Ishar: Legend of the Fortress (1992)
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress is a 1992 role-playing (rpg) video game made by Silmarils.
On the island of Kendoria, the warrior Aramir sets out to bring down Krogh, the sorcerer who murdered lord Jarel from his fortress of Ishar. Silmarils built the game around open outdoor travel, unusual for a 1992 crawler, and around a party that has opinions. You can hold up to five characters, but they like and dislike one another, and recruiting or dismissing anyone triggers a vote. Fall out with the group and a member can be assassinated, though the killer may then be killed in turn. Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS players remember its color and its cruelty.
Quick answers
What is Ishar: Legend of the Fortress about?
On the island of Kendoria, the warrior Aramir sets out to bring down Krogh, the sorcerer who murdered lord Jarel from his fortress of Ishar. Silmarils built the game around open outdoor travel, unusual for a 1992 crawler, and around a party that has opinions. You can hold up to five characters, but they like and dislike one another, and recruiting or dismissing anyone triggers a vote. Fall out with the group and a member can be assassinated, though the killer may then be killed in turn. Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS players remember its color and its cruelty.
When was Ishar: Legend of the Fortress released?
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress was released on 31 December 1992.
Who made Ishar: Legend of the Fortress?
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress was made by Silmarils.
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A few thoughts on Ishar: Legend of the Fortress
Crystals of Arborea sets up Kendoria if you want the prelude, and the later Ishar chapters expand the same party politics. Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder deliver the tighter, indoor real-time crawl this genre is built on. For open first-person exploration with more room to wander, the early Might and Magic games share its spirit.
Open-world crawlers that trade corridors for real horizons
Ishar lets Aramir travel Kendoria's open outdoors, an unusual freedom for a 1992 crawler built around mazes. Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, Daggerfall, Ultima VII, Darklands and Wasteland all share that same pull away from corridors, letting you wander real terrain instead of just another dungeon grid.
First-person crawlers built from the same maze-and-torch bones
Ishar still traps you underground for long stretches, feeling out switches and traps by torchlight between trips outside. Legend of Grimrock and its sequel, Dungeon Master, Vaporum, Operencia, Stonekeep and Anvil of Dawn all share that same grid-by-grid, first-person descent through corridors built to disorient.
Turn-based crawlers for parties who love the grind
Ishar makes you juggle five strong-willed adventurers who might vote a companion out, or worse. Etrian Odyssey, Wizardry 8, Might and Magic VI and The Bard's Tale Trilogy all ask that same patience with party management and turn-based combat, rewarding players who enjoy the slow grind of building a company from scratch.
Revenge quests against a sorcerer who took everything
Ishar sends Aramir after Krogh, the sorcerer who murdered his lord, with nothing but a blade and a grudge. Conan the Barbarian, Excalibur, Dragonslayer, The Fellowship of the Ring, A Game of Thrones, The Name of the Wind and Game of Thrones all carry that same drive: ordinary people forced to settle a score against something far larger than themselves.