Download Times of Lore

Crad 2026-07-26 0 point

I played the NES port when I was a kid. 25 years later, and it's still one of my favorite games. The cartridge I got came with a full map, and the whole backstory was written on the back, complete with illustrations.

One of my favorite things about Times of Lore is how much player freedom there is, right from the very beginning. You don't even have to accept the first mission, and either way, after leaving the inn, you can go anywhere and do almost anything. I always say Times of Lore is an open-world game done right.

And the overworld music is fantastic. It's somehow melancholic and forlorn, yet adventurous and hopeful. Like gripping a branch and telling yourself not to let go, because maybe if you hang on just a little longer, someone will save you from your peril.

But as much as I'd like to laud ToL, there were also some shortcomings. For one, there were very poor directions. I remember being told by the Prior that "a caravan traveling through the Dark Woods was attacked", but never gave any indication where the Dark Woods were. I ventured north because I had a labeled map, but without that, I might've wandered aimlessly for hours before stumbling upon it.

To brand new players, I cannot emphasize this enough: talk to everyone! There are things you might never figure out if you don't talk to some random serf enjoying his coffee in the back corner. That said, most serfs will give you the same answers. The only ones with more to say are found in inns/taverns, or aren't serfs but have a serf sprite, such as the Prince of Ganestor. But the game just isn't the same if you don't talk to people.

Items aren't super reliable to come across, and some don't reappear unless you use them. So if you're curious, here they are and what they do:

WEAPONS:
There are two weapon upgrades in the game. You're most likely going to get the Dagger first since it's along the path of your first mission, but I feel it's still worth mentioning that if you get the other one first (I'll let you find out what it is), and then go back and get the Dagger, the Dagger will replace the other one. But if you get the Dagger first, the other one will replace it.

DROPS:
Bag of Gold: Does what you think it does. Quantities vary, from 3 to 12, not based on enemy difficulty or size.
Food: Fills your belly (being hungry makes your candle go down fast). You can only carry 7 rations if I remember right.
Blue Potion: Restores a small amount of candle.
Green Potion: Restores your entire candle.
Blue Scroll: Freezes all enemies on-screen.
Red Scroll: Kills all enemies on-screen (except boss characters). Only 3 enemies are on-screen at once, and Rogues are the easiest to kill, so I'd recommend using a red scroll when there's lots of non-Rogue enemies or you're low on health.

SPECIAL ITEMS
Green Scroll: Teleports you from town to town. Be careful! The green scroll can only be used a set number of times before it disappears, after which it's gone forever.
Ring: Makes you invincible for a short time. Can only be used once before it's gone forever.
Red Potion: I believe you can drink this, but I don't remember it doing anything.

I don't know if this counts as a spoiler, but it's something I discovered you can do (at least in the NES version). Nearly all characters can be killed. Even plot-relevant ones. And some deaths are permanent. So you can break the game just by killing someone before accepting or completing their mission. But what I discovered is, after completing the first mission, you can kill the Prior and take back the stones you got for him. The game only requires that you speak to him to unlock the next mission.

Finally, some locations from the map I have, for reference (if anyone wants):

TOWNS
Eralan: the walled city you begin in.
Ganestor: a walled city in the southeastern corner of Albareth.
Hampton: a town due north of Ganestor.
Lankwell: a town due south of Eralan.
Rhyder: a small town northeast along the trail through the Dark Woods.
Treela: a village hidden in the Enchanted Woods, just north of Hampton.

LANDMARKS
Dark Woods: a large, dense forest just north of Eralan and west of Rhyder, spanning most of northwestern Albareth.
Enchanted Woods: a smaller forest in central Albareth, nestled between two rivers and the eastern mountains.
Temple of Ongor: A large temple hidden in the mountains north of Treela.
The Blasted Spot: a large crater between Eralan and the desert.
The Last Hope Inn: a stand-alone inn about halfway between Eralan and Hampton, just north of the desert.
The Pool: a lake deep in the heart of the Dark Woods.

I think that's pretty much everything I know, without giving spoilers. I hope this has been helpful to somebody, and I hope you all love this game. I know I do.

a person who comments 2014-02-25 4 points DOS version

Great game.