Caverns of Mordia was released in 1980 for the Apple II and was written by Hans Coster and published by Lothlorien Farming. Lothlorien Farming was based out of Sydney, Australia and Caverns of Mordia might represent the first CRPG that we’ve played out of Australia. If it were not for serendipity and the efforts of Neville Ridley-Smith; Caverns of Mordia might not have been preserved. Neville Ridley-Smith is the creator and author of OldComputerStuff.com and you can read about how Caverns of Mordia came back from the dead HERE. You can also read the transcript of his interview with Hans Coster HERE.
You never quite know what you’re getting yourself into when you begin to experiment with these older computer role-playing games. It has to this point felt like the medium is feeling its way around in the dark. The implementation has been quite a mixed bag in these early years. In a year in which I’ve moved from the Black Sage to Caverns of Doom to Crown of Arthain and now to Caverns of Mordia; if I could use only two words to describe my experience with these early offerings they would be diverse and eclectic. I would like to be clear, I am not saying that these offerings are bad or inferior in any way but it will be another year before the likes of Ultima and Wizardry help to shape the genre a bit more.
You are certainly not going to be bored playing Caverns of Mordia. I would describe the pace of the game as frenetic. You may become paralyzed by infoxication but you are certainly not going to be bored. The number of command codes to familiarize yourself with providing a myriad of choices in each room is impressive.
The plot feels like a conglomeration of the early Plato games. In Game of Dungeons you were seeking to wrest an Orb from the dragon and in Moria you were looking for the Reaper’s Ring. Now in Caverns of Mordia you are to deliver the Orb of Power to the Lady Elleda who dwells in the mystical land of Locklorien. The only way to get to Locklorien is by going through a magical portal that is located deep within the Caverns of Mordia. You will find and use the One Ring in the caverns to aid you in your quest.
If you think much of the plot and names are influenced by (as well as a homage to) Tolkien and Lord of the Rings you’d be right. The print manual which came with the game was a 72 page affair and very impressive.
Character creation is rather simple and you begin the game in a market in which you really can’t afford anything. You will find yourself returning to the market often to purchase more items. Once you enter the caves the game reminds me of a mixture of Treasure Hunt and Devil’s Dungeon with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. The Gate to Locklorien is located on the 25th level of the cavern complex but you can choose to go much deeper. Room 1 is a unique room which allows you to return to the surface and hence the dwarven market or you can choose to exchange your current accumulated experience to add to your Agility or Strength.
You start with special equipment to aid you in your quest which includes: a dragon net, a dagger, the Orb of Power, the Magic Staff, the Wand, and a lamp. You can purchase from the dwarven market: a gas mask, a double-handed sword and Lymphas. To aid you in your quest you will eventually find scattered through the caverns: Elven Flares, the Charm Ring, the Dragon Occular, the Mithril Armor and then most important of all the One Ring.
Hazards that you may encounter are poisonous gas, hidden drop-offs, areas that extinguish your lamp, tremors which change the layout of the rooms (similar to Super Dungeon) and giant spider webs which can immobilize you.
The different monsters you can encounter in the caverns include: Orcs, Dragons, Trolls (they guard the Mithril Armor), Giant Vampire Bats, Balrogs, Demons, Araneida ( a giant spider), Goblins and Serpents.
Every 10 moves you are forced to make a camp and rest and this allows your strength and agility to potentially increase by 20%. You’ll also be reminded about what you’re carrying in your inventory. You will find that management of your Strength and Agility becomes quite a task the deeper you descend into the cave complex.
The combat in Caverns of Mordia involves a lot of strategy. You can exchange blows with your opponent and your chance of striking depends on your Strength, Agility, and Experience. You might choose to blind your opponents with Elven Flares which increases your odds of delivering the first blow. You might choose to use any one of your special items you carry depending upon the opponent that your facing. You can also choose to flee.
There is a general stress or constant anxiety associated with the game particularly as you get deeper and deeper into the caverns. The pace of the game is fast and the number of items and choices you have at your disposal insures that no two combats are ever the same.
I did end up making my way to level 25 and eventually finding the gate to Locklorien.
I am thankful that this game was not lost to the passage of time and that I had the opportunity to play it. I found my time with it to be quite an enjoyable experience. I found the diverse number of threats you may encounter in each room and huge amount of options you have to deal with these threats to be simply amazing and entertaining.