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MOEBIUS: THE ORB OF CELESTIAL HARMONY
List Price: $59.95 from Origin Systems, Inc.
Requires: Apple II Plus, IIe, or IIc; 64K RAM; one disk drive; second drive optional
by Jeff Hurlburt
Long ago Moebius explored the land of Khantun on each of the four material planes: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Discovering the destructive nature of each realm's patron elemental, he fashioned "The Orb of Celestial Harmony", a crystal globe in which the great Forces were imprisoned and thus brought into balance. Alas, one Kaimen, perhaps the most brilliant of Moebius's desciples, has stolen the Orb, released the elementals, and established a reign of terror through all Khantun. As one faithful to the Principles of Harmony, your task is to achieve the realm of Fire, vanquish Kaimen, and reclaim the Orb.
Somewhat in the mold of "Ultima" and "Questron", "Moebius" features a Kung Fu theme replete with tiger- infested bamboo forests, shrines subverted by spell-casting evil monks, sprawling palaces, and dismal prisons patrolled by vicious guards. Ninja assassins silence opponents of their dark lord and, just to let you know who's boss, hanging on poles about the countryside are the corpses of Kaimen's latest 'examples'. Nor are such adversaries the sole challenge. In this stricken land one can easily perish from lack of food or water; and at night the display goes black, opening the way to surprise attack.
In questing for the restoration of harmony much of play, in fact, involves a fairly close balancing of challenges and resources. A pure karma allows you to contact peasants who will offer food, torches, and valuable information; and some treasure chests yield enchanted lenses which help locate drinkable water on a special map display. The good monks you liberate supply charms and prayers imparting such magical abilities as waterwalking, teleportation, and invisibility; but using magic is cumbersome, besides draining away "body" and "mind" points. Combat victories strengthen karma, increase "experience", and lead to promotion. Yet there is always some risk of defeat resulting in the loss of karma or even death.
Possibly the best planned and most active of any major adventure, "Moebius" incorporates innovations certain to impact future game releases. Armed or bare-handed, combat is resolved via an expertly illustrated, smoothly animated "Karateka"-type sequence in which you direct your character's every fighting movement. Particularly at higher speed settings, the action is very convincing with none of the drudgery which seems to plague other combat schemes. While maps boast a smaller square count than, for instance, "Ultima III", the scale is doubled resulting in much improved detail and a realistic viewing range. Rather than floating above the landscape as a player; you are a participant, IN the scene.
Supported in typical Origin Systems fashion (including a nifty ninja-type scarf!) the game does, none the less, take a bit of 'getting into'. (Hint: Don't spend alot of time picking good names for your first two or three characters.) Remarkably grim yet curiously addictive, Moebius is a uniquely exhilarating long-play gaming experience.
Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony
Origin Systems, Inc.
340 Harvey Rd.
Manchester, NH 03103
(603) 644-3360