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Curse of the Azure Bonds

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Curse of the Azure Bonds, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 202519 sources
Strategic Simulations
Company typeVideo game developer and publisher
IndustryVideo games
Founded1979
Headquarters
United States
ProductsCurse of the Azure Bonds, Pool of Radiance, Secret of the Silver Blades, Pools of Darkness

Curse of the Azure Bonds is a role-playing video game created and released by Strategic Simulations in 1989. It serves as the second installment in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box titles, following the storyline established in Pool of Radiance. The game's narrative draws inspiration from the 1988 novel Azure Bonds, authored by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb, which is the initial volume of the Finder's Stone trilogy. Additionally, an adventure module sharing the same title, designated FRC2, was developed based on this game.

Gameplay

Players assemble and control a group consisting of up to six player characters along with two non-player characters to fulfill various quests.[1] Characters originating from Pool of Radiance (POR) or Hillsfar can be imported, although prior experience with these games is not mandatory.[2][3] Newly introduced character classes include the paladin and ranger.[4][5] Players have the option to create characters from six different races, nine alignments, two genders, and six classes.[6] Multi-classing is available for half-elf, elf, dwarf, halfling, and gnome characters.[1] New characters begin with 25,000 experience points,[1] which places single-class characters at level 5 and multi-class characters typically at level 4.[2]

The game maintains the first-person viewpoint introduced in Pool of Radiance, featuring navigation and status interfaces designed for streamlined gameplay.[7] Players can personalize icons representing each party member,[2][6] while managing activities such as spellcasting, weapon selection, resting, and preparing spells.[6] Combat sequences transition to a top-down perspective where targeting spells and ranged attacks is precise.[6]

Game differences

Compared to Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds incorporates several new elements. The primary setting is the Dalelands, where an overland map facilitates automatic travel between neighboring locations accompanied by random monster encounters during transit. The roster of playable classes expands to include paladin and ranger alongside fighter, thief, magic-user, and cleric. A new Fix option within the Encamp menu allows for accelerated healing provided a conscious cleric or paladin is present. Although graphics received modest enhancements, they remain limited to 16 colors.

Setting

Taking place within the Forgotten Realms, the story commences in Tilverton—a modest town offering essential shops and services for outfitting the party. Characters begin with funds but no gear. Exploration extends beyond Tilverton to include caverns, sewers, wilderness areas, and locations such as the Elven Forest, Zhentil Keep, Yulash, and Hap. Access to these sites is managed through menu selections rather than free-form exploration. Notably, Yulash is under siege by marauders and features environmental dangers.

Plot summary

Players assume the roles of distinguished adventurers who awaken in Tilverton after a month-long enchanted slumber, only to find their belongings and memories missing. Each character is marked with five mystical azure "bonds"—arcane tattoos that connect them to malevolent factions exerting control over their actions. The central objective is to break these bonds.

The initial bond forces the characters to assault a royal carriage, leading to a confrontation with the king’s guards. Upon overcoming the Fire Knives assassins—the faction controlling the first bond—and severing it, the party is expelled from Tilverton. From there, they can journey to either Shadowdale or Ashabenford in pursuit of the remaining bonds.

Throughout their adventure, players engage with the King of Cormyr and his daughter, Princess Nacacia, rescue the wise sage Dimswart, recover valuable artifacts, and explore the mysteries surrounding Dagger Falls. The storyline interweaves smaller quests with larger missions that ultimately lead to a showdown against a revived adversary.

The other bonds are linked to Mogion of the cult of Moander, Red Wizard Dracandros, Fzoul Chembryl alongside his beholder cohorts, and Tyranthraxus—the villain from Pool of Radiance. The cult is based in Yulash, where players encounter potential companions Alias and Dragonbait. Following the defeat of the cult and its formidable Bits O' Moander entities, players confront Dracandros within Haptooth's Red Tower and later face a beholder accompanied by minotaurs and a medusa in Zhentil Keep.

After eliminating two bonds, a Search function becomes available on the wilderness map, revealing mini-dungeons beneath towns that provide experience points and treasure. When four bonds have been broken, players engage Tyranthraxus—manifested as a storm giant—in the ruins of Myth Drannor; defeating him marks the conclusion of the game.

Development

The package includes both a manual and an Adventurer's Journal, which contains narrative passages intended for reading at designated moments during gameplay. To deter piracy, it employs a two-layer code wheel featuring runes, requiring players to input specific letters from the wheel in order to advance.

