Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
| Might and Magic Book One: The Secret Of The Inner Sanctum |
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|---|---|
MS-DOS Cover art
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| Developer(s) | New World Computing |
| Publisher(s) | New World Computing Gakken (Japan) StarCraft (Japan) Sammy USA |
| Designer(s) | Jon Van Caneghem |
| Composer(s) | Masaharu Iwata (NES) |
| Series | Might and Magic |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, MS-DOS, C64, Mac, FM-7, PC-88, PC-98, MSX, TG-CD, X1, X68000, NES |
| Release |
Apple II NES |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum (also known as simply Might and Magic) is an early role-playing video game, first in the popular and influential Might and Magic franchise. It was released in 1986 as New World Computing's debut, ported to numerous platforms and re-released continuously through the early '90s.
The original Apple II version of the game was written almost single-handedly by Jon Van Caneghem over three years. Van Caneghem had difficulty finding a publisher to distribute Might and Magic, so he self-published as New World Computing, handling the distribution himself from his own apartment until he was able to broker a distribution deal with Activision.
Due to its popularity the game was ported to a number of other platforms that were popular at the time, and nine sequels were released over the next fifteen years.
A port of Might and Magic was released for Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. While the basic gameplay was similar to ports released on earlier platforms, the graphics and general polish on the game reflected the later release date and greater capability of the Nintendo platform.
The game was remade again for release in Japan on the TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) platform. This version of the game was released on CD rather than cartridge and was able to feature digitized voices for dialogue as a result of the increased storage capacity offered by the CD medium.
The game was later included in Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven Limited Edition and Special Edition.
The game is set on the world of VARN which features expansive outdoor terrain, castles, caves, underground cities and an Astral Plane.
The game centers on six adventurers who are trying to discover the secret of the Inner Sanctum: a kind of "holy grail" quest. While trying to discover the Inner Sanctum, the heroes discover information about a mysterious character named Corak and his hunt for the missing villain Sheltem. They end up unmasking Sheltem, who had been masquerading as the King, and defeating his evil machinations. At the end of the game they go through the "Gates to Another World" and travel to CRON, not knowing that Sheltem has also escaped to that world.
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