Prophecy of the Shadow is a role playing game that was both developed and distributed by Strategic Simulations Incorporated. It is an early nineties release that was created only for the personal computer, and unlike many SSI productions, never made it to the console scene. Part of the reason for this is that Prophecy of the Shadow was developed after the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons craze the made companies like SSI so famous and successful. This game was made just for MS-DOS, which was a double edged blade.
First, it did not get the exposure or press that it likely deserved because its fan base was more narrow. However, being made specifically for the home computer, there were no cross over glitches that often arise when one format is ported to another.
Prophecy of the Shadow, despite taking place in the post AD&D era, is still unique and fresh, not so much for its storyline but for its goal. In a nutshell, the world is going to hell…literally. The magical little island that serves as the setting for this game is in deep peril due to the coming of a long foretold prophecy. The magic in the land is dying, mostly from lack of use.
The powers currently in charge of the land believe that magic is evil and have dispatched Mage Hunters to destroy any group or individual caught using it. They fear the prophecy, which states that some magical force will open a portal to the Netherlands where the Shadow Lords are waiting to drop into the realm and take over. By eliminating what they felt was a threat, the rulers have effectively destroyed their only salvation…unless the gamer can intervene.
The part of the game that makes the game interesting is not the game play. It plays very similar to any other AD&D style game. The interesting part of the game is the user’s goal. You will have to resurrect a force of evil in order to create a balance of power. Clearly the Shadow Lords are no good. Equally obvious is the fact that the rulers of the realm have made a disastrous mess of things. The user will go on a quest for balance, instead of killing the foozle, as is the case with the majority of all role playing adventures.
Prophecy of the Shadow is an interesting game that should be attempted just to conquer something different instead of the same old, same old. It is a fairly large game and will provide many hours of entertainment as the events of the prophecy unfold and the user’s world drifts closer to doom.
