Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

 

Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage
The game cover, featuring Alaron and Keelin.
Developer(s)	H2O Interactive
Publisher(s)	THQ
Release date(s)	NA March 14, 2001 EUR August 3, 2001
Genre(s)	Role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Media	Cartridge
System requirements	Controller Pak

Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage is a video game developed by H2O Interactive and published by THQ. It is one of the few console role-playing games released for Nintendo's Nintendo 64 system.

Story

Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage follows a young squire named Alaron who, while searching for a missing farmer named Kendall, encounters a strange spirit and is poisoned by Goblins. He awakes from a terrifying vision of monsters in the clouds to find himself inside the hut of Oriana, a healer dwelling in the forests. She tells Alaron that the poison is beyond the powers of normal medicine to cure. Upon returning to Castle Gwernia in which he lives, the king, Phelan, instructs him to ask the Mirari people of Erromon to help heal his poison. After gathering a party that consists of Abrecan, Brenna, and either Rheda or Godric, Alaron sets out for the dangerous road to Erromon. Upon reaching Erromon, the Mirari King, Txomin, explains that they've been under attack from goblins. He asks Alaron to help, and promises to direct him to a wizard named Cradwagh.

Alaron clears the goblins off the mountains, slaying their leader, Kitarak. When he returns to Erromon, however, he discovers that Txomin lied, and doesn't know the current whereabouts of Cradwagh. Instead, he tells Alaron to travel to Talewok, and see the witch, Ardra. Before leaving Erromon, Alaron converses with the Mirari queen, Yeraza. Yeraza tells Alaron he has the scent of Chaos about him and gives him Stormbreaker, a blessed tree branch able to calm any storm.

Along the road to Talewok, Alaron encounters a spirit, who calls Alaron "rehtorb," and speaks of "joining" with him. At the Wizard School, the doorman asks everyon'e True Name, but Alaron has no answer. The doorman is puzzled, but allows Alaron to enter to speak with Ardra. She sends him to get some Amaranth from the forest behind the school, where he encounters some Dryads, and speaks with their queen, Pandara. She gives him the Amaranth, and Alaron returns to Ardra. She begins the healing spell, which brings on another vision. This one includes a feeble old man in a rocking chair, and when the vision ends, Ardra explains that the healing spell failed because Alaron is a Wildling - he has no True Name. Without a True Name, his spirit is not bound to his body, and Alaron is incomplete. Ardra tells him to travel to Port Saiid and take a boat to Cradwagh's Island.

After a strange encounter with a jester, Alaron is eventually able to hire a boat at Port Saiid, but the ship travels into a powerful storm, and since Alaron accidentally tied Stormbreaker to the mast instead of the helm, the ship is damaged and forced to land at Chaos Island. After exploring a strange temple, the party returns to the ship, and sets off for Cardwagh's Island. Another storm kicks up, but this time Stormbreaker is tied correctly to the helm, and the ship arrives safely at Cradwagh's Island - too late, it seems, as a group of monsters have already fatally injured Cradwagh. The dying wizard asks Alaron to bring his body to Talewok, and suggests seeking the Jundar Zaratas in the desert. He also warns him of an entity named Pochangarat.

After Cradwagh's funeral in Talewok, Alaron heads down to the city of Terminor. Along the way, he once again encounters the spirit, who again expresses its need to join with Alaron. The joining is unsuccessful, and Alaron again continues down the path to Terminor. He runs into the jester from Port Saiid just outside the city gates, and delivers a cryptic message. As Alaron explores Terminor, he finds the residents to be very hostile towards Grewnians. It also seems there's a plague going around the city. Alaron soon discovers, too, that the nearby village of Pome was destroyed by a wizard with a twisted staff. The final level of Terminor has a house, in which resides Mago, a wizard without a True Name, who went insane several years back and called up a huge storm when the townspeople tried to kill him. Mago is the man from Alaron's earlier vision.

After bringing Niesen into the party, Alaron travels to a nearby bog, where he finds the Tower of Shamsuk, a powerful wizard who had previously destroyed Pome and cursed Niesen, slowly turning him into a zombie. Niesen gets the party into the tower, and after some exploration, they reach a chamber with a large stone hand. Niesen explains that he's going to die inside the tower, at which point a flame-covered demon appears. Niesen sacrifices himself casting a spell to defeat the demon, and the party continues into the next room. The jester appears once more, revealing himself to be Farris, another wizard. Farris joins the party, assisting them in defeating Shamsuk, though not before Shamsuk had already killed Oriana (who, it turns out, was Alaron's mother). Farris then leaves the party, taking Shamsuk necromantic staff with him.

