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'In the year AD 2214, in the system of Alpha Centauri, six races formed a historic alliance. Their dream: Peace throughout the galaxy. Today, less than three decades later, that dream has become a living reality...'
Many people characterize Brøderbund's sci-fi role-playing game 'Centauri Alliance' as a kind of 'The Bard's Tale' in space. And that's right: Not only the layout of the whole program bears a certain resemblance to that famous saga – particularly the graphical style is very familiar. This is by far no coincidence, because no less a figure than Michael Cranford, creator of the first two parts of 'The Bard’s Tale' series ('Tales of the Unknown', 'The Destiny Knight'), was responsible for 'Centauri Alliance', too! And Cranford makes no bones about this fact – the whole thing even goes so far that it's possible to transfer self-created characters of the complete 'Bard's Tale' trilogy as well as of 'Ultima III – Exodus' into the sci-fi setting... so to say, a kind of time travel, which carries the party of the player from the medieval town of Skara Brae right aboard a space station in the far future. But of course you can begin the adventure with new created characters, too...
It's the 23rd century and the galaxy is at war...
'Life is like a Box of Chocolates...'
Transferring characters from those classic role-playing games isn't the only special feature of 'Centauri Alliance', also the program's packaging looks rather extraordinary: It's a hexagonal box, similar to a box of chocolates. This eye-catching design is no accident, because the number 6 is of major importance in this RPG: On the one hand, there are six different races (Human, Valkyryn, Praktor, Donsai, Manstrak and Arcturian), on the other hand, the many battles between the player's party and the enemies of the Alliance will be decided on a three-dimensional hex grid – particularly that element was probably the decisive factor for the appearance of the game's box. The fact that the title includes six disk sides is certainly just a coincidence...
So, the game's box is very extravagant – in marked contrast to the creation of a powerful party: After a nice intro, which briefly describes the recent events, you find yourself at the Alliance HQ on Earth's moon. By selecting the option 'Create', you can choose one of the six above-mentioned species. Especially the Praktor people might be of great interest for the player, because this race has the ability to transform into a variety of animal forms during the adventure. After that, you have to choose the sex...
One remarkable feature of 'Centauri Alliance' is the fact that there aren't any jobs (classes) in the proper meaning of the word – instead of that, the program offers four different skills: 'Combat', 'Tech', 'Psionics' as well as 'Metamorph'. These again are divided into several sub-abilities such as repairing weapons or creating illusions. But of course, there are also typical attributes like e.g. 'Strength', 'IQ' or 'Agility'. Furthermore, there's the option to start the game with preinstalled characters and a completely team respectively – or you assemble a team of both self-created and pre-built characters. Up to eight persons can join the party – however, at least one slot should remain empty, because you'll meet many 'NPCs' (non-player characters) during the adventure... and these could come in very handy...
A Praktorian: In natural form they appear to be short, heavy creatures with three arms and three legs, shaped as if from gray clay. In actuality, they possess the ability to metamorph (change into other animal forms), and have some psionic ability...
Brave New World...
'Greetings, soldier. As an officer of the Alliance, you are hereby discharged from standard martial duty and relegated to system patrol.
This seeming demotion is, in fact, a promotion of the highest significance. Standard martial duty includes strict obedience to the Intergalactic Convention, which forbids us from even defending ourselves to the fullest extent of our powers. You, and others of your same rank, can (as free agents) draw upon the resources of the Alliance and yet operate against our own sanction... though you will, in fact, be serving the Alliance to the greatest possible degree.
Your mission will be delivered to you through selected Alliance Headquarters as well as non-standard mediums of communication. Our best wishes, and highest regard, go with you.
The High Council of the Centauri Alliance
July 17, A.D. 2247'
Actually, the crew would now be ready for its very first mission – unfortunately, there aren't any jobs available at the chief's office at the moment. Instead of that, he orders the crew to fly to Omicron VII, because there, a lot of work awaits our heroes...
When the crew has left the chief's office, it finds itself on the maze-like corridors of Lunabase, the HQ of the Alliance. Fortunately, 'Centauri Alliance' includes an 'automap' feature. So you don't have to draw corresponding maps by yourself: Just press the V key and an overview map of the previously explored area appears. However, important places like e.g. the Alliance HQ, the starport or the academy (the equivalent to the 'Review Board' of 'The Bard's Tale') aren't highlighted (the accompanying 'Field Guide' gives information on the location of the several institutions). Just south of us is the armory – after we've entered it, we're welcomed by a cute salesgirl. Also the purchase of weapons and armor bears the hallmarks of Cranford – after all, this establishment looks like 'Garth's Equipment Shoppe' of 'The Bard's Tale'. Albeit the events take place in the distant future, arms such as daggers, broadswords and axes are available here, too – though in a slightly more modern form. But certainly also firearms like Berettas, plasma pistols or an Uzi 9 mm are in stock. Moreover, there are different kinds of grenades as well as several bulletproof vests and armors. Furthermore, the player has the opportunity to buy so-called 'Mechs' (battle droids), which are a powerful addition during the numerous fights against the enemies of the Alliance. The downside is that such a metal ally occupies one of the eight character slots...
