Heavy on the Magick (1986) Symphonic Gothic Incantation

Описание: "Axil the Able stood in three inches of stagnant water and surveyed one of the most dismal dungeons he had ever been thrown into . . .

30 seconds earlier, he was sitting in front of the ox-roast in that famed haunt of the Occult. The Golden Thurible, engaged in his favourite pastime of Wizard-Baiting. His target for the night was one Master Therion, he of the bald head and piercing eyes, said to be the cleverest Magician in the Icemark, if not all Graumerphy.

And what a good story Axil was telling - a new one about Therion, a certain Moon creature and a rather gullible Elf - really, the sudden silence of his audience should have warned him.

The crowd parted as Therion strode across the floor. dangerous in all his 10 degrees! Standing squarely in front of Axil, and shrouded by the flames oft he ox-roast, he began talking in that dry-leaves voice he normally reserved for Elementals. It was a long and complicated speech, touching lingeringly on Axil's parents, upbringing and eating habits. When, after a while he began to slow down. Therion raised a dismissive twig-like index finger and flung a bemused Axil several hundred leagues across Graumerphy, into the dungeons beneath the dreary castle called Collodon’s Pile.

In the dank twilight, Axil tufted - and then took stock. He was, at least, clothed: he carried a large leather pouch. And, on a nearby table, there was a book.

The title read as follows:
“The Net of Gugamon - a Grimoire; wherein is contained the proper rites for the Convocation of various Demonly Princes, the procurement of lesser spirits, together with sundry workings, conjurations, manifestations. Symbols relating to all manner of Astral Phenomena . . .”
and so on for several more pages, in the rather turgid style thought necessary for such book’s.

Unfortunately, apart from the title, there seemed to be little more than a rather tattered contents page. But, since Axil thought of himself as a fairly accomplished magician (actually, he barely scraped by at the grade of Neophyte), he felt that simply possessing such a book ought to be useful - they didn't call him Axil the Able for nothing! (Indeed, many didn't call him Axil the Able at all, but struck for the more picturesque Axil the Awfully
Adequate or Axil the Absolutely Average . . .)

So, with a flourish, one very strange book. and a hope that
Mistress Luck would favour him for once, he marched
from the room in search of a Way Out!"
Game Manual - Initiatory Prologue


Thus begins Heavy on the Magick, a 1986 adventure for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. It is not a simple dungeon crawl, but a strange dialogue between player and machine. Commands are uttered in Merphish, a compact tongue of terse invocations, where a single word may open doors, summon demons, or unleash ruin.

Within the dungeons of Collodon’s Pile lurk wandering monsters, hidden traps, and spirits whose names are drawn from old occult traditions: Asmodee, Astarot, Belezbar, Magot. To conjure them is to risk damnation in the fiery furnace, for each answers only to the proper talisman and the careful voice of a skilled summoner.

Every action carries consequence. Stamina fades with every blow, Luck twists uncertainly, Skill proves vital in the face of ancient danger. Axil the Able survives by wit as much as by spellcraft. To blast or to freeze may save him, yet the wrong choice often leads to sudden oblivion.

The atmosphere is heavy with forgotten rites and dry humor. The dungeon breathes with mystery and the text carries both parody and menace. Few games of its time blended occult imagery and interactive command with such conviction.

The conjuration was the work of Gargoyle Games, the British studio of Roy Carter and Greg Follis, already known for Tir Na Nog and Dun Darach. In Heavy on the Magick they turned inward, creating a dungeon less concerned with victory than with the strange dance between initiation and peril.

To play it is to enter a labyrinth of symbols and shadows, where the question is not simply how to win, but how long you can endure the conversation with unseen powers. Only those who act with determination will prevail. Linger too long, and monsters will pour in from every entrance, perhaps even spawning right on top of you, ending your journey at once.

00:00 - 25:02 Seeking an Exit
25:03 - 44:24 Exploring, Experimenting and Perishing

This video features the results of my first experiments with generated music, transforming the original beeper theme from the 48K ZX Spectrum into symphonic gothic music.

#magick #gothic #zxspectrum