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| An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developers | Bethesda Softworks XL Translab[2] |
| Publisher | Bethesda Softworks |
| Designers |
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| Series | The Elder Scrolls |
| Engine | XnGine |
| Platform | MS-DOS |
| Release | |
| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire is anaction role-playing video game developed and published byBethesda Softworks, set in the world ofThe Elder Scrolls.
Unlike otherThe Elder Scrolls games,Battlespire lacks a rest feature. Throughout the game, there are no merchants to buy items from, and consequently, there are no gold pieces to find. Enemies do not reset when the player leaves the area and they are also not randomized as they were inArena andDaggerfall.
Bethesda introduced amultiplayer feature that included a cooperative mode to follow the single-player storyline online as well as a team-based versus mode to fight using all the same strategies from the single-player. This was done through the multiplayer networkGameSpy, which is now defunct. Though no longer supported byMplayer/GameSpy Arcade, one can still play through theKali multiplayer network client, which supports and works with all the features in the game.
InBattlespire (named so after the training facility for battlemages), the player takes the role of an apprentice who, on the day of his final test, discovers that an army of Daedra led by Mehrunes Dagon has invaded and killed nearly everyone. On top of that, his partner is being held captive by Mehrunes Dagon himself. Over the course of seven levels, the player must travel through various realms of Oblivion to reach Mehrunes Dagon, defeat him and escape back to Tamriel.
Following the release ofDaggerfall, work began on three separate projects all at once:Battlespire,Redguard, andMorrowind.Battlespire, originally titledDungeon of Daggerfall: Battlespire, was the first of the three to be released,[3] on December 2, 1997.
Originally designed as anexpansion pack forDaggerfall,Battlespire focuses on what Bethesda called "the best part ofDaggerfall":dungeon crawling.Battlespire has a smaller scope thanDaggerfall and prioritizeslevel design. UntilThe Elder Scrolls Online, it was the only game in the series to havedeathmatch or multiplayer support. WhenMorrowind's scope turned out to be too difficult to implement, it was put on hold, and its staff were moved to work onBattlespire andRedguard.Battlespire was repackaged as a stand-alone game and sold asAn Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire.[3]
Julian LeFay opted to usesprites for the enemies because he preferred the high level of detail possible with sprites over the blocky polygonal models of the time.[4]
Bethesda Softworks subsidiary XL Translab created in-game animation sequences for Battlespire.[2] The sequences include an enormous castle floating over a sea of gas, where medieval/ high-tech towers sit on a stone-carved mountain in the form of a dragon's head. Residing inside is the master Dagon, a four-armed antagonist designed to symbolize the unstoppable evil you must vanquish, and a Seducer with her battlespire held high.[2]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 63%[5] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Computer Gaming World |   [6] |
| Next Generation | [7] |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 49%[10] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 58%[8] |
| PC Zone | 75/100[9] |
| PC Games | C+[11] |
According to Stephan Janicki ofComputer Gaming World,Battlespire and the related titleThe Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard were both "commercial failures".[12]
Next Generation reviewed the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Battlespire is a step in the right direction. While it might not be revolutionary, it is a solid release that should provide hours of dungeon-crawling fun. We anxiously await the next installment."[7] GameSpot wrote that, compared againstDaggerfall, "Battlespire's less expansive scope, hack-and-slash gameplay, and technical problems ultimately provide a role-playing experience that is only occasionally satisfying."[13]
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