Secret of the Silver Blades
Another Gold Box blast from the past. This follow-up to Curse of the Azure Bonds was, from what I've read, developed more by SSI and less by TSR. That seems plausible, at least, given a few little details such as how the entire story seems less grounded in Forgotten Realms lore and how the big bad is a lich who... I guess is corrupted by his lichdom - you free his soul at the end rather than destroy it. Also, I'd argue that someone closer to the D&D source material might have sought out a different name for the legendary heroes as the "Silver Blades" evokes thoughts of githyanki and their silver swords, which have nothing to do with anything in the game. Rather, there's a cult trying to free a lich known as the Dreadlord from his glacially-frozen castle and the party is summoned via a magical well by a mining town to stop it all.
The game has all the painful quirks of D&D at the time, with tons and tons of save-or-die situations, making casters and things like medusae high-priority targets. Whereas the previous two games had area maps largely constructed on same-sized squares, Secret has some truly sprawling zones. There's a ruin area that connects many of the other main areas of the game (though several can only be accessed if you find the passage back from the other side) and it's constructed of a maze of re-used rooms that can be confusing as heck without a map. There are a couple "crevasse" areas that are looooong with a few branches. And yet, for all that, there's also a primitive checkpoint system in a series of teleporters back to the Well of Knowledge area. So you'll find a teleporter back every area or two and be able to warp out, warp to town, train, check gear, rest, save, and warp back.
I actually found my most precious research that I'd want to back off and restore was fireballs. They're the best way to clear out a room full of casters and medusae before your party starts getting caught up by statistical failures of saving throws and dying. As an amusing little nut-punch for mages, there was a Ring of Wizardry in Curse that doubled level 1-4 spells, I believe it was, meaning lots of fireballs. In Secret, there's a ring that doubles 5th level, which is hilariously less useful given the available spells at that level. But hey, warrior classes start getting up to two attacks a round and there are three or four Girdles of Giant Strength, so they can chew through things pretty good too.
All-in-all, it's another amusing trip down memory lane, though the story itself is pretty forgettable.
The game has all the painful quirks of D&D at the time, with tons and tons of save-or-die situations, making casters and things like medusae high-priority targets. Whereas the previous two games had area maps largely constructed on same-sized squares, Secret has some truly sprawling zones. There's a ruin area that connects many of the other main areas of the game (though several can only be accessed if you find the passage back from the other side) and it's constructed of a maze of re-used rooms that can be confusing as heck without a map. There are a couple "crevasse" areas that are looooong with a few branches. And yet, for all that, there's also a primitive checkpoint system in a series of teleporters back to the Well of Knowledge area. So you'll find a teleporter back every area or two and be able to warp out, warp to town, train, check gear, rest, save, and warp back.
I actually found my most precious research that I'd want to back off and restore was fireballs. They're the best way to clear out a room full of casters and medusae before your party starts getting caught up by statistical failures of saving throws and dying. As an amusing little nut-punch for mages, there was a Ring of Wizardry in Curse that doubled level 1-4 spells, I believe it was, meaning lots of fireballs. In Secret, there's a ring that doubles 5th level, which is hilariously less useful given the available spells at that level. But hey, warrior classes start getting up to two attacks a round and there are three or four Girdles of Giant Strength, so they can chew through things pretty good too.
All-in-all, it's another amusing trip down memory lane, though the story itself is pretty forgettable.
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