Unpublished Italian game: SWORDS LAND

[orion70]

Hi everybody, here we are again with the translation of an original Italian game from the very Eighties. Again, it was typed in by Astrocity, this time from Home Computer issue 1, May 1985. HERE you find the listing, original Italian instructions, and screenshots.

Swords Land
A program for the VIC-20 by T. & F. Gurrieri.
8K Expansion required

Aim of the game

A knight, accused of felony, is chased out of his castle at dawn, with the order to bring back, before the night, seven treasures. They are hidden in the valley surrounding the castle. If he fails, he will be expelled from the order of knights and will gain the reputation of coward for all time to come.

The screen

The screen is divided into two parts: at the top, the map of Swords Land, at the bottom, the panel with all the necessary information for the player.

At the start, the screen is dominated by dark colors, which should represent the hours before sunrise, then it gets lighter and lighter, to become dark again towards the end of the game.

On the map you can find the castle (top right), all the quests which the knight must come across in order to collect the fateful Seven Treasures. Only the bandits, setting ambushes, are not depicted on the screen and appear randomly. Later we will examine all the symbols on the map.

The Toolbox shows:

- Treasures: it is necessary to accumulate seven of them in order to return to the castle safely within the time limit.

- Time: it is very important to keep an eye on it, if you want to save your honor! You have three and a half minutes.

- Hit points: at the start, there are no wounds. With seven or more hits you are automatically eliminated from the game.

- Spears: you have seven spears at the start. They are needed to enter different places and to fight with challenging knights. Upon your arrival at the castle, you must have at least three spears.


Let us now analyze the various unexpected events that the knight may encounter in Swords Land.

1. The caves are recognizable by the sign "O", Once entered (it is necessary to have at least six spears), we find ourselves at the bottom of a dark tunnel. In front of us there are seventeen exits. Among these there are fourteen blind exits, one that leads to the cave of Treasures, an exit and an abyss. The knight moves in the same way as outside, except that - to make it more difficult - all commands are reversed. If treasures are found, they are accumulated and you find yourself in a new cavern, in which, however, the treasures are no longer present. If you find the exit, you can choose whether to go out into the open air or start again in search of treasures. If you find the abyss, you will lose all the treasures, all the spears, and receive three wounds, after which you will find yourself outside.

2. The castle. It is located in the upper right corner. To enter it, you must only pass through the red square, which ideally represents a drawbridge. It is impossible to enter from the outside. Once arrived, if you do not have the fateful seven treasures and at least three spears, you are sent back out, otherwise ...

3. The ascents are represented by the sign "X" in red color. They surround the entrance to the castle and the mysterious fortress. They have the sole purpose of wasting time.

4. The dolmen. It can be recognized by the "π" sign. If the knight goes there, he can choose to stop or continue on his way. If he stops he can, by chance, have pleasant or unpleasant encounters. Among the pleasant ones, a sweet maiden who heals all wounds.

5. The forest. It is represented by the green grass. When the knight crosses it, it makes a rustling sound.

6. The ancient ruins. They are located in the woods on the upper left. Here, as in the dolmen, strange encounters can be experienced...

7. The Challenging Knights. You can find them either at their castles, depicted by the ace of clubs, or in other places. To fight them, it is necessary to have at least three spears. The duel takes place in the following way: a player can choose to shoot either a slash from above, a direct hit, or a downward slash. Each blow by the player corresponds to a blow by the opponent. The first of the two who scores three winning blows beats the opponent.

8. The river. It is present in almost every part of the map. By gaining it, you can either pass unharmed, lose a spear, or meet the dragon.

9. The bandits. They are not shown on the screen but can be encountered easily. They inflict a certain number of wounds and steal all treasures, leaving only a few spears.

10. The Mystery Rock. It is located at the bottom right of the screen. To get there, as in the castle, you have to go through the climbs. Once there... Well, we won't spoiler that.

The movement: U - north; K - east; H - west; M - south.

Have fun!
Federico and Tommaso Guerrieri

[Ghislain]

Thank you for this!

[nbla000]

Thanks again for this pearl !