Before John Carmack went and founded id Software (essentially creating the FPS genre with Wolfenstein and Doom), he was just another kid who liked to play Dungeons & Dragons with his friends. However, rather than playing set scenarios, teenage Dungeon Master John Carmack began developing his own fantasy universe. Years, indeed decades, of playing in John's own scenario led he and his close friends to create the world of 'Orcs & Elves.'
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For Orcs & Elves on the Mobile, GameFAQs has 4 cheat codes and secrets, 1 review, and 3 critic reviews.
In 2000, Carmack would marry female gamer extraordinaire Katharine Anna Kang. With her help, Carmack slowly but surely began to map out a solid idea of what 'Orcs & Elves' would look like as a game. Though this piece of mobile software only reveals a minor faction of what is stirring in the couple's imaginations, it is an important first step. Even better news is that it is a good first step. I was (and am still) shocked to say that a game with a title as simple and bland as 'Orcs & Elves' has made more progress in mobile content than any other game in the genre to date.
Story
You are Elli, a dark elf and son of a king. Wielding a talking wand and a sword, you are on your way to help the dwarves because of recent orc attacks. Their King, Brahm, knew your father, and you move forward (perhaps as a debt of obligation). Unfortunately, the first person you encounter when you enter is the ghost of a dwarf. He lets you know that inside the dungeons you're about to traverse, you won't find many living dwarves left... there might not be any left. The only living creatures you'll find are hostile, and all your friends are mere shadows of what they once were. Why the dwarves appear to you as ghosts is a mystery all its own and one that will be solved before the end of your quest.
The depth of the game's plot isn't what makes it so praiseworthy. After all, for a five hour RPG on a mobile phone you can't expect too much in the way of dramatic climaxes or twists of events. But, what you can look forward to is decent dialogue and interesting scenarios. I was especially fond of two ghost dwarves: one would only help you if you got drunk, and the other one was convinced he was still alive and would charge head first into any battle, unaware that he wasn't helping one bit. This, coupled with a fearsome dragon as the game's shopkeeper, made for a fairly humorous adventure.
Those who take the time to read through the game's official site will learn more about the world Carmack and crew created. It's a good start, and the story is simple yet effective for the platform.
Graphics
Like a game for PC, the graphics of a game depend on the performance of the hardware running the software. EA Mobile published multiple versions of the game to run on both low-end and high-end phones. I had the joyous experience of playing it on a low-end phone, and let me promise you, the game is infinitely better on a high-end phone. If you're playing on a cheap phone, not only are the load times terrible, the graphics are pretty sad as well. It's like, why is it taking so long to load if it's this ugly?
But that's not a problem if you're playing the game on a platform with the intended specs. At its best, the game looks brilliant with vibrant colors and solid animation. And, best of all, no frame-rate slow down! The game sports a number of cut scenes that involve the camera moving every which way to introduce special characters (usually villains) or display an intricate room (usually because there's a puzzle). Color me impressed.
I would have liked to see more attention paid to lower-end phones, as many consumers may look at the screens and think 'wow I want this on my phone!'...then get completely ripped off with a subpar game. But if you spent the money on a nice phone, this game looks great on it.
Sound
Like with graphics, sound suffers if playing on a phone at the lower end of the spectrum. You get a theme song at the opening screen, a few different sound effects, and little jingles for leveling up etc. That's it. Nothing impressive.
High-end cell phone gamers will experience a 'fuller' soundtrack, with music throughout the game. However, it is my professional opinion that the music composed for the game is, simply put, unimpressive. They could do better... a lot better.
Gameplay
And here is where the game shines. No one expects a game on a mobile phone to have impressive aesthetic value, but the game darn well better be fun. Fortunately, much like its developers' predecessor (Doom RPG), this game packs a decent amount of simple, sometimes unique, fun.
First-person perspective? Check. Turn-based dungeon crawling on various tiles of a simple grid-based map? Check. Giant war hammers that allow you to use different abilities depending on the number of foes in your presence? Check!
