CV Gateway to Apshai: A Review.
Graphics= 4
Sound= 5
Gameplay= 7
Overall= 6
**NOTE: This review will also include some basic directions, AND it will explain what some of those odd magic items do. So, if you’ve been going crazy trying to figure it out, help is here at long last…
Look up any list of top ColecoVision games that were announced and which ColecoVision owners wished had appeared but never did, and you will find that Tunnels and Trolls almost always tops the list.
This is hardly surprising. The ColecoVision came out in 1982, and Dungeons and Dragons was still in its Golden Age (or at least Silver). Computer games such as Wizardry were new and allowed computer owners to experience something of the thrill of searching through dungeons, encountering dangers, friends, traps, and treasures. It was an exciting time, and when we looked through that little catalog that came with the ColecoVision and saw that picture of the skeleton, wizard, spider, and trap door, in then-unbeatable detail, we couldn’t wait! At last- a SERIOUS role-playing game for video game consoles!
We waited. And waited. And waited…
Now, we are balding, many of us middle-aged. It’s no longer the 1980s, or even the 1990s, but the last few years of the first decade of the new millennium. Much has changed. Gone are Coleco and Atari; now it’s all about Sony and Microsoft. Games are measured in megabytes, not “K.” RPGs on something called the “Internet” can be played forever, with millions playing in what is now called “cyberspace.” Old-style cable television, once uncommon and a really big deal, is laughed at, in this age of Tivo. Portable phones that would make Kirk and Spock jealous are commonplace (unfortunately).
Somehow, I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that Tunnels and Trolls isn’t going to appear on the ColecoVision anytime soon.
Although Tunnels and Trolls never did appear for the ColecoVision, a third-party manufacturer known as Epyx did, in 1984, offer us something akin to it: Gateway to Apshai.
Gateway to Apshai was one of several computer games in the Apshai series, and it actually did set a standard in overhead third-person action-adventure gaming. In it, you were the heir to Apshai’s greatest warrior-hero, and the king of the land sent you (actually, you were dragooned) into the eight-level dungeon maze of Apshai. You had to “find a path to the Temple of Apshai,” which was evidently located in the lowest level of the dungeon. There were eight dungeon levels in this game, and a number of dungeon mazes in each level- you were asked which one you wished to play before continuing.
As with any good adventure game, the dungeon had long since become infested with all sorts of nasty monsters, all bent on killing you. Also, there were many different traps, some of which would damage you, temporarily paralyze you, sap your strength or luck, teleport you to some random part of the dungeon level you were in, or ruin any magical weapons and armor you found (more on this in a bit). Monsters, by the way, had two basic ways of moving: directly towards you, or in a more erratic sort of manner.
Your attributes were simple in this game: Strength, Agility, and Luck. Your total hit points were these three things combined, so, since you started out with three of each, you started out with nine hit points. This is how much damage you could take before reaching zero, after which any damage would kill you. Any gain in any of the attributes would increase your hit points, just as any decrease (yes, that can happen!) would reduce them. You had a total of five lives, either because of some enchantment about you, or because someone somewhere really liked to see you suffer.
Making your life truly miserable was the fact that the king who sent you on this mission should have been called “King Cheapskate,” because the ONLY things you were given before being sent in was shoddy leather armor and a crummy little dagger. That’s right- you weren’t even given a bow and arrows, or a single stun spell…nothing.
Luckily- and I do use that word loosely here- the dungeon was littered with weapons, spells, and magic items, all of which you could claim and use. There were also treasures of lead, iron, bronze, silver, gold, and jewels. You weren’t gathering these treasures just to be greedy, though; by gathering enough treasure in a level, you would gain extra Strength, Agility, and Luck points. You would only gain an extra point in all three if you gathered ALL of the treasures- even the worthless lead ones- in a dungeon level. Otherwise, you would only gain in one or two of the attributes. Be warned: jeweled treasures are ALWAYS trapped, and there is one in every dungeon.
You only had six and one half minutes to spend on any dungeon level, and a timer counted down on-screen. This was reset if you were killed, however, and you were NOT sent down to the next level. Upon the timer reaching zero, you were shown what points (if any) you had gained in which attributes, and then you would enter the next, lower, level.
One interesting aspect of this game was the “mist.” The dungeons were mazes, each of which was larger than your television screen (like Gauntlet). Unlike most other such games, however, the only portions you could see were the ones you had actually entered; a sort of gold-colored “mist” obscured everything else. Thus, if you had not already played the game and had not already been in that particular dungeon maze, you could not know what was in the area you were about to enter… and this included monsters.
