Home of the Underdogs
About News FAQs Contact HOTU GoogleGroup Music Manuals
Category Applications Action Adventure Education Interactive Fiction Puzzle Role Playing Games Simulation Special Sport Strategy War




Support the EFF
Welcome How you can help
Browse Games
Welcome Random Pick
Welcome By Company
  Welcome By Theme  
Welcome By Alphabet
Welcome By Year
Welcome Title Search
Welcome Company Search
Welcome Designer Search
Recommended
Welcome Freeware Titles
Welcome Collections
Welcome Discord
Welcome Twitter
Welcome Facebook
Welcome File Format Guide
Welcome Help: Non PC Games
Welcome Help: Win Games
Welcome Help: DOS Games
Welcome Recommended Links
Site History Site History
Legacy Legacy
Link to Us Link to Us
Credits Thanks & Credits
Abandonware Ring

Abandoned Places

dungeoncrawlers.org

Creative Commons License


Game #3493
Hall of Belated Fame Inductee  Quest for the Rings, The    View all Top Dogs in this genreCollection: Non-PC Underdogs
Action   Hybrid

Rating: 7.4 (15 votes)

Quest for the Rings, The box cover

Quest for the Rings, The screenshot
The Quest for the Rings was the first and arguably best adventure/RPG game produced for the Odyssey, one of the early 80s console systems (whose main competition at the time was the Atari VCS). QFTR is a remarkable game in many aspects, not least because of the circumstances surrounding its release. This was the first entry in Magnavox’ “Master Strategy” line, slightly overcomplicated epics that incorporated board game elements and complex rules – and the video game components of which were, ultimately, simplistic at best. Magnavox’ answer to popular adventure titles for the Atari VCS (e.g. Haunted House), QFTR was an expensive board-game-on-computer game that boasts some of the most elaborate “extras/feelies” you’ll find in any game, including an illustrated game board, dozens of game pieces, and even a keyboard overlay that covered up most of the keys, leaving only the ones used in the game. One main reason for this heavy reliance on outside-the-screen elements is the hardware limitations of the Odyssey. Fortunately, excellent game design makes this a classic game, even if the computer’s role is limited.

Simply put, QFTR is a three-player adventure/RPG game where two of the players are the heroes and the other one the “Ringmaster” similar to the gamemaster in pen & paper RPGs. The game's objective is simply for the two players to evade or fend off all the monsters in each environment while recovering ten rings the Ringmaster has secretly placed across the game world. The heroes win if they obtain all ten of the rings before their turns run out. The Ringmaster wins if they do not.

Classes are reminiscent of fantasy D&D settings: warrior, wizard, changeling, and phantom. The players then go to battle the monsters co-operatively in different environments. These environments are a lot of fun because they have special and unique features that make the battle more or less challenging depending on which class you're playing as. For example, the Shifting Halls have walls which constantly slide across the screen, sometimes trapping you or the monsters. Inferno rooms have walls of molten lava which a phantom – who can normally walk through walls – cannot pass through. All of these rooms could be populated at random, or pre-programmed, with D&D monsters such as orcs, spydroths, and dragons.

Although the “quest” portion that is played on the board is a little tedious due to complex rules you must follow, the action-style videogame component is fun enough that you’ll ignore the shortcomings. The game can be played in solo mode, but of course it’s a lot more fun with friends. Definitely one of the most overlooked console classics that everyone should take a look into, and thanks to the superb O2EM emulator, you can now play this oldie but goodie on your PC. Two thumbs up, way up!

Reviewed by: Underdogs
Designer: Unknown
Developer: Magnavox
Publisher: Magnavox
Year: 1981
Software Copyright: Magnavox
Theme: Fantasy, Epic
Multiplayer:  
System Requirements: Odyssey
Where to get it:
Related Links: The Quest for the Rings Page (archived)
Links:    
If you like this game, try: Gauntlet, Star Saga: One - Beyond The Boundary, Fooblitzsky

© 1998 - 2024 Home of the Underdogs
Portions are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Please read our privacy policy.