Welcome to the headquarters on Lunabase, the center of Alliance operations...
'Battlefield 2247'...
When all members are equipped with weapons and armor, the group should set out for the starport – after all, there's nothing to do here anymore and it's a long way to Omicron VII. But watch out: Even though Lunabase represents the HQ of the Alliance, also criminal elements hang around at this place! When it comes to such an unpleasant encounter, the battle screen appears: On a three-dimensional hex grid you catch sight of your crew in the form of a little man – the enemy individuals are depicted in the same manner. Several commands are located on the left side of the screen – these immediately bring back memories of the numerous fights of 'The Bard’s Tale' saga as well as 'Wasteland': By choosing 'Attack' your men will attack the adversaries with a melee or long-range weapon, whereas the option 'Move' alters the party's position on the hex grid. By selecting 'Flee' the group has the chance to escape... of course, there's no guarantee for success...
The first command ('Attack') contains further sub-options, which refer to the kind of the attack ('Melee', 'Fire', 'Dodge' etc.). Moreover, here you're able to perform the several psionic abilities as well as reload the firearms. When all enemies are defeated, you receive the extremely important experience points – the only way for a crew member to advance to higher levels; just like in other games of this genre. For that reason you should visit the academy from time to time...
When you have finally arrived at the starport, there are three destinations to choose from: By using the star map, which is contained in the game's box, the player has to set the right course – a quite effective copy protection; after all, 'space pirates' won't get very far without that map...
The three-dimensional hex grid - here, the battles will be decided...
Far beyond the Stars...
'In the Omicron VII system, within the asteroid belt called the Hammer of Aries, our enemies have gained a strategic foothold in the outer fringes of Alliance space. Aided by unspecified individuals that have turned traitor to the Alliance, our enemies have the ability to penetrate our space to a critical degree.
One leader of the opposition, a Donsai mercenary captain, had Beta-level security clearance and is extremely familiar with Alliance space and military procedures. You must locate this renegade and neutralize him at any cost. He must not be allowed to remain both alive and in collaboration with our enemies.
The Alliance Headquarters in the Omicron VII system will fill you in on further details, and you will be given new directions as the situation develops. Included in your Field Guide are specifications for the counter-alliance currently assaulting us.
Any information discovered concerning these traitors during the course of your mission should be forwarded to the High Council, marked for my eyes only. Please maintain absolute confidentiality in this critical time.
Councilor Renfrew elected to the High Council of the Centauri Alliance
August 22, A.D. 2247'
After a nicely animated cutscene, which shows the arrival on Omicron VII (and reminds a little of a quite similar scene of the intro of Blue Byte's strategy classic 'Battle Isle'), the team pays a visit to the responsible chief – he tells us about local smuggler activities, that perhaps have something to do with the so-called 'DYNAB' invasion. In the course of their investigations, the party discovers a hidden entrance to the underground of the outpost: Here, we find some clues regarding a powerful weapon named 'Fractyr Fist'. This ominous combat device represents at the same time the key element of the whole plot of 'Centauri Alliance', because if it falls into the wrong hands, the balance of power in the Alpha Centauri system could shift dramatically! Unfortunately, the Fist was dismantled into six parts after the so-called 'Bernard Conflict' - these are spread over the whole galaxy: The first element, namely the five fingers, is located right at this frightening place, guarded by the same number of robots. Like already in 'The Bard's Tale' series, also in this role-playing game fighting isn't all that matters – here and there you have to use your brains. The just mentioned guard droids are a good example, because the player has to solve mathematical puzzles to acquire the several fingers from them – the alternative is to attack and destroy the robots...
So you have to search half of the galaxy for the remaining parts of the legendary 'Fractyr Fist'. But for this purpose you don't exactly have to use conventional starships to fly from one planet to another: During the adventure our crew comes across a technology that allows travelling huge distances within a few seconds – similar to the famous transporter of 'Star Trek'...
Walking through the corridors of Lunabase...
The 23rd Century: A Journey into the Past...
