Rings of Power (game)
Encyclopedia
Rings of Power is an isometric
console role-playing game released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991. The game was developed by Naughty Dog
and published by Electronic Arts
. The player takes on the role of a young sorcerer
whose quest is to collect 11 Rings of Power and use them to remake the Rod of Creation to defeat the evil god, Void, and bring about the fabled Golden Age. It has faced much controversy because the story is very similar to that of The Lord of the Rings
.
These rings were then entrusted to representatives of each of the six classes (Sorcerer
, Knight
, Archer
, Necromancer, Enchanter
and Conjurer). All of the rings have been lost, and the story of the rings has turned to a legend. Master Thalmus has requested the presence of a young sorcerer named Buc, his most promising of students. You must attempt the quest of finding the rings, restoring the Rod of Creation, and destroying the evil Void once and for all.
and Dragon Quest
, Rings of Power has a style that shared many similarities to PC role-playing games such as Dungeon Master
, Wizardry
, and A Bard's Tale
. The game is very open ended, contains hundreds of non player characters with many different dialog choices, and dozens of quests and random events. Practically every location is available from very early in the game.
Because the ingame map did not have any locations marked and there was no quest journal, many players criticized the game's difficulty as the goal of the game was achieved through careful attention to detail and constant exploration.
There was a glossy paper map sold separately from the game itself that aided in game play.
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
console role-playing game released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991. The game was developed by Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. The player takes on the role of a young sorcerer
Wizard (character class)
The Wizard is a type of magical character class in certain role-playing games and computer role-playing games. Wizards are considered to be spellcasters who wield powerful spells, but are often physically weak as a trade-off. Wizards are commonly confused with similar offensive spellcasting...
whose quest is to collect 11 Rings of Power and use them to remake the Rod of Creation to defeat the evil god, Void, and bring about the fabled Golden Age. It has faced much controversy because the story is very similar to that of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
.
Background story
A great battle was fought between the holy Nexus and the demonic Void — who battled over the Rod of Creation, which created the world of Ushka Bau. Their battle was so immense, the rod broke into two pieces, and both gods fled with half. This then took the form of eleven rings.These rings were then entrusted to representatives of each of the six classes (Sorcerer
Sorcerer
-Gaming:* Sorcerer , a 2002 tabletop role playing game made by Ron Edwards* Sorcerer , a 1984 interactive fiction computer game made by Infocom...
, Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
, Archer
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, Necromancer, Enchanter
Enchanter
Enchanter may refer to:In entertainment:*Enchanter , a manga series by Izumi Kawachi*Enchanter , a 1996 novel by Sara DouglassIn games:*Enchanter , used in fantasy role-playing games...
and Conjurer). All of the rings have been lost, and the story of the rings has turned to a legend. Master Thalmus has requested the presence of a young sorcerer named Buc, his most promising of students. You must attempt the quest of finding the rings, restoring the Rod of Creation, and destroying the evil Void once and for all.
Gameplay
Unlike most console role-playing games of the time such as Final FantasyFinal Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
and Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
, Rings of Power has a style that shared many similarities to PC role-playing games such as Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
, Wizardry
Wizardry
Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, which were highly influential in the development of modern console and computer role playing games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence to early console RPGs, such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. ...
, and A Bard's Tale
Bard's Tale (1985)
The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in and distributed by Electronic Arts...
. The game is very open ended, contains hundreds of non player characters with many different dialog choices, and dozens of quests and random events. Practically every location is available from very early in the game.
Because the ingame map did not have any locations marked and there was no quest journal, many players criticized the game's difficulty as the goal of the game was achieved through careful attention to detail and constant exploration.
There was a glossy paper map sold separately from the game itself that aided in game play.
Trivia
- Rings of Power is the 30th Level in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, a game which Naughty DogNaughty DogNaughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
developed.
- If you press and hold a bunch of buttons on the second controller (down, right, A, B, C and start) and then reset your system, you will get a short gif of an animated blonde woman, who loses her top.
- The titular character, from another Naughty Dog game, Keef the ThiefKeef the ThiefKeef the Thief is a computer game designed by Naughty Dog, published by Electronic Arts in 1989 for the Apple IIGS and then later ported to the Commodore Amiga and MS-DOS...
released two years earlier, appears in Rings of Power as a non-player character.