Betrayal in Antara

Sierra On-Line

Industry	Video game development and publishing
Founded	1980
Headquarters	United States
Products	Video games

Betrayal in Antara is a Windows 3.1 role-playing video game created and distributed by Sierra On-Line in 1997, following the acclaim of Betrayal at Krondor. After losing the rights to Raymond Feist's The Riftwar Cycle, Sierra developed a new setting called Ramar. While not a direct continuation, it employs an enhanced iteration of the game engine used in Betrayal at Krondor.

Plot

The narrative opens with the vessel Fair Current being assaulted by pirates, compelling passengers William Escobar and Gregor to abandon ship. Following an attack by a magical griffin and Gregor's subsequent death—during which he warns William of a looming threat to the Imperial Consort—William allies with Aren Cordelaine, who uses magic to defeat the griffin. Their journey leads them to Panizo, where they are joined by Kaelyn Usher after rescuing her from bandits.

Upon arriving in Panizo, William informs his father about the danger and intends to alert Prince Farril, who is en route to Antara for his wedding. The trio travels through Midova and Ticoro, training Aren and attempting to warn Farril, but their warnings go unheeded. After Farril is abducted, William, Aren, and Kaelyn are arrested but later freed by Raal Marr.

Kaelyn teams up with Raal to investigate wraith attacks in Ridgewood, uncovering her father Garvin's workshop and eliminating wraiths possessing local inhabitants. Meanwhile, William and Aren follow clues regarding Farril's kidnapping, discovering that a Shepherd magician's betrayal resulted in mercenaries holding Farril captive. They successfully rescue him and reunite with Kaelyn.

During Farril and Princess Aurora's presentation before the Emperor, a wraith attacks, capturing their souls before fleeing. The Emperor commissions William, Aren, and Kaelyn to rescue them. Their investigation reveals political machinations involving pirates supported by Selana Sheffield, who intends to kidnap Farril for ransom due to her family's financial difficulties.

Further inquiry uncovers that court mage Calvert Bryce orchestrated the attacks as revenge for professional disgrace. Bryce’s unsuccessful experiments released wraiths into Ramar. Before disclosing how to recover the souls, Bryce takes his own life. Utilizing his notes, Aren summons the wraith; Lord Sheffield and Selana offer their souls in exchange for peace.

Two months later, at Farril and Aurora's wedding in Ticoro, William and Aren identify Fellich Marr as Silver Hawk—the architect behind the conspiracy—but lack sufficient evidence because of his political influence.

Development

Following disappointing floppy disk sales of Betrayal at Krondor, Dynamix abandoned sequel plans in 1994 and returned rights to Feist. However, strong CD-ROM sales renewed interest in a sequel-like title without using the original setting. The development team crafted painted-style backgrounds derived from photographs enhanced with 3D technology.

Shortly after announcing Betrayal in Antara, 7th Level revealed an official sequel named Return to Krondor.

Reception

From January through July 1998, Betrayal in Antara sold 52,309 units in the U.S., generating $674,058 in revenue.

Next Generation awarded it three out of five stars, commenting that it followed Krondor much like Doom II, offering few innovations but maintaining solid gameplay.

GameSpot gave it a score of 6.6/10, commending its interface and skill mechanics while criticizing its graphics and linear progression despite a well-crafted storyline.

External links

• Official website accessed through Internet Archive