Magic Candle (1989)(Mindcraft) Game

The Magic Candle was a game definitely ahead of its time; in many ways it was the Elder Scrolls of the C64/ MS-DOS days. It featured a large world map with dozens of towns, villages, temples, and dungeons, and an extensive cast of characters you could recruit for your party, not to mention immersive gameplay that easily put even Ultima to shame!

It has a strong Lord of the Rings feel to it, since the characters are of similar races (Man, Mage, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling), and the weapons are medieval (swords, bows, axes). The spell system is thankfully much more flexible than in the early Advanced Dungeons and Dragons games such as Eye of the Beholder and Curse of the Azure Bonds, and combat is turn-based and heavy on strategy.

The game- including combat- are based on squares for movement, and time passes with each step you take. This is important because the goal of the game is to renew the magical seal on Dreax, the head-honcho of the monsters that are invading the land, before the candle that holds him imprisoned in its flame, melts. Thus the name, The Magic Candle.

Your party, up to six swappable members you can choose from a large cast, move with you on the game screen; often times you will find yourself rearranging your party, even splitting up to multi-task or overcome dungeon obstacles. The menu system of this game is quite intuitive and easy to get the hang of, luckily, and as long as you aren't in combat you can save or load at any time, as well as switch to other parties (if/when you do split up).

Despite the pressure to seal Dreax, much of the game is spent in preparation for battles, and accumulating the wealth necessary to buy supplies (which, unlike traditional RPGs that seem to have a potion in every chest, are much harder to come by). Having each character well stocked on copious quantities of various mushrooms/ tools will make or break your exploration of the dangerous world.

Another main aspect of this game, and probably the most important, is the accumulation of knowledge- as you are well-known to most citizens as the King's champions on a quest to save them, you can obtain priceless information from most of the people you come across. This is initially a challenge because not everyone is easy to talk to- requiring a high charisma stat just to simply introduce themselves- and not everyone hangs out at the tavern so you can just liquor up their tongues. Also, since time passes with each step you take, you soon find that most characters appear only at certain times of the day and in certain locations. Some people won't even open their door unless you already know their name, which you (hopefully) have learned from someone else, like one of their friends who you met in a narrow alley behind an inn at two in the morning, halfway around the world... so notetaking is a must!

Overall, The Magic Candle is a great game for oldschool gamers and RPG-enthusiasts, alike. It truly shines in its immersive gameplay and story-telling, though because of this, the pace may be too slow for some. What awaits the diligent at the end of this long, perilous quest is immensely satisfying, however!