Albion

Albion is a video game in the role-playing (rpg) genre developed by Blue Byte Software GmbH and published by Blue Byte Software GmbH originally released in 1995. It is currently playable on DOS.

The year is 2227. The powerful DDT corporation has sent a factory ship named Toronto to collect minerals and resources from Albion, a newly discovered world that is supposedly devoid of life but rich in resources. Space pilot Tom Driscoll is sent to take some atmospheric readings on the planet, but crashes after an apparently accidental failure of his shuttle's systems. Upon recovering from the crash, he discovers to his surprise that Albion is actually a rich and lively world, inhabited by various races with their unique cultures. It then becomes his task to explore the strange new world, help its inhabitants, and ultimately find his way back to Toronto.

Albion is an item-based role-playing game and a spiritual successor to the Amber games. It features two main modes of exploration, 3D and 2D. The 3D first-person mode, similar to The Elder Scrolls: Arena, is used for most of the cities and all of the dungeons. The 2D mode takes place in the outside world, in smaller locations and inside buildings, and uses a top-down perspective similar to Ultima VII: The Black Gate. The mouse or keyboard can be used to move the protagonists and interact with the environment.

The player controls a party of up to six characters in the game, which can be recruited from various locations in the game world and join the protagonist for plot-related reasons. Each character has their own fighting styles, skills and, in some cases, magic spells. Experience points are acquired by defeating enemies or solving puzzles; in addition, the player receives a certain amount of training points that can be used to increase the characters' skills (such as melee or ranged combat, magic, etc. ). Enemies can be encountered in both 3D and 2D areas; the battle starts when the protagonist comes into contact with an enemy. Combat is turn-based and takes place on a 2D grid of 6x6 squares. The theme-based dialogue system is used to obtain information about the game world, receive quests, and advance the plot.

Albion is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.