Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (PC Game)

Lionheart is the latest RPG produced by Black Isle and developed by Reflexive Entertainment. It follows a long line of great RPGs produced by Black Isle such as the Baldur's Gate series, both Icewind Dale games, and Fallout 1 & 2. The Fallout games are especially noteworthy in that Lionheart uses the same SPECIAL. system originally used in the Fallout games with some adaptations for the fantasy environment. SPECIAL. is an acronym representing the seven attributes of your character, Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. The SPECIAL system does not use classes to determine what your character can and cannot due. Instead, it uses a system of Skills and  Perks that you assign to let you create the character you want to play. If you want to play the big, brawny warrior who hacks and slashes his way through hordes of enemies and knows how to pick locks on chests and doors, you can. If you'd rather play a wizard who uses magic to take care of his enemies while smooth-talking merchants into giving you a great deal on their wares, that is your choice. That's one of the great things about a classless system such as SPECIAL, you get to determine how your character is developed, rather than having to work within the confines of a predetermined set of class-based abilities which may or may not allow you to play your character the way you really want to.

Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader is a role-playing game set in an alternate-history Earth that takes place during the latter part of the 16th Century. Lionheart's history and our own diverge in 1192, during the Third Crusade, when Richard accidentally caused what became known as the Dysjunction while following the advice of a trusted advisor. Not knowing his advisor was trying to restore the Earth to an earlier time when magic and demons reigned supreme, Richard gathered up several holy relics to perform what he thought would be a divine ritual to bless his forces and curse those of his enemy. Once the ritual had begun the fabric of reality began to tear and great numbers of spirits, demons, and other creatures of power poured into our world. It was then that Richard knew himself to be betrayed by one whom he trusted. Richard and Saladin, the leader of the opposing force, then fought together to close the hole in reality and seal it. Richard and Saladin then divided up the relics and swore to protect them that something like this would never happen again.

Select a Page Page 1: Introduction Page 2: Character Creation Page 3: Playing Lionheart Page 4: Graphics and Sound Page 5: Conclusion