"In the days far past, the Argent Kings ruled the Land. Not much is remembered of those times but the empty castles, the fallen temples, and the lost grandeur of their cities haunt our legends."
Kingdom: The Far Reaches, from Interplay and Virtual Image Productions, is an adventure quest game with a storyline of epic proportions. All the classic elements are in place; magic, corruption, and the journey of an young apprentice from innocence to experience. And all of this is presented in fully digitized hand-drawn animation.
The story begins with the reign of the wise Argent Kings, magicians who ruled over a golden age of prosperity and justice. When, inevitably, these powerful rulers started to feel their age, they created the Order of the Great Wizards, an organization of the best and the brightest of the Five Kingdoms. After years of teaching the Order their greatest magical secrets, the Argent Kings announced that a single wizard would be chosen to govern the Order, an Archmage. This leader would be given a powerful Amulet, called "The Hand", with five "Finger" segments representing the Five Kingdoms.
When the wizard Mobus was chosen to be the Archmage, almost everybody cheered in celebration, except for Mobus' brother, Torlok, who felt that he had been robbed of the prize. Torlok allied himself with numerous dark, demonic forces, and tried to take the Hand from his brother by force. But before he could gain possession of the powerful Amulet, the clever Mobus divided it into its component "Fingers" and scattered and hid them through the Five Kingdoms.
With the Hand lost, Torlok and his army swept over the kingdoms, fighting the peaceful people into submission. The entire race of the Argent Kings was wiped out, save for one young girl, who managed to flee for her life. Eventually this girl fell in love, married, and had a child. That child, Lathan Kandor, would turn out to be the last hope of the people of the Five Kingdoms for justice (and would also turn out to be you).
Lathan was trained in magic from an early age by the last living member of the Order of the Great Wizards, Daelon. It is ultimately his destiny to go in search of the Five Relics to reunite the Kingdoms that lie in chaotic ruin, thanks to Torlok's guerilla tactics. Lathan is not Daelon's first apprentice, by a long shot. Over the years, he has prepared dozens for this daunting task, and all were either killed or converted to Torlok's side. But Daelon has great hopes for Lathan, because of the blood of the Argent Kings that courses through his veins.
So Lathan is sent out to begin his quest. He has little to defend himself, except for his wits, and some spell scrolls supplied by his master. In keeping with the enlightenment of the Argents, these spells are not combat oriented, but they are still powerful magicks: spells of seeing, release, understanding and travel. If this doesn't seem like sufficient armament to go up against an evil mage, there are also numerous items of power along the way, as well as the artifacts themselves.
As mentioned before, the story is entirely related through animated segments, with the player deciding what spell or item to use, and another segment being played. The adventures of Lathan are also accompanied by a full orchestral soundtrack.
Lathan will travel from his small home village of Glendoe to the Haunted Waterfalls, the forest of the Wood Elves, and beyond to the desert kingdom of Illes, and, eventually, to all of the five kingdoms. That is, if he survives. There are dangers everywhere, from swamp ghosts to elemental ogres, to Torlok's most powerful ally, the Plague Magician.
If all of this sounds a little daunting, you can always play on the Apprentice Level. It doesn't contain all of the items and locations, but it doesn't have all the chances of getting killed, either. It's perfect for beginners and younger players. But if you feel that you are ready to take on the worst that Torlok can offer, you can play on the advanced Wizard level.
The quest to find the five artifacts is no walk in the park. But with a bit of savvy and a lot of courage, you can face the challenge and restore the Five Kingdoms to their former glory. Look for Kingdom: The Far Reaches when it becomes available for the PC this Spring.
