Karyssia: Queen of Diamonds
Karyssia: Queen of Diamonds is a fantasy-themed, text-based graphic adventure game designed and published by Incentive Software in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum. In Karyssia, the player is cast in a role of an adventurer on a quest to rid the realm of the titular evil queen. The game received positive reviews.
 Cover by Peter Carter | |
| Developer(s) | Incentive Software |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Incentive Software |
| Designer(s) | D&R Shacklady |
| Engine | Graphic Adventure Creator |
| Platform(s) | ZX Spectrum |
| Release | 1987 |
| Genre(s) | Text adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
Plot
Loranin, the rightful heir to the throne of Arduarin, has asked the protagonist to end the evil reign of Queen Karyssia. This will involve a long journey to reach Karyssia's castle and kill her.
Reception
ACE gave it an overall review score of 695/1000, calling it certainly one of the better GAC games released by Incentive."[1] Mike Gerrard of Your Sinclair wrote that "apart from a few careless screen layouts this is one of the best GAC games I've yet seen. The speech function is often limited to saying 'Hello' just to get a response from the characters, but I liked the way the authors seem to have successfully packed lots of features into the program. Highly recommended."[2]
According to Popular Computing Weekly, apart from spell casting gameplay element, "the game is an average fantasy romp, OK, but not outstanding."[3] On the other hand, a reviewer for Crash gave it an overall score of 87/100: "Karyssia is a fine adventure with many admirable features. The pretty 3-D graphics are thin on the ground, and the location descriptions aren't the most evocative I've read, but the plot, which unwinds along three separately loading parts, holds the attention marvelously."[4]
References
- ACE 11/1987, page 89.
- "Karyssia, Queen Of Diamonds". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- Popular Computing Weekly 10/1987, page 143.
- Crash, 11/1987, page 106.