives or dies. The conspiracy is eventually unraveled and the Dragon, having been released due to the destruction of the Dragon Pillars, is defeated.
The characters Katrina and Erana make a return in this installment, as vital assistance for defeating the Dragon.
This installment also marks the return of Bruno, a character from the first Quest for Glory game. He is revealed to be the assassin who has been terrorizing the streets of Silmaria, characterized as a quiet, shady character until he reveals himself to the player.
Development history
The first four games were intended to indicate the four elements and the four wind directions: in the first game, the player is the Hero from the East, in the second, the hero from the North, etc. Dragon Fire was always planned to be part of the series (whereas Wages of War originally was not), but it would not have been produced if not for the pressure that fans put upon Sierra Entertainment.
Because of deadline issues and financial pressures, several features were dropped from the fifth game before release, such as the ability to use a bow, the ability to play as Elsa von Spielburg or Magnum Opus (two prominent non-player characters from the game), and multiplayer capability. Interestingly, a demo released in late 1997 contained a multiplayer game, but Sierra decided to remove it from the final product. Rumors about a post-release patch containing the multiplayer game abounded on the internet, but such a patch was impossible after the entire Quest for Glory programming team was laid off when Yosemite Entertainment was closed on February 22, 1999.
The fifth game is arguably a different genre from the first four; while the first four are mostly adventure games incorporating role-playing elements, the fifth game is a role-playing game incorporating some adventure elements. For instance, the fifth game has a wide variety of weapons, armor, and magical items, whereas the first four do not. Also, in the fifth game nearly every major mission consists of going to some place and defeating some monster in physical or magical combat. Additionally, the controls and battle system are substantially different from those of the first three games and different from the fourth's side-scrolling 'arcade'-like combat as well.
Also differentiating the fifth game from the first four were a new graphics engine programmed by Eric Lengyel and a soundtrack by Emmy-winning composer Chance Thomas, which was released on CD. Some tracks were made available for free download from MP3.com.
Compatibility
There's also an official patch for the game itself, fixing several problems. To run this game under Windows XP, the compatibility mode can either be set to Windows 98 or a fan-made patch[2] can be applied.
There is an official installer named "New Quest for Glory V installer" (quoting from site: "These installers are free for personal use. By downloading any of these installers you agree to not redistribute them or use them for commercial use without prior permission."). This installer allows to play CD-less and without big problems on modern windows.[3]
Re-release
The Quest for Glory I–V Collection released by Activision through gog.com includes all the games including QFG5 patched to run on modern Vista and Windows 7 PCs.[4]
References
External links
- Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire at MobyGames
- Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire at the Internet Movie Database
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