After defeating Shamsuk, Alaron crosses a desert to reach the Jundar city of Ugarit. He speaks with the Jundar Emperor, Zaratas, who explains only the dragon Rooughah can Name Alaron. He needs to find the Golden Horn of Kynon and play it for Rooughah. Alaron retrieves the Horn from a barrow, and begins heading back to Erromon. After exiting the Jundar desert, Alaron again encounters the spirit. This time, the merger is successful, and after a vision of the goblin raid that interrupted Alaron's naming ceremony as a baby, he wakes up and explains that he feels complete, though he still lacks a True Name.

Alaron travels through the Erromon tunnels until he comes across the dragon Rooughah. After Alaron plays the Horn of Kynon, Rooughah tells him he knows his True Name: Alaron. After Rooughah flies away, the Mirari tell Alaron that the forces of Chaos are gathering outside Gwernia for a final assault. Alaron uses a portal to return to Gwernia castle, and fights his way through the castle until he reaches Prince Sheridan, who confesses to always being jealous of Alaron. Sheridan explains that Alaron is the son of Oriana and King Phelan, who took Oriana as a lover while his wife, Bodecia of Terminor, was dying. Alaron fights and kills Sheridan, only to then meet Pochangarat (the huge monster from Alaron's first vision in Oriana's hut).

After Pochangarat's death, Alaron sees his father, King Phelan. Phelan is dying from wounds he suffered at Pochangarat's hands, and requests to be buried under the Great Wall of Knights in Gwernia. He then appoints Alaron as his successor, before dying. The story ends with Alaron's coronation ceremony.

Playable Characters

During Alaron's lengthy quest to acquire a true name, he may recruit several members to aid his party and fight for his side-three of which he must choose before he sets out.

The following descriptions come from the game manual.

Alaron - A headstrong young squire whose eagerness to prove himself often conflicts with his inexperience. Orphaned as an infant after a Goblin raid, Alaron was adopted by the King of Gwernia, who seems to have a special affection for the boy. The knight Abrecan, however, resents Alaron's headstrong attitude and fears that if Alaron continues to leap before looking, he'll tarnish the reputation of the castle knights . . . if Alaron lives long enough to become one, that is.

Alaron is a good all-around fighter with some talent for magic. He's able to learn all schools of magic, and has good melee skills.

Brenna - You'd never know it from watching them, but the constantly feuding Brenna and Alaron are actually the best of friends. They have a great deal in common: Brenna was also orphaned while very young, but unlike Alaron, she had to make her own way in the world for a little while before being taken in by the King, which is why her thieving skills are unmatched. Like Alaron, she feels as if she doesn't get enough respect in Gwernia, especially from Abrecan, and she wants to find her place in the world as badly as Alaron does.

Although she hates being called a thief, the fact of the matter is that Brenna is a Thief, and a good one. Without her Thief skill, Alaron's party has little chance of getting the goodies out of locked chests, And without her Mechanic skill, some of those chests are likely to blow up in the party's face. Developing her talent with Thrown weapons makes her a worthy addition to the group. She's able to learn Elemental magic.

Abrecan - Captain of the Gwernian knights and possibly the greatest living Warrior in the kingdom, Abrecan's prowess in battle is matched only by his surliness in social situations. He never misses an opportunity to grumble at Alaron or Brenna, and very few of his compatriots' misdemeanors escape his notice. But behind the hard exterior is a committed, disciplined warriors who wants nothing more from life than to serve his king and country and uphold the honor of the Gwernian knights.

Abrecan is good for two things: absorbing punishment and dishing it out. He is vital to any low-level party because he's able to destroy Minotaurs and Goblins without breaking a sweat while the weaker adventurers are having trouble with Giant Rats. He should be at the front of any combat, holding enemies back from the other characters, who are free to attack with magic or missile weapons (or to heal Abrecan).

Rheda - High-strung and as demanding of others as she is of herself, Rheda is the apprentice of the Wizard Bowden. When you first meet her, she's trying to remove a curse laid on her friend Niesen by Shamsuk, a Wizard who's a little on the power-hungry side. She'd rather spend her time at the castle trying to cure Niesen, but if Alaron is persuasive enough, he can get her to join him on his quest.

Skilled in the magic arts, Rheda is an initially weak Wizard who can become a powerful and valuable member of the party, provided there are a few warriors who can hold back the monsters. Rheda works best as support for the rest of the group, casting defensive and offensive spells. She can use Naming magic, and also uses Pole weapons.

