Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (video game)
Rescue Elvira from a castle of undead minions.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is a horror adventure and role-playing video game developed by Horror Soft and released by Accolade in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS computers. It stars actress Cassandra Peterson as her character Elvira and was the studio's second published game. The well-received title was followed by a sequel and a spiritual successor.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Horror Soft
- Publisher
- Accolade
- Designer
- Alan Bridgman
- Keith Wadhamsa
- Michael Woodroffe
- Simon Woodroffe
- Artist
- Paul Drummond
- Michael Landreth
- Philip Nixon
- Composer
- Dave Hasler
- Released
- March 1990
- Genre
- Adventure, role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The game follows the events of the 1988 film Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. After inheriting Killbragant Castle from her evil Uncle Vincent, Elvira restores it as a tourist attraction but inadvertently awakens monstrous followers of her ancestor, the wicked witch Emelda. The monsters imprison Elvira and prepare to use her for Emelda's resurrection, who made a pact with the devil to return. The player is captured by undead minions, rescued by Elvira, and asked to help restore her powers and send Emelda back to hell.
Gameplay
Elvira blends first-person shooter role-playing with point-and-click adventure gameplay. The player explores a castle and grounds, tasked by Elvira with locating six keys to obtain a magical dagger and scroll for defeating Lady Emelda. Rooms and passages are viewed from four angles, using ten verbal commands to pick up, interact, or use items. Solving puzzles requires applying items correctly. Mistakes or unprepared enemy encounters can kill the player. Combat mode activates during hostile encounters. Player statistics—Strength, Resilience, Dexterity, Skill, and Life—influence combat outcomes. Better weapons and shields improve attack and defense. Players time hack or slash strikes, and block or parry to avoid damage. Defeating enemies increases experience and statistics.
Reception
Critics received Elvira well. Leah Wesolowski of Computer Gaming World in 1991 praised the graphics and music. Scorpia in 1991 and 1993 praised the graphics, noted the game's difficulty, and concluded it was worth playing. The game won Computer Gaming World's 1991 Role-Playing Game of the Year award. Jim Trunzo in White Wolf #26 rated it 4 out of 5, citing digitized voices and sound effects that create a terrifying environment, easy save and restore functions, and a readable manual, while noting the game's high difficulty.
More in Point-and-Click Adventure Games of the 1990s
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