Another aspect involved the doors. There were two kinds: the kind you could see and use a simple key-spell to open, and, from level two down, the secret kind, that would only be revealed if you used your “search” spell. Entry into portions of the dungeon maze was only possible by finding and opening them (unless you were randomly teleported into that area, of course!).
As with most such games, everything became more hazardous as you descended deeper and deeper through the dungeon levels. Monsters were faster, tougher, and could do much more damage, and the traps were deadlier.
You also had information screens showing weaponry, health and attributes, and what you were carrying (treasures excepted).
You could also drop unwanted items, call them up for use, search for doors and traps (you could only detect one trap at a time), and even just skip ahead to the next dungeon level.
As mentioned earlier, the dungeon was littered with all sorts of useful items. This is where the game really became interesting: you could find and pick up better and better weaponry, shields, armor (including gauntlets and helms), magic spells and items, and healing potions, salves, and the like. There were a good number of these things to be found, which added to the game’s appeal.
By the way- contrary to the description of the game, “to find a path to the Temple,” there was and is no final objective in this game. There is no “temple,” no such hidden icon, or anything of the sort. Once you reach dungeon level eight, that’s it- after that, you either play the same dungeon again and again, or you can choose another dungeon on that level. This did leave something to be desired; the fun was in the journey, not the destination.
The ColecoVision version of this game is by no means the best adventure game ever made. Websites have made fun of it because of the graphics, even though I’ve seen other versions that didn’t look much better. Still, back in 1984, this was the most complex RPG a ColecoVision owner could get, and it was certainly welcome.
This is a game where the good outweighs the bad, although the bad cannot be ignored.
The single most important advantage the ColecoVision version had over all of the others was the number of dungeons. As with the other versions there were eight levels, but, while the other versions offered sixteen dungeons per level (a total of 128), the ColecoVision version offered an astonishing NINETY-NINE dungeons per level, for a total of 792! This meant that you weren’t likely to memorize the entire layout for a long, long, time.
Since the ColecoVision had keypad controllers the various functions one used a computer keyboard for could also be done here. Here are the control scheme and the numbers and functions:
JOYSTICK: Moves your adventurer in the four basic directions.
FIRE BUTTONS: Both do the same thing, depending on what mode you are in.
#1: Fight. Pressing fire buttons will swing dagger or sword. If you have a bow and arrows, pressing 1 again will enable you to fire arrows. If you have magic arrows, pressing 1 a third time will let you shoot these.
#2: Items. Pressing this button will go through the items you have found, from the most recent to the earliest. Pressing the fire buttons will use the magic spells and items, use healing potions and such, or claim armor, weapons, shields, etc. Any such item you already are using or wearing will vanish.
#3: Drop Item. Pressing this button will display all items you are carrying. Using the joystick will move an arrow up and down the list; pushing either fire button will make you drop the item. If you pick it up again, then it will be the first item to appear when you press keypad button #2.
#4: Key. If you are standing in front of and are facing a visible door, it will open when you push either fire button.
#5: Search Spell. Pressing this button and then either fire button will reveal any secret doors in the immediate area you are in- such an area is the size of the “mist” that covered it before you entered.
#6: Traps. Pressing this button and then either fire button will show any traps in the area you are in; a flashing skull will appear over it. Be warned: only one trap at a time will be revealed, this based on where you are standing.
#7: Status. This shows a screen listing your three attributes and hit points, and how many points you have in each. Again, “hit points” is the sum of the three attributes.
#8: Carrying. This simply lists what you are carrying, except for claimed weaponry and treasures (which are never displayed).
#9: Weaponry. This lists all claimed weapons, armor, helm, shield, gauntlet, bow, arrows, and magic arrows. In other words, what you are equipped with.
#0: Skip Level. This can end the level you are on before the time limit expires. You then go to the next one, unless you are already in level eight.
This is good for the game, but it does mean you must have a keypad controller. Still, it keeps the game from being bogged down, and is vital if you need something fast.
Graphics in this game get a low rating, and they deserve it. You are a single-colored human character. No matter what equipment you gather, your appearance never changes. All “human” enemies are identical to you, except for color. Several enemies, such as the rats and snakes, only face one direction, so they actually move backwards at times. Ogres and ghouls are shown by the same character image, and it’s something you wouldn’t expect to see on a 1980 Atari 2600 game. Goblins are just as poorly drawn. Treasure chests are crudely done, as are armor and shields. At least gauntlets and swords are decent looking, and all human characters are nicely animated, but overall, this was one game that absolutely could not rely on pretty pictures. It is fortunate that all enemies, treasures, and items are identified by text at the bottom of the screen.
Sound isn’t much better. Aside from the nifty “chuhchuhchuhchuh” sound of your footsteps, this game has sound almost as pathetic as the graphics. The little musical tune when you pick up things is pleasant enough, though.
