Shadows of Belial

:: ZX Spectrum 128k

HISTORY

Forty years after the tragedy that ruined his name, Sir Fred remains haunted by that ill-fated night when hooded figures, emerging from the shadows, tried to end his life. Since then, the memory of blades gleaming in the darkness and of voices hidden beneath hoods has never ceased to pursue him.

After surviving the attack through sheer instinct and courage, he discovered, to his horror, that among his fallen assailants was Don Gilberto de Mendoza, son of the Grand Duke. Consumed by envy and by a sick obsession with possessing his wife, Gilberto had plotted a betrayal intended not only to kill him, but also to erase his honour for ever.

When Sir Fred, still recovering from his wounds, finally managed to return to his lands, he found his castle engulfed in flames, his estates plundered, and an order issued for his capture and death. Everything that had once been his had turned to ashes. Unjustly accused and with no allies to turn to, he had no choice but to flee and vanish.

For years he lived in hiding under a false identity, reduced to a simple innkeeper, far from glory, from arms, and from his ancient lineage. Meanwhile, his family slowly fell into disgrace, victims of fear, lies, and the ambition of those who had conspired against him..

Now, after learning of the murder of his father and his brothers, Sir Fred decides to leave the refuge that has kept him alive for four decades. Old, hardened, and burdened with sorrow, he returns to the lands he once swore to protect, determined to uncover the truth hidden behind so many years of silence.

He soon discovers that the supposed hooded monsters terrorising the region are not supernatural creatures, but men in disguise acting from the shadows. His enquiries lead him to an ancient Roman mine, abandoned since time immemorial and shrouded in rumours of a curse.

There Sir Fred rides, armed with the determination of a man who has already lost almost everything. In the depths of the mine, he hopes to find the guilty, avenge the blood of his kin, and finally clear the name that was stolen from him.

THE GAME

You will journey through the shadows of Sir Fred’s past in a quest for justice, vengeance and redemption.

Stage 1

In the old Mining Village, now overrun by Barbary pirates, you must make your way through ruins, caves and tunnels in search of the five enchanted gems that will break the seal at the entrance to the mine.

Stage 2

In the Cursed Mine, you will venture into dark tunnels, treacherous lifts and forgotten galleries. There, among the scattered pages of a diary, you will uncover the origin of the curse, the cursed spheres and the infernal pact that corrupted everything.

Stage 3

In the chambers of the Hidden Palace, raised in the bowels of the rock by Belial’s magic, you must explore forbidden halls, gather hidden spheres and find the magic books that will reveal how to defeat your enemies.

Stage 4

“Porta ad Infernum” will drag you into the depths of the abyss, amid lava, fire and infernal shadows. There awaits the setting of the final ritual, the only hope of destroying your enemies... but a single mistake may condemn you for all eternity.

Stage 5

In “The Wrath of the Righteous”, the final battle awaits you: one last trial of courage and fury in which you must face your destiny, avenge the blood of your family and clear for ever the name that was stolen from you.

ITEMS

Depending on the stage you are in, various items will appear in the game and are collected automatically:

• Arrows
• Health
• Key
• Red Key
• Points
• Metal saw
• Magic gem
• Magic sphere
• Potion ingredient

CONTROLS

The game is controlled with the keyboard (by default) or with a joystick (Kempston, Sinclair 1 or Sinclair 2).

Holding down Fire lets you choose the direction with Up/Down; the arrow is fired when you release the Fire key, but if you are pressing Right/Left, the shot is cancelled.

MENU

• The menu is controlled with the cursor keys and the Enter key.
• There are two game modes: Fast (recommended; quicker, more dynamic and more enjoyable, although occasional slowdowns may occur) and Slow (more relaxed).
• The keyboard is configurable, except for the R key (pause / quit).
• At the end of each stage, you will receive a code that can be entered in the menu to resume the game from a next level, with the arrows, lives and score you had achieved.

TIPS

• Embedded arrows can be used as steps.
• You can shoot in five directions.
• Every 3,000 points grants an extra life.

DEDICATION

This game is intended as a tribute to “Sir Fred” (1986) and to the members of “Made in Spain” who made it possible...

CREDITS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to everyone who keeps the retro scene alive from every corner: by playing, commenting, sharing, writing, recording videos, taking part in forums, organising events or creating new works. Every gesture counts, and together you make it worthwhile to devote so many hours, enthusiasm and effort to developing games.

Thank you to Jesús Martínez del Vals (JMV) for bringing me back, after thirty years, into this wonderful world. And very special thanks to Javi Ortiz, el Spectrumero, for his constant support, and to my colleagues — and to others who have been involved, in one way or another, in this project — Fransouls, Pagantipaco, Utopian, Pomez666, Hicks, Tacha, Mikomedes, Spirax, Audionautas, Peter Jones, etc.; for their advice, their help and their trust in this very personal project.

Finally, I would like to thank my daughters, Vero and Meli, and my wife, Alpha, for always being by my side, for their constant support, and for accompanying me, with love and patience, through these stages of my life.

JPison