If there's one thing I appreciated about Orcs & Elves, it was Elli's arsenal of weapons. Here's the rundown for you: sword, flaming sword, vorpal sword, bow, crossbow, phoenix eggs (grenades), dragon's breath, Medusa scroll, magic wand (Ellon), and giant hammer (Abraxas). Of course, you start with just the basics: sword and wand. As you navigate the many areas within the game, you will be presented with these neato artifacts. Some weapons are optional, as you receive them only by purchasing them from the dragon Gaya.
While Elli doesn't cast any sort of magic spells, you'll be hard-pressed to finish the game without using a few magical potions or wearing some rings with lasting effects. I constantly found myself using potions of haste, avoidance, and strength to get the edge on my foes. And this isn't just simple hack and slash combat, my friends. The dungeons are designed such that you find yourself constantly in need of a proper strategy to move forward. The sheer variety of enemies, their tactics, and their weaknesses, are sure to keep you on your toes. Boss fights are even more exhilarating, and each usually requires a certain gimmick to win.
And then there are puzzles. Most of the puzzles are simple, but making a mistake costs you your life in most cases, so it's important to save often! There are also a couple of doors that you can only unlock by entering the proper code. I liked this system a lot, as it required you to have a good memory (or check your log often).
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Carmack and friends did a great job designing this game. I'm usually not a fan of dungeon crawlers, but I really had a lot of fun playing this game.
Control
The user interface of this game is lifted right out of Doom RPG, and that worked. If you're on a low-end phone, the controls are occasionally unresponsive, due to loading issues. Again, high-end phones won't experience this problem.
Overall
If I were to do a mean average, this game would get a terribly low score. But honestly, I can't fault the game for having subpar sound or graphics when it's developed for a platform as unexplored and unused (at least in Northa America) as the mobile phone. The game itself is great fun, and for a mere five or six dollars it's certainly worth the price. I award Orcs & Elves an 83% and I await some sort of follow-up to Carmack's D&D world.
North American Nintendo DS box artFountainhead Entertainment(mobile phone)(Nintendo DS)Matthew C. RossRichard Douglas,ReleaseMobile PhoneMay 1, 2006Nintendo DSNovember 13, 2007Orcs & Elves is an for the. It was developed by and Fountainhead Entertainment and published by and licensed by for the DS version. It was released for mobile phone on May 1, 2006 before being ported to the Nintendo DS on November 15, 2007. The game is based on 's engine and is id's first original since.
The later DS port of the game included graphical enhancements, such as 3D environments and camera cutscenes, along with improved character sprites, two new levels and the use of the touchscreen feature.In Orcs & Elves, the protagonist, a young must retake a dwarven city from the evil army of occupying it. A sequel, titled, has been released for mobile phones. Nintendo DS version displaying double screens, with the lower as the touch screen.Orcs & Elves' is a, played from a perspective.
Each individual action by the player counts as a 'turn', whether that be movement, using an item or weapon or casting a spell in which other foes will also move and attack in turns following each. Each forward move by the player is done on an invisible grid that makes up each level in order to retain the turn-based element while appearing more like a first person adventure due to its fast-paced nature.Each level is set in a maze environment such as a or with a start and end point, containing multiple corridors and rooms that can be visited at any time. Many paths are cut off and require certain objectives to be completed in order to advance, such as activate hidden switches, locate helpful ghosts and opening rune gates that require a code of four runes. Some foes also require different strategies in order to defeat with some being resistant to certain attacks such as magic.
