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Everyone loves a good myth. Human Head’s Rune has apparently captivated more than a few PC gamers with its storyline based upon many elements of ancient Norse mythology. Sierra Studios and Click Entertainment have been hard at work on their own myth machine, this time adopting the many legends of ancient Japan.

Throne of Darkness takes place in a time of magic and honor. The player must guide the seven unique samurai on a quest to not only avenge their Daimyo, but also take on the task of purging the lands of the evil that seems to have taken over. The story will be split up into ten levels, which includes the sub-quests. Since the gameplay is focused on action as well as RPG elements, the thirty different monsters that include legions of undead warriors, fearsome demons, and giant dragons, should offer up some intense action.

Unlike the previously mentioned 3D action title Rune, Throne of Darkness will be presented with a two dimensional isometric overhead view. All the characters and enemies in the game will be animated in 16-bit color at 800x600. All of the areas in the game will show influences taken from Japanese culture.

The combat in Throne of Darkness incorporates a new ‘play-call’ system that not only allows the player to control four of the seven samurai, but also works to combine the specific tactical strengths and weaknesses of the player characters. The plays will be separated by a series of buttons that serve as choices for the player. These are the plays that use the special strengths of the selected samurai to deal out even more damage.

Obtaining magic, or magic items, requires the characters to appeal to the gods. As a reward the gods will often reward the player with spells or combo actions. The spells have been broken up into sections based on the four basic elements of nature: Water, Fire, Lightning, and Earth. Four different gods govern the four spell types so players can be selective about what type of magic they wish to use.

Throne of Darkness’ multiplayer game sounds like it will be one of the most exciting parts of this title. In a multiplayer game up to 35 players take part in a struggle for the throne of the dark warlord. While one side of the conflict will be made up of four samurai clans (each with 7 warriors), the remaining players can actually control the dark lord that the four clans are competing against.

Here is a complete list of what the game has to offer:

• Action-oriented role-playing game with intense single-player campaign
• Play as seven samurai character types, each with distinct abilities and attributes
• Control up to four characters at once via a unique "play-calling" feature
• Execute more than 20 advanced tactical commands (or "plays") via simple keystrokes
• Explore ten huge environments inhabited by more than 30 varieties of creatures
• More than 80 spell-types are at your disposal
• Create and name your own magical weapons and armor
• Character and level design inspired by Japanese mythology
• Full multiplayer support for 35 simultaneous players, Internet play powered by Flipside
• Three types of multiplayer gaming for both cooperative and competitive play
• Full 16-bit color and 800x600 resolution