Darkmere: The Nightmare's Begun

Darkmere (or Darkmere: The Nightmare’s Begun) is a fantasy RPG-action-adventure game developed by Zero Hour Software. It was published by Core Design in 1994 for the Amiga. There was also an intended Atari version of the game that fell through.

The game was designed by Mark K. Jones, who also created its fantastic graphics. Stepping into the shoes of Prince Ebryn, you are sent on a quest by your father, the king, who has allowed the kingdom to fall to ruin. Reaching a new low, a dark cloud covers the land, and it’s up to you to bring it back from the brink. You must discover the source of the evil darkness before heading out into a hostile world, equipped only with your elven sword. Ebryn can walk around in 4 directions and examine things. He can also question friendly NPCs about different things to gain what information they may have. Combat happens in real-time with enemies seen walking around the game world rather than randomly appearing. Take on and complete quests to progress through the story and help Ebryn reclaim his kingdom.

Darkmere was released with very positive reviews from critics and gamers alike. It was also voted the #3 Best RPG in 1994 in Amiga Joker. Mixing action and adventure, Darkmere can please more than just fantasy RPG fans.

Darkmere has a quasi-sequel known as Dragonstone, which was done solely by Core Design.