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The mobile phone single display.The RPG elements, along with those of, come in the form of basic leveling up of the player and collecting and trading items and gold. As the player progresses they will level up, increasing their overall stats such as health, strength and defense, through slaying foes, completing objectives and locating hidden areas and items, many of which can be repeated. Although to begin with the player is equipped with just a basic sword and a wand called 'Ellon' they can also find various items, along with gold, throughout each level, which they can spend on new equipment by visiting 'Gaya the Dragon', located by entering portals at the end of each level. Equipment can have both passive and active effects, such as armor to improve defense, repair kits for damaged armor, magic rings and potions that improve certain stats or heal and stronger weapons like and or spells for the wand Ellon to be used in combat like lightning and fire attacks.In the Nintendo DS version of the game, spells can be cast through drawing runes on the touchscreen for each spell using the DS'. Movement, item management and menu navigation can also be done using this feature along with the option of button controls.Story Characters Player's take control of the protagonist Elli, an Elf warrior and son of the famous Elf adventurer Eol.
Despite his heroic position, Elli is never seen outside of the player's first person perspective (except in concept art found online or unlockable in the DS version) and never directly speaks to other characters. However, Elli wields a known as Ellon, that not only can speak but exchanges dialogue with others throughout the story, making Ellon Elli's form of interaction. Despite being only a wand however, Ellon embodies an almost human personality, in many instances often exchanging jokes or arguments with friend and foe alike.Another prominent character is King Brahm, king of the Dwarf mountain city of Zharrakarag and friend of Elli's father, Eol. While not initially seen at the beginning of the story, Elli must locate him in order to learn more and eventually track down the perpetrators of the Orc invasion.
Other friendly characters encountered throughout the game are the ghosts of the fallen dwarf inhabitants, who despite their demise aid the player through guiding them and unlocking impassable doors. Some of the dwarf ghosts are encountered multiple times, such as Sarbok, a dwarf ale brewer who will invite Elli to drink with him before continuing with the quest on several occasions and Nestri, the first dwarf encountered, proving to be a key ally throughout.Another recurring character is the dragon Gaya, who sits in a lair near the top of the mountain guarding a vast treasure who uses it to trade with adventurers and the dwarves, where King Brahm made a deal with the dragon as a supplier. Elli can teleport to in between levels via portals and can even trade rare artifacts for better, more expensive equipment.Plot From the beginning, Elli and Ellon receive a 'cryptic message' from King Brahm, the ruler of Mount Zharrkarag and close friend of Elli's father.Upon arriving at Zharrkarag, Elli and Ellon encounter a ghost of a fallen Dwarf inhabitant, Iog or Nestri who informs the pair that the mountain city has been attacked by Orcs. With the help of other Dwarf ghosts, the pair reach the Dragon's Lair, home of the dragon Gaya who assists the player throughout by trading loot with Elli. As they explore the prison, they encounter a captive Dark Elf, revealing their part in the invasion. Later, after battling through waves of Orcs and giant insects, Elli encounters and defeats the great weaver Sonja.Moving into the Zharrkarag forge, the ghost of the Forge Master informs Elli and Ellon that King Brahm is dead but can still be contacted in the Dwarf King's Throne Room.
After meeting the King, Elli is given possession of his powerful Warhammer Abraxas to aid him in battle against the Orc warlord Bruul. Upon reaching the Pit and defeating Bruul, Elli is informed that the leader of the overall invasion is Kai'Laria, a powerful dark elf sorceress. Elli and Ellon confront her in the Twilight Cavern where at first it appears she is defeated, but she quickly returns as a ghost, supposedly invincible against physical attacks and thus more powerful. However, before she can strike back, the ghosts of the fallen Dwarves appear and surround her, draining her magic and shifting the Cavern's walls, thus imprisoning her now powerless spirit inside. The Dwarves thank both Elli and Ellon before finally being free and passing into the afterlife in peace.In the Nintendo DS version, there are two additional levels that can be accessed in the Dragon's Lair at any time in the game.
Elli encounters a yellow 'wererat' called Flopsie stuck in Gaya's food pen with an Orc, who promises to lead Elli to a 'powerful weapon' in exchange for freeing only him. Upon releasing Flopsie, he leads Elli into a fiery cavern called Brimstone before Gaya's nests of eggs. By this point it is revealed that Flopsie only used Elli to gain access to Gaya's eggs to feed on them. Elli starts to try and slay Flopsie. After a few tries, Flopsie releases Lava Dwellers on Elli. After defeating the lava dwellers, Elli and Ellon chase Flopsie to the Burrows.