Released in 1989, Curse of the Azure Bonds was the inaugural sequel to Pool of Radiance (1988), followed by Secret of the Silver Blades (1990) and Pools of Darkness (1991). Characters from Curse of the Azure Bonds could be transferred into Secret of the Silver Blades. Initial releases targeted Apple II, Commodore 64, and DOS platforms in 1989; Amiga and Macintosh versions arrived in 1990; Atari ST followed in 1991. In the United Kingdom, distribution was handled by U.S. Gold. A Nintendo SNES sequel intended as a follow-up to the NES version of Pool of Radiance, published by FCI, was ultimately cancelled.

The game is connected to an AD&D adventure module and a novel sharing its name. The adventure module draws its inspiration directly from this computer game.

The novel Azure Bonds, authored by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak, is set within the Forgotten Realms universe and was published by TSR in 1988. It chronicles the tale of adventurer Alias, who awakens with amnesia and magical blue sigils on her arm symbolizing five sinister masters controlling her will. Alongside companions Dragonbait, Akabar Bel Akash, and Olive Ruskettle, she endeavors to break free from their influence. This book serves as the first installment in the Finder's Stone trilogy, followed by The Wyvern's Spur (1990) and Song of the Saurials (1991).

Reception

Curse of the Azure Bonds achieved sales figures close to those of Pool of Radiance, moving 179,795 units overall, with more than one-third sold on the Commodore 64 platform—an advantage stemming from SSI's strong presence as a leading American publisher for that system.[8] By 1996, the collective sales of the Pool of Radiance franchise had exceeded 800,000 copies worldwide.[9]

Tony Dillon from CU Amiga-64 (August 1989) commended the title for its impressive visuals and captivating gameplay, awarding it an 89% rating.[7] Paul Rigby of The Games Machine emphasized enhancements over Pool of Radiance, such as the introduction of six new character classes, twenty advanced spells, and additional monsters, resulting in a 90% score.[4]

In Computer Gaming World, reviewer Scorpia criticized the PC edition for its sluggish performance and lack of significant innovation but acknowledged it as an improvement compared to its predecessor.[2] Later, in a 1993 review, she described the game as primarily hack-and-slash with minimal narrative development.[10]

The Commodore 64 iteration earned an 86% rating from Zzap!64, which praised the diversity of character classes and plot complexity despite noting limited innovation.[6] Patricia Hartley and Kirk Lesser from Dragon magazine awarded it a flawless 5 out of 5 stars, highlighting its extensive encounters and lengthy gameplay experience.[11]

Jamie Thomson, writing for Games International (November 1989), valued its adherence to classic role-playing elements and granted above-average scores of 4 out of 5 for both gameplay and graphics.[12] Jim Trunzo of White Wolf magazine gave it a perfect 5/5 rating, describing it as "the finest official AD&D computer game" and predicting its status as a classic.[13]

Reviews of the Amiga version were mixed: Doug Johns and Alex Simmons from Amiga Action gave it a 72%, remarking on its similarity to other AD&D titles but recommending it to fans.[14] Judith Kilbury-Cobb in .info awarded four out of five stars, citing enhanced graphics and improved playability.[3] Conversely, Zzap!64 (January 1991) rated this version at 71%, criticizing its outdated gameplay mechanics and questioning SSI's strategy of porting older games rather than focusing on newer releases.[15] The German publication Amiga Joker gave it a 74%, pointing out drawbacks such as limited field of view, subpar sound quality, antiquated controls, and its resemblance to earlier installments.[16]

A retrospective piece on GameSpot noted that Curse of the Azure Bonds built upon its predecessor by incorporating higher-level spells available to clerics and magic-users, adding paladin and ranger classes, along with dual-class options for human characters.[17]

As detailed in the 2003 publication High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, SSI encountered challenges balancing gameplay when allowing players to import seasoned characters from Pool of Radiance. To preserve game balance, most imported characters had their equipment stolen early on—a decision that attracted criticism but later influenced design choices in subsequent titles.[18]

In a retrospective review from 2004, GameSpy regarded Azure Bonds as a valuable addition to the series that improved upon several aspects compared to its predecessor.[19]

Awards

During the 1990 Origins Awards, the game received the accolade for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1989.

Further reading

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named manual
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CGW63
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named info37
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TGM22
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tresca2010
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zzap53
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CU A-64
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named maher20170331
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 800k
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named scorpia199310
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dragon149
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named gi
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WW17
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named AA16
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zzap69
  16. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named joker
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GameSpotAD&D
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named HighScore
  19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named rausch04

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