The Collection Chamber: TOWER OF SOULS

The fusion of fantasy role-playing with the dynamic action of arcade gaming will compellyou to live the adventure that is Tower of Souls.

Prophesy fortells that you, Treeac, are the last and only hope for the people of Chaybore. The evil demon Baalhathrok has stolen the mythical Nydus Crystals and with them opened a portal within his Tower from his dimension to Chaybore. Great engines with the Tower are sucking the very life-force from the peaceful inhabitants of the land, helpless to resist, gaining him power within both dimensions. Your quest is to enter the Tower of Souls, shut down the pumps and retrieve the Nydus Crystals, restoring the essence of Chaybore and allowing your fellow citizens to return to their harmonious ways.

Can you collect the seven Nydus Crystals and gain entry to the lair of Baalhathrok in the depths of the tower? Will you then be able to slay the evil demon and end his reign of terror?

Tower of Souls features:

an innovative control system that allows complete integration of spell casting, combat, object manipulation and eight-directional movement.

a massive 125 map areas in isometric projection.

seven levels to explore within the Fortress of Izlar.

32 spells within four mythical categories; five strengths and three different ways to cast spells.

numerous different swords and items of equipment to utilise.

four different types of armour ranging from basic leather to titanium plate

many hidden rooms to explore, puzzles to solve and skills to develop.

~ from the back of the box

Despite being released in 1995 and looking like one from five years earlier, Tower of Souls from Parys Technografx is actually a rather unique RPG. Coming out on Amiga and PC (as well as an emulated iPhone version in 2009 that's no longer sold), it sees the generic hero exploring a generic dungeon on a generic quest. Where it innovates - for better or for worse - is in its control scheme.

Beyond the access of menus, the entire game is played via the mouse. Treeac, our hero with a name made up by a six-year-old, follows the floating orb that is the cursor. This not only has issues when having to precisely navigate through trap-filled corridors but also has the unfortunate side effect of disassociating you from the protagonist. On the flip side to this is the puzzles which are far more involving. Locks are unpicked by moving the mouse to the point of most resistance. Keys are turned by moving the mouse in a circular position. They play like a precursor to a touch-controlled mini-game on the tablet or Wii, but with a mouse.

Along the way, you'll collect a variety of plants and herbs that are used to make potions which can be used for either attack (inflicts damage), defence (toughens you up) or metamorphosis (status effects like healing or haste - sadly no animal morphing). You can also store items such as keys, which are used by placing them in your hand via the inventory screen.

You will likely die a number of times, but you can resume exactly where you left off. Provided you have enough money to pay Death that is. It costs 100 coins to resurrect you on the lowest health plus an additional 30 coins for every bit of health. It's an interesting and atmospheric choice, but not one I'm particularly fond of. Like the privatised health care system, it's easy to go bankrupt just to have a chance at life.

There is a fair amount to like in Tower of Souls. It plays like a puzzle-heavy dungeon crawler which does just enough to keep you exploring. It's not a deep as some of the mechanics would have you believe, but it's well worth a play.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox to bring the PC version to modern systems and FS-UAE to emulate the Amiga version. Manual, Reference Card and Herbal Guide included. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 107 Mb. Install Size: 217 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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