Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse
Encyclopedia
Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse is an action role-playing game
for the PC set in the Al-Qadim
campaign setting
of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It was developed by Cyberlore Studios
and published in 1994 by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Various items can be obtained along the way such as gold and gems, which are interconvertible at a fixed rate. Other items such as shards, potions and oils of elemental immunity, can also be obtained in shops, or throughout the players journey.
The player may only engage in combat with hostile creatures or combat zones, and may do so by using either a sword for melee, or magic and slingshot for ranged combat. The player obtains various shards throughout the game, and only two weapons, namely the family sword, and a sling given by the player's sister as a wedding gift.
The player's stats increase provided the player has earned enough XP and the player can also increase attack strength by means of a combo system, which can be increased twice by visiting a corsair and training.
#208 by Sandy Petersen
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
for the PC set in the Al-Qadim
Al-Qadim
Al-Qadim is an Arabian Nights-themed campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The setting was developed by Jeff Grubb for TSR, Inc., and was first released in 1992. Al-Qadim is set in the land of Zakhara, called the Land of Fate...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. It was developed by Cyberlore Studios
Cyberlore Studios
Cyberlore Studios was a developer of computer games based in Northampton, Massachusetts. The company was founded by Lester Humphreys, Ken Grey, and Herb Perez. Since 1992, they produced expansion packs for MechWarrior 4, Heroes of Might and Magic II, and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness...
and published in 1994 by Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
Plot
The player is given the choice of choosing a name, and is referred to by that name throughout the game. The player is part of the Al-Hazrad family, one of the two main families in the town of Zaratan. The player returns home and quickly enters the ongoing family feud, and is then required to sign a treaty of peace with the Wassabs. Things quickly go awry shortly after the signing of the treaty, as the ship carrying the player's betrothed, the Princess and her father, is destroyed, with the survivors claiming it to be the work of a genie. The Sultan, who is later found near the beach, then incarcerates the player's family for violating the treaty, based on a vague testimony from Muliban, the family genie, who answers their questions in a cryptic manner. The player is then forced to clear his family's name and rescue his bride, while investigating into the Genie's Curse.Gameplay
The player can interact with various people in the game, their reactions directly linked to the nature of the player's response. Depending on how a player chooses to answer a question with various responses; such as answering in an honourable manner befitting a corsair, an unscrupulous manner akin to a villain or a simple answer based on simple ideals, the player may receive various rewards, or may suffer penalties as a result.Various items can be obtained along the way such as gold and gems, which are interconvertible at a fixed rate. Other items such as shards, potions and oils of elemental immunity, can also be obtained in shops, or throughout the players journey.
The player may only engage in combat with hostile creatures or combat zones, and may do so by using either a sword for melee, or magic and slingshot for ranged combat. The player obtains various shards throughout the game, and only two weapons, namely the family sword, and a sling given by the player's sister as a wedding gift.
The player's stats increase provided the player has earned enough XP and the player can also increase attack strength by means of a combo system, which can be increased twice by visiting a corsair and training.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1994 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#208 by Sandy Petersen
Sandy Petersen
Carl Sanford Joslyn Petersen is a game designer.Petersen was born in St. Louis, Missouri and attended University of California, Berkeley, majoring in zoology....
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Petersen gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.