After fighting weavers, centipede hatchlings,and centipedes Elli and Ellon finally find Flopsie. Elli pursues Flopsie into monster insect invested burrows where the wererat is surrounded and slaughtered by giant centipedes.Reception PublicationScoreMobile Phone8.4/10Grade ADS8/10Grade B7/106.75/103.5/56/107.9/10Upon its first release on the mobile phone, Orcs & Elves was received well by critics with an average score of 86% at. Praised the game's look by stating 'There's no way you cannot be impressed with the overall look and atmosphere of the game' while pointing out that it is 'remarkably similar in mechanics and control' to. Praised the story for having more depth than most other games on the mobile phone, that it 'has some characters we can care a bit about and a story that goes beyond a thin excuse to run around killing things in mazes.'
The later Nintendo DS release was met with a less positive, yet still fair response, with an average critic score of 72%. Many complaints came from the fact the game had been ported to a more technically capable system, making its origins as a mobile phone game more noticeable, such as simple graphics and short game length.
Noted this by saying 'Orcs & Elves' simplicity doesn't do much to hide its roots as a mobile phone game' mentioned 'what would be a surprising effort for a mobile phone is somewhat disappointing on the DS', being more of 'a thick lump of nostalgia' while found it 'looks different and plays better than the mobile phone original' and that 'more than innovating, the game is designed to stay true to a certain tradition that old-school players will definitely welcome after years of starvation.' On the game's level design found it made the game 'pretty engaging throughout', being 'nothing out of the ordinary yet oddly compelling', yet 'a short lived experience'.
Concluded that the 'dungeons are well-designed, the action is well-balanced and fun, and even the characters are likable.' Reviewing the latest version, IGN still felt 'even with its limitations, Orcs & Elves’ fast-paced, turn-based style is a refreshing change of pace from the evolved role-playing game design' while more negatively concluded 'you may be better off making up your own fantasy game with.' Awards Before its release on the mobile phone, IGN named Orcs & Elves Best RPG at their Best of E3 2006 Awards, Wireless category. Following its mobile release, it as named Best Mobile Game at the 10th annual and at the 2006.
IGN later award it Best Story for their Best of 2006 Wireless awards and included in the best games of 2006 list. References. Retrieved June 8, 2008. id Software Inc., ed.
Orcs & Elves Instruction Booklet for the DS (PAL version). Pp. 20–23. id Software Inc., ed. Orcs & Elves Instruction Booklet for the DS (PAL version).
Pp. 11–12. id Software Inc., ed.
Orcs & Elves Instruction Booklet for the DS (PAL version). P. 13.
id Software Inc., ed. Orcs & Elves Instruction Booklet for the DS (PAL version). P. 5. ^ Levi Buchanan (July 25, 2006). Retrieved July 4, 2016. ^ Scott Sharkey (June 13, 2006). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
^ Craig Harris (November 20, 2007). Retrieved July 4, 2016. ^ Scott Sharkey (May 12, 2006). Retrieved July 4, 2016. ^ Austin Shau (March 8, 2008). Archived from on May 27, 2012.
Retrieved June 8, 2008. ^ Matt Bertz. Game Informer. Archived from on February 22, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008. ^ Elisa Di Fiore (November 15, 2007).
Retrieved June 8, 2008. ^ John Walker (December 4, 2007).
Retrieved June 8, 2008. ^. December 11, 2007. Archived from on June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2008.
Carolyn Gudmundson (November 19, 2007). Retrieved July 4, 2016. Levi Buchanan (May 19, 2006). Retrieved July 4, 2016.
Archived from on December 20, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2008. Heise online. August 29, 2006.
Archived from on December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2008. Archived from on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2008. Harold Goldberg (December 26, 2006). Retrieved July 4, 2016.External links.
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