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| The ''Pendragon'' series and ''The Staff of Karnath'' were materialised by brothers Dave and Robert (Bob) Thomas, rather than Ultimate founders Tim and Chris Stamper.<ref name=history/> Dave Thomas began his career in 1983 when he began producing multiple games for the ], including moderate-sellers such as ''Warlok'', which later won him {{GBP|5,000|link=yes}} in a competition from Calisto Software. Although he later began working for the company in producing video games, he quit due to the strain of his daily {{convert|68|mi|abbr=on}} commute. Shortly after quitting Calisto Software, Dave Thomas started work on ''The Staff of Karnath''. Bob Thomas was a trained technical illustrator for the ] and had experience with designing interiors for the ], which later aided to the military-themed visuals of the ''Pendragon'' series.<ref name=history/> | The ''Pendragon'' series and ''The Staff of Karnath'' were materialised by brothers Dave and Robert (Bob) Thomas, rather than Ultimate founders Tim and Chris Stamper.<ref name=history/> Dave Thomas began his career in 1983 when he began producing multiple games for the ], including moderate-sellers such as ''Warlok'', which later won him {{GBP|5,000|link=yes}} in a competition from Calisto Software. Although he later began working for the company in producing video games, he quit due to the strain of his daily {{convert|68|mi|abbr=on}} commute. Shortly after quitting Calisto Software, Dave Thomas started work on ''The Staff of Karnath''. Bob Thomas was a trained technical illustrator for the ] and had experience with designing interiors for the ], which later aided to the military-themed visuals of the ''Pendragon'' series.<ref name=history/> | ||
| The game was programmed by Dave Thomas, whereas the graphics were designed by Bob Thomas. According to Dave Thomas, the visuals and setting of the castle in ''The Staff of Karnath'' were inspired from those featured in the 1962 film '']'' | The game was programmed by Dave Thomas, whereas the graphics were designed by Bob Thomas. According to Dave Thomas, the visuals and setting of the castle in ''The Staff of Karnath'' were inspired from those featured in the 1962 film '']''. The plot of the game was also loosely based on the storyline from one of ]'s short novels.<ref name=history/> | ||
| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
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| The Staff of Karnath | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Ultimate Play The Game |
| Publisher(s) | Ultimate Play The Game |
| Designer(s) | Dave and Bob Thomas |
| Series | Pendragon |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Staff of Karnath is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ultimate Play The Game for the Commodore 64 in 1984. It was later released in the United States the following year. The game is the first instalment of the Pendragon series and is the first to feature the aristocrat adventurer Sir Arthur Pendragon. In the game, Sir Pendragon is tasked with searching a castle for the ancient Staff of Karnath, in which he must destroy prior to midnight, before it wipes out the human race.
The game was created and designed by brothers Dave and Bob Thomas and was the first game to be released by Ultimate without founders Tim and Chris Stamper in direct involvement. It was followed by Entombed in 1985.
Gameplay
The game is set in a castle presented in a scrolling, oblique view. The aim of the game is to collect all pieces of a pentacle before midnight, in order to unlock the obelisk where the Staff Of Karnath has been hidden. The pieces of the pentacle are guarded by various magical creatures, some of which can be defeated by casting spells, others requiring accurate timing and movement. Once a piece is obtained no more pieces can be collected until the pentacle is taken to a specific chamber within the castle.
Development
Dave Thomas in a retrospective interview with Retro GamerI'd had an idea in my mind about creating a pseudo-3D adventure game set in a castle which used a fixed perspective as though you were looking into a doll's house.
Ashby Computers and Graphics was founded by brothers Tim and Chris Stamper, along with Tim's wife, Carol, from their headquarters in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1982. Under the trading name of Ultimate Play The Game, they began producing multiple video games for the ZX Spectrum throughout the early 1980s. The company was known for their reluctance to reveal details about their operations and upcoming projects. Little was known about their development process except that they used to work in "separate teams"; one team would work on graphics while the other would concentrate on other aspects such as sound or programming.
The Pendragon series and The Staff of Karnath were materialised by brothers Dave and Robert (Bob) Thomas, rather than Ultimate founders Tim and Chris Stamper. Dave Thomas began his career in 1983 when he began producing multiple games for the Atari 400, including moderate-sellers such as Warlok, which later won him £5,000 in a competition from Calisto Software. Although he later began working for the company in producing video games, he quit due to the strain of his daily 68 mi (109 km) commute. Shortly after quitting Calisto Software, Dave Thomas started work on The Staff of Karnath. Bob Thomas was a trained technical illustrator for the Ministry of Defence and had experience with designing interiors for the Royal Navy, which later aided to the military-themed visuals of the Pendragon series.
The game was programmed by Dave Thomas, whereas the graphics were designed by Bob Thomas. According to Dave Thomas, the visuals and setting of the castle in The Staff of Karnath were inspired from those featured in the 1962 film Jack the Giant Killer. The plot of the game was also loosely based on the storyline from one of HP Lovecraft's short novels.
Reception
The Staff of Karnath was well received by the home computer game press critics, Personal Computer Games giving it a solid 9 in the February 1985 issue, with Commodore User saying it was highly playable. It was declared as the 7th best C64 game in the first issue of Zzap!64 magazine in May 1985.
References
- ^ Thomas, Dave (October 2008). "The Ultimate Adventure of Sir Arthur Pendragon" (PDF). Retro Gamer (56): 49. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ^ "The Best of British - Ultimate". Crash. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- "The Staff of Karnath", Personal Computer Games (15): 52, February 1985
- "The Staff of Karnath", Commodore User (18), EMAP: 50–51, May 1985
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|journal=(help) - "It's the Zzap!64 top 64!", Zzap!64 (1), Newsfield Publications: 89, May 1985
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|journal=(help)
External links
- The Staff of Karnath at MobyGames
- The Staff of Karnath at Ultimate Wurlde
- Staff of Karnath Map from Zzap!64 Magaxine
| Ultimate Play the Game | |
|---|---|
| 1983 | |
| 1984 | |
| 1985 | |
| 1986 | |
| 1987 | |
| Other games | |
| Related | |