Black Crypt

Raven Software

Industry	Video game development
Founded	1990
Founder	Brian Raffel, Steve Raffel
Products	Black Crypt
Parent	Electronic Arts

Black Crypt marks the inaugural release from Raven Software and is a role-playing video game launched on the Amiga platform by Electronic Arts in 1992. Its realtime 3D visuals bear a strong resemblance to FTL Games' Dungeon Master, centering on a group of four adventurers exploring an extensive dungeon to overcome a formidable foe. A version for the Sega Mega Drive was planned but ultimately never made available.

Gameplay

Players assemble a party of four characters to delve into twenty-eight stages within the "Tomb of the Four Heroes," aiming to confront Estoroth Paingiver, an exiled cleric intent on escaping his crypt. The Astera guilds send these champions on a mission to ensure his permanent imprisonment.

In contrast to Dungeon Master, Black Crypt requires users to both create and assign names to their characters, choosing from classes such as fighter, cleric, magic user, and druid, as well as determining initial attributes. The magic user class possesses the unique ability to cast "Wizard Sight," a spell that automatically charts the dungeon's layout during gameplay—differing from the typical manual mapping found in similar titles. Several levels feature boss encounters, with the first appearing within twenty steps from the starting point.

Development

The concept for Black Crypt originated with Brian Raffel and Steve Raffel in the late 1980s as an adventure module designed for tabletop role-playing games. Development as a video game began in April 1990, with a production budget set at $40,000.

Prior to release, The One described Black Crypt as containing 12 interconnected dungeons rendered using 64-colour extra half-bright graphics. An Electronic Arts representative characterized it more as a "dungeon simulator" rather than a conventional game.

The game was distributed across three 880k disks, excluding an additional save disk required for installations without a hard drive. Utilizing Extra Half-Bright graphics mode enabled use of thirty-two standard colors plus thirty-two half-bright variants, contributing to the game's distinctively dark and moody visual style.

Reception

At launch, Black Crypt garnered significant critical praise, earning scores such as 92% from The One and 83% from Germany’s Amiga Joker magazine.

Despite initial reservations about role-playing games, Amiga Power awarded the Amiga edition an 85%. The review criticized its storyline as "uninspired," described the graphics as visually plain, and found both music and sound effects lacking in atmosphere. It also pointed out that the game appeared heavily influenced by Dungeon Master. Nevertheless, the gameplay was commended for its engaging nature and consistent sense of advancement.

The One gave Black Crypt a rating of 92%, lauding it as "the pinnacle of 3D role-playing games." The publication emphasized its superior graphical quality, fluid animation, careful design choices, and well-balanced blend of strategy and combat. Sound effects were noted for their important role in gameplay feedback, while controls were praised for being intuitive and easy to use.

In a later retrospective critique, John ONeill of Black Gate observed that although critically acclaimed, Black Crypt debuted during the waning years of the Amiga platform. This timing hindered its commercial success and prevented ports to other systems, resulting in its rapid disappearance from retail shelves and fading from public awareness.

External links

• Black Crypt on RavenGames.com