Godric - Godric is nuts. He lives in the basement of the Wizard's Keep, guards his laboratory with Giant Rats and Bats, and can't remember conversations he had five minutes ago. His talent for Alchemy and his scattered knowledge of Gwernian history, however, almost make up for his mental lapses. He uses Elemental magic, and has little in the way of combat skills.

Becan - A former Gwernian knight, Becan left Gwernia and the king's service after the Goblin raids of Alaron's early childhood. His residence in Gwernia is still unoccupied, though, and he left his journal sitting on the kitchen table. It reveals that Becan did save the King's life, but he seems to have some regrets about the way he did it. Alaron can find Becan in peddling wares in the Mirari village Erromon. If Alaron is especially persistent, he can convince Becan to once again take up the axe and crush some Goblin skulls.

Becan's fighting skills are comparable to Abrecan, and having both in the same party ensures a solid wall of blades and armor through which few enemies can pass.

Arturo - With a head as thick as his Improved Plate Mail, Arturo is the quintessential big dumb fighter. His father was a Gwernian knight, but the closests Arturo ever got to meeting him was receiving his armor after he died. His drive to live up to the honor of the Code of Knights is limited only by his almost subhuman lack of Intelligence. The party meets him while he's "guarding" the bridge to Port Saiid, not letting even legitimate travelers and merchandise pass.

Arturo's good for only one thing: fighting. Fortunately, he's really good at fighting. Not only can he dish out a great deal of damage, but he can also absorb a lot of punishment. By the time Alaron meets him, he might be ready for a break from Abrecan, and Arturo is a worthy replacement.

Keelin - The daughter of well-to-do traders in Talewok, Keelin turned to a life of mischief when she was quite young, and she's only gotten worse as she's grown. If she can't get her way by using her womanly charms, Keelin isn't above using her light fingers or ever-present dagger to get the job done.

Keelin is Brenna's rival in every way. By the time Alaron meets Keelin, Brenna has started hinting that she's a little jealous of the female attention he's been getting . . . and Keelin gives Alaron a lot of attention. She's also a very talented Thief. She's also skilled with Missile weapons.

Donovan - Swashbuckling superhero or self-absorbed sword-slinger? Donovan thinks very highly of himself . . . so highly, in fact, that he has grown tired of giving fencing lessons to the children of aristocrats in Terminor, and longs for adventure. His prose (and armor) lean towards the melodramatic, but his skills as a Warrior and a Wizard compensate.

Rheda's obligation to Alaron's quest ends with Niesen's death, so Donovan (who is a Naming Wizard, like Rheda) might be a good replacement for her.

Baird - Baird's sheer size could give Arturo's bulk a run for its money, but, unlike Arturo, Baird has something between his ears. He is an able Warrior, and he fancies himself a poet. He will regale the group with tales of their legendary quest at every opportunity (even if he does run into a couple of tricky rhymes along the way). More importantly, he claims to know the Jundar desert south of Terminor like the back of his hand.

By the time the party returns to Terminor after Shamsuk's Tower, they've probably outgrown Arturo, and Baird's axe is a fine replacement for Arturo's sword. Baird is also a talented Loremaster and Troubador, as opposed to Arturo who isn't a talented anything.

Sholeh - A Jundar woman living in the desert near Ugarit, Sholeh is one of the few of her kind who does not display the customary Jundar dislike and distrust of humans. She discovered the blind Wizard Fyrsil in the desert after he failed to stop Mago's magic storm, and she has cared for him ever since.

Sholeh is a strong warrior, deadly with Missile weapons, and a good choice if you need to add some long-distance power to your party. She also knows Star magic.

Dougal - Dougal is one of the last playable characters your party encounters, and one of the most well-rounded. He's an accomplished Warrior and Troubador, with strong Thief skills and some powerful magic to boot.

Unfortunately, Dougal is a little too good to be true, which you will discover if you add him to the party. When you reach Rooughah's Lair in Erromon, Dougal reveals himself as a traitor to the group and a servant of Rabisat and Chaos. He threatens to steal the Horn of Kynon and fights the party for it. Even if you win, you'll still be short a party member.

Reception

Aidyn received either panned or mixed critical reviews. Many of the more positive reviews, such as Nintendo Power, cited its creative storyline and strategic combat system. Negative reviews generally complained about its outdated graphics, repetitive musical score, and lack of environment details (IGN/4.2).

Sequel

While several Aidyn Chronicles were planned, the projects were dropped after very poor sales of The First Mage.

External Links

Gamefaqs.com page about Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage

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