Cranford's signature is omnipresent: Everywhere you'll find familiar features such as the 'Review Board', the Adventurer's Guild, the armoury, magic and other well-known things – they just have another name. Also the user guidance was taken over almost 1:1! It seems that time stood still, because in terms of the presentation hardly anything has changed compared to 'Tales of the Unknown' and 'The Destiny Knight' respectively – even for a program from 1990 this sci-fi role-playing game looks a little outdated. Both in respect of the graphics and the user guidance, the once competitor 'Buck Rogers – Countdown to Doomsday' had a lot more to offer...
However, for die-hard fans of the legendary role-playing game trilogy, 'Centauri Alliance' might have been a real celebration – perhaps an even greater one than Interplay's 'official' successor 'Dragon Wars'...
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| GRAPHICS - 6/10 |
Welcome to the year 2247... although it looks rather like 1986! No, the graphics of 'Centauri Alliance' definitely don't meet the player's imagination of the distant future. Apart from the different (alien) species within the own crew, there aren't any close-ups throughout the whole game – that's mostly because of the hex grid battles: On the one hand, these look quite stylish and trendy, on the other hand, you can see the own party as well as their adversaries only from a distance – so detailed (and animated) portraits of the enemies go by the board. The several 3D areas weren't drawn very well, too: You have always the feeling that you wander through the sterile corridors of a government agency and not through those of a futuristic space station – even the very first part of 'The Bard's Tale' had a better setting. Like I said before, 'living pictures' are quite rare: Apart from the portraits of the own party, there are only a few specific rooms (HQ, academy, biotech etc.), which come up with nice animations. Furthermore, the intro has been shortened on the C64: Unlike to the Apple II version, here the picture story, which recapitulates the recent events, is missing...
| | SOUND - 1/10 |
The sound of the program is limited to a few effects – there's no music in the game...
| | PLAYABILITY - 7/10 |
'Centauri Alliance' can either be played with keyboard, joystick or even a mouse. I find, the keyboard is preferable to the stick, while walking through the 3D areas. However, during the fights you should use both input devices: the keyboard to choose one of the commands, the stick to place the cursor on the desired hex field. The degree of difficulty is well-balanced – that's not to be taken for granted, especially for a Michael Cranford title. May I remind you of 'The Bard's Tale – Tales of the Unknown'? There, the first hours on the streets of Skara Brae were rather a survival training than a useful introduction into the game! Fortunately, things are different in 'Centauri Alliance' and it's even possible to save your progress anytime (in 'The Bard's Tale' series such a feature is only available in the concluding episode 'The Thief of Fate') – particularly this option makes it far easier to find the scattered parts of the mystical 'Fractyr Fist'. Although the program uses three double-sided disks, you have to change them very seldom – unfortunately, the loading times are quite long. But this is rather a fundamental problem of C64 role-playing games – so, 'Centauri Alliance' is by no means the only game with such an unpleasant feature...
| | OVERALL - 7/10 |
Compared to 'Buck Rogers - Countdown to Doomsday', 'Centauri Alliance' definitely comes off second best! Actually the SSI product is basically based on the same formula: an extensive character creation, 3D graphics, a sophisticated battle system as well as a thrilling storyline – nevertheless, it's better in every department, particularly in terms of graphics and user guidance. Whereas Brøderbund's sci-fi role-playing game looks rather like a relic of the mid-eighties, 'Buck Rogers' somehow appears much more contemporary and fresher. Moreover, the events in SSI's/TSR's program don't only take place in several 3D areas, but there is both a solar map (while travelling through space) and an overland map (while moving across planetary surfaces), too. Furthermore, apart from the ground battles your crew has to fight against enemy starships – such an option is painfully missing in 'Centauri Alliance'! Especially from an RPG, which is set in the infinite space, actually you could have expected such a thing. Nevertheless, I have to admit, that 'Countdown to Doomsday' also doesn't look spick and span at the time of its release - after all, it was based on the well-known 'Gold Box' engine that has been used already in 'Pool of Radiance' and its numerous successors. Anyway, in terms of its presentation, 'Buck Rogers' definitely outclasses the rival 'Centauri Alliance'! However, this doesn't apply to the contents of the box, because that’s almost as lavish as the one of 'Buck Rogers': Apart from the three disks, there's the copious 'Alliance Reference Manual', the so-called 'Alliance Field Guide', a 'Psionic Ability Chart' as well as a real big star map – not bad. Let's conclude this review: So, which of these two games is the better one? Well, the answer to that question isn't so easy, because in the end it's a pure matter of taste - nevertheless, Michael Cranford's sci-fi role-playing game can be fully recommended to die-hard fans of 'The Bard's Tale' saga...
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