Return to Long Shadows

A further update today (25/5/24) to correct victory conditions on one of the quests.

There is now a ZX Spectrum NEXT version of this game on itch.io (only £1.00 to buy or free download): https://martin-page.itch.io/return-to-long-shadows-for-zx-spectrum-next

The NEXT version has an updated Combat algorithm, which gives either side a slight luck factor if they are low on their Wizard or Monster rating. Also, there are a lot more verbs and adverbs in the Combat routine. There are now 44 denizens instead of the original 30. All the denizens, characters and special locations are represented now by multi-coloured sprites. To add to this the game is set up in double-quick time and the game flows a lot faster. Also the Mapmake spell is displayed very quickly.

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N.B. The following is an update of the original upload of July 2023 - (new upload: 24 April 2024). Also, I have amended some of the text below. The price is now only £1.00 as opposed to £2.00 or a free download.  The game is now for solo play. The multi-player option complicates things so it's for solo play only now. Also I have (hopefully) tidied up a few cosmetic issues.  Another thing that I noticed is that the map (Mapmake spell) wasn't saved via the Save routine. This would only be an issue if you Loaded a Saved game into  a new game that you'd started. This is now fixed.

I haven't changed any of the screen shots shown here - some of which show another 'player' present.

Back in the 1980s I wrote several games  for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. They were all published by Sinclair User Magazine, either as a type-in or cassette tape that came with the magazine. The first of these, Forest of Long Shadows is still mentioned (favourably!) in Sinclair forums today. Therefore after 37 years, I decided to write a follow-up to 'Forest...', which is the game that you see here.

The new game is for solo play as opposed to multi-player (see above).

Anyway, the game: you are warrior/wizard, equally adept at combat and spell-casting. The game is set on three levels, the further you delve, the more dangerous the foes that you'll meet. The game map and everything else about it is randomly generated so you'll get a different  layout to the 'board' each time you play. This is not an arcade game - you have to work out your strategy taking into account the various attributes you have. These can all be enhanced or reduced in game play. Look out for Fountains, where you'll enhance your MAGic points and also Guilds, where you'll learn new spells - you'll start with seven spells learnt already but as you'll see, these can get used (together with your MAGic points) sooner than you'd like. You'll meet up to 30 'nasties' in the game and encounter various  locations, including Towers and Portals, to name only two.

The aim of the game is to complete one of the five quests and return to the City location, which you'll have to find. The quests are:

1. Amass 500 Experience points; 2. Visit the Wight Cave; 3. Acquire the Shield of Kandos; 4. Slay the Deathfiend; 5. Visit two of the four castles in the game.

Incidentally, in the short video above, our hero got lucky - believe me you can get killed very easily. Thankfully you have five lives at the start of the game, which means four Resurrection spells have been cast on you. There is a Resurrection spell  you can learn in the game to enhance this attribute.

The downloadable ZIP file has the main game in it plus a 10-page rulebook - what seasoned gamer doesn't like a good rulebook to get stuck into?

The game is free to download  - a small donation is optional.

Hope you like the game.

Martin Page, July 2023/April 2024

P.S. Please ignore the rule about 'Oblivion'  (in earlier rulebook) - this is for the NEXT version only.