While simplistic in design, this early RPG was truly groundbreaking in several regards. First, it sported what was the largest game "world" of its time. Second, while other games, even RPGs, put the player in a strict level-based progression through game play, the Faery Tale Adventure was the first game that truly allowed free roaming exploration. Its vast map, combined with the (many for its time) NPCs, made for fascinating gameplay not confined to simple battles and the acquisition of new items: the trend in early RPG.
This game challenged the mind, but it also delighted the senses with a top-of-the-line soundtrack reminiscent of the Baroque era, created on synthesizer by the game's composer "Talin." While the limited diversity and difficulty of the enemies in the game do at times make the battles a tad repetitive, this is fairly compensated for by the several different weapons available to the your character. The game is groundbreaking for its era in yet another regard: that it noted the passage of time and that the main character was susceptible to hunger and fatigue, both of which had to be remedied to continue in successful game play.
The game begins by following the story of three brothers who are charged with returning a talisman of their village of Tambry
which has been stolen and then branches off into sub-plots of Princess rescue, defeating evil witches, and slaying dragons, before culminating in a battle with an evil sorcerer. You start as the eldest of the three brothers, Julian, and if you are killed, the game switches to each younger brother in turn, Phillip, then Kevin. The three brothers have individual strengths and weaknesses, which allow for a different kind of game than a typical "1Up," where you play the same character repeatedly. The most difficult parts of the game come in the maze-like dungeons where you are repeatedly harried by enemies and in constant danger of becoming hopelessly lost.
Amiga's first game release was truly ahead of its time and by the time you've scoured the purported 300 screens of map area, you will have a full appreciation of the significance of MicroIllusions' accomplishment in this early gaming masterpiece.
