Today we delve once again into the Temple of Apshai Trilogy as we attempt to unravel the mystery of what on Earth is going on in the innkeeper’s back garden.
Yes, it’s time for The Upper Reaches of Apshai, the second part of the trilogy and a title that was originally released as an expansion pack for the first version of Temple of Apshai. Sporting a rather more light-hearted feel — mostly thanks to the excellent, witty writing in the companion Book of Apshai, intended to be carried alongside you as you play — The Upper Reaches of Apshai makes use of familiar mechanics to tell a distinctly unfamiliar emergent narrative.
There’s still a hell of a lot to like about this game, it seems — and it says something that I’ve been continuing my adventures off-camera ever since I started playing!
I love role-playing games… now. Back in the ’80s, I didn’t really understand what they were, how to play them or how to enjoy them.
That’s why I’ve been particularly interested to revisit Epyx’s Temple of Apshai series knowing what I know now! Now that I well and truly “get” the genre, it’s been fascinating to discover one of the earliest examples of a graphical computer-based RPG and finally make some progress in it.
Today we’re playing the later Temple of Apshai Trilogy release for Atari 8-bit with enhanced graphics, sound and speed of play — but it’s otherwise identical to the original classic from the late ’70s, and just as fascinating an experience as I’d hoped!
Role-playing games have been part of home computing — and indeed mainframe computing — pretty much from the very beginning.
The fact that there’s considerable crossover between “nerds who like computers” and “nerds who enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons” certainly helps, of course. But adapting a tabletop, social experience for solo home computer play carries its own challenges… and its own possibilities.
Gateway to Apshai is what happens when you blend the conventions of arcade games with those of tabletop roleplaying. And the result is an incredibly addictive, compelling game that I still love, love, love playing today.
