7th Level unveils return to Krondor; A riveting sequel to one of the best-selling role-playing games of all time

Business Wire, Nov 14, 1995

DALLAS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 1995--Combining the superior production quality of 7th Level (NASDAQ:SEVL) and the mysterious fantasy world of Raymond E. Feist, the