Fate: Gates of Dawn
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | Germany |
| Products | Fate: Gates of Dawn |
Fate: Gates of Dawn is a role-playing video game created and distributed by reLINE Software, initially launched in 1991 for the Amiga platform and subsequently in 1992 for the Atari ST.
Story
The protagonist, Winwood, who owns a record store, is abducted by a malevolent sorcerer and transported to a parallel medieval fantasy realm, where he must navigate challenges to return home.
Features
This title is experienced through a first-person perspective and is distinguished by its vast game environment, which requires several hours to explore fully and months to complete. The overworld encompasses four towns, numerous villages, a mountainous wilderness, and more than 200 islands. Additionally, an underworld section contains nine dungeons spanning multiple levels.
Players manage up to four separate parties, totaling 28 characters, with certain missions necessitating cooperative strategies. Instead of character creation, players recruit from hundreds of NPCs exhibiting unique artificial intelligence behaviors. The game features 32 distinct character classes, 11 races, and an extensive array of over 200 magical spells and potions. Its realistic setting incorporates dynamic day/night cycles and weather conditions that influence gameplay.
Background
Development commenced in 1986. Although a PC version was planned, it never came to fruition due to the developer’s insolvency. The original English release was limited in quantity; however, with permission from the creator, the game has since been made freeware and is legally accessible for download on platforms such as RuneTek98 and Mightandmagicboard.de.
While copy protection was removed in these editions, password verification remains essential throughout gameplay to maintain functionality without the correct codes, which are provided in the original manual.
The Amiga edition offers enhanced audio quality and supports 32 colors compared to the Atari ST’s palette of 16 colors. It utilizes efficient data compression techniques to fit onto two 880 KB floppy disks. The German release included nudity that was omitted from the English version through self-censorship.
Reception
Although Fate: Gates of Dawn earned recognition including an Amiga Joker award, it did not achieve commercial success, coinciding with reLINE Software’s bankruptcy just as the English version was poised for release.
Amiga Joker: 88%
Amiga Power: 70%
Amiga Format: 77%
Amiga Mania: 81%
Australian Commodore and Amiga Review: 94%
CU Amiga: 70%
Games-X 20: 4/5
Génération 4: 81%
MegaZone: 70%