

1991 · Adventure · Fighting
Obitus
Nintendo console exclusive
Obitus is a role-playing game with action elements. It utilizes a first-person view for exploration, similarly to Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder. One of the more remarkable features is in the first-person mode: rather than having just 4 directs to face and flicking between them, there are 8 directions and the view scrolls smoothly as you turn. This smooth scrolling continues when you move forward, giving the game more of a 3D feel.
- Released
- 1991
- Platforms
- AmigaAtari STAtari ST/STEMS-DOSSNES
- Genres
- AdventureFightingRole-playing
- Developers
- —
- Publishers
- SCE Studio Liverpool
- Modes
- Single-player
- Perspective
- First person
- Themes
- ActionFantasy
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Age ratings
- ESRB E
About
Obitus is an action-adventure game developed and released by Psygnosis in early 1991 for Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS compatible operating systems. A version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was published in 1994 by Bullet-Proof Software. The game includes both first-person dungeon crawling and side-scrolling gameplay with action-oriented combat and an emphasis on item acquisition.
›Story
You're in the depths of your own worst nightmare... but this time there's no waking up.
Lost and alone in a dangerous and alien world you must discover where you are, how you got here... and how you are going to get out!
In a frantic search of the unfamiliar land you explore amazing forests, mines and underground complexes collecting objects and interacting with indigenous creatures.
Re-emerging into daylight you race along perfect parallax action scenes, dispatching enemies as you battle even deeper into the unknown.
Impelling RPG with more than a dash of hack and slash.
Media
The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
Obitus combines several graphical styles and perspectives in a labyrinth-based game. Though nearly every piece of a forest or catacomb looks indistinguishable from the next screen, this can be dealt with by the player making physical maps, using the compass. The game is heavily focused on the need to make maps. Without them, the player will die long before making it to the end.
There is very little food and time cannot be wasted walking around trying to find a way forward. The player's stamina bar steadily runs out and can only be replenished by sleeping, which can only be done safely beside a friendly NPC. Once the stamina bar is depleted, the player's health begins to deplete.
Story
The player takes on the role of medieval history lecturer Wil Mason, whose car breaks down while he drives through Snowdonia, Wales in a storm. He seeks refuge in a deserted tower, only to wake up in a strange world.
King Cullen passed control of the peaceful land Obitus to his four sons, warning them to stand united or the land would fall into evil hands. To symbolise the unity, the king gave each of his sons a Gem of Tranquility, which when joined conjured a mystical force to protect the land. Some time after the transfer of power took place, an evil sorceress sought to take advantage of the princes' fraternal pact. She told them each in confidence that they must break from the others in order to obtain personal wealth and power.
Reception
Allen L. Greenberg of Computer Gaming World liked the no-typing interface, graphics, and sound, but stated that the documentation was so poor that players would be better off not reading it. Despite stating that the game lacked depth, the magazine stated that Obitus "can be a satisfying experience" that "offers many hours of exploration and danger, and plenty to see". David Upchurch of ACE gave the Amiga version a score of 830 (out of a possible 1000), praising the graphics and gameplay, but noting that it may not appeal to hard-core RPG enthusiasts.
Electronic Gaming Monthly asserted the reverse in their review of the Super NES version, that the game would appeal to RPG enthusiasts but not those who dislike RPGs. 4 out of 10, summarizing it as "a slow-moving RPG that will appeal more to patient gamers."
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Collections2 collections
Platform libraries
- Atari ST gamesCommercial games
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System gamesRetail releases
Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.