Play action and variety of monsters and items are this game’s strong points. As mentioned earlier, this version has more dungeons than any other, which is important for long-term play value. You have a great variety of items to find, there are a good variety of traps, and the hidden doors are a plus, too. I especially like the way the “mist” obscures what lies ahead; you will find yourself (unpleasantly) surprised many times!
While monsters differ in the ways mentioned earlier, there is one other thing about them: to successfully strike one with weapons, you must be strong enough, AND frequently have a better weapon. For example, you will first encounter the ogres in level three. Even if you have gained the short sword and two extra points of strength from the previous two levels, you will find that only by using spells or arrows can you affect them; your sword attacks are useless…UNLESS you find the long sword. THEN, you can kill the ogres in this manner! Of course, any enemy you could already destroy can be done in more easily than before, too. It is the same with armor and other protective equipment- an enemy will either do less damage or none at all! Obviously, the fewer strikes you need against an enemy, the better.
There are three truly unique monsters in this game: the Living Statue, that can only be harmed by magic spells (with one exception, mentioned later); the Ghost, that is colored black so it cannot be seen against the black background but can be destroyed by a single stroke or arrow; and the Blinking Bat, that teleports from place to place within the visible screen- it is the only monster not stopped by walls.
While most things in this game are predictable, such as what kind of monsters and items you will encounter in a level, and the layout of a particular dungeon (this includes monsters) once you’ve been through it, there are some things that are not, such as where a teleport trap will send you, where a Blinking Bat will teleport to, or even how many arrows you will have upon claiming them.
Magic plays an important part in this game- without it, you will not live very long. While most magic items, traps, and spells are pretty obvious, some aren’t- and now, as promised, here are the tricky ones! Note- unless otherwise stated, effects are temporary.
CROSS- Picking up and claiming this item will double the effectiveness of sword attacks against undead creatures, those being ghouls, vampires, and vampire bats. Fractions are rounded up, so if you normally needed five strikes against such a creature, you will need three after using this item. The effect is permanent.
PROTECT SPELL- This simply lessens the chances a monster has of harming you, and if it does, damage will usually be less.
SHIELD SPELL- This temporarily gives you the equivalent of a magic shield. This is shown in the Weapons Screen, as a “+” next to “shield.”
GAUNTLET- Not a magic item, really, but it does protect you from poison needles.
MAGIC ARROWS- Arrows that simply do more damage. These cannot be ruined or enhanced in any way.
STONE AND PARALYSIS SPELLS- Both do the same thing: they simply hold whatever monsters were visible at the time of use in place. If you are killed, those monsters will be freed; otherwise, the effect is permanent on them. Of course, you can attack any such held monsters.
WEAKNESS TRAP- Brings your strength down to 1. If you use any healing item, strength is fully restored, as are any lost hit points- in fact, you may have more hit points than you should!
DISARM SPELL- Disarms whichever trap you can detect, and ONLY that one trap. Effect is permanent.
CURSED TRAP- This usually takes half of your hit points, and it will ruin whatever magic armor, shield, sword, and the like you are currently equipped with (not what you are simply carrying but have not “claimed” yet). A magic sword might become a crummy dagger, even. Magic arrows are not affected. The only defense against this is to not set off the trap, or to use the disarm spell before touching it.
CONFUSE SPELL- Makes monsters move erratically, or even more so if they already do. It also causes the Blinking Bat to lose its teleportation ability, which may not be a good thing, since it will come right at you and does great damage each time it hits.
CURSED SWORD- A random thing. Upon claiming it, you might have a real magic sword, and maybe gain magic armor or shield. On the down side, you might end up with a lesser weapon (even a dagger), no luck, or a loss of hit points. Effects may be combined.
WAND- This enhances any previously claimed magic items, except for magic arrows. Stun spells last longer. The effect is permanent, unless ruined by a cursed trap. None of these enhancements are shown in any way.
STAFF- Similar to the WAND, except more effective, and that stun spells are not improved. If you were carrying a magic sword upon using this item, and you have sufficient strength, then you can destroy a Living Statue with sword attacks. This is the only way to do so without magic spells. Magic arrows are not enhanced.
I certainly hope that helps!
Until the discovery and release of the battery-backed Lord of the Dungeon some years ago (Sean Kelly), this was the most complex RPG a ColecoVision owner could get. The lack of a final purpose in a game like this is a strike against it, but maybe you can make up ones of your own, such as finishing level 8 once with as many attribute-points as possible, all magic armor and weapons, etc.
Overall, this is a game where the good definitely outweighs the bad, enough that I can recommend it, though not by as much as I would like. Since Tunnels and Trolls never appeared, this is the best substitute as of this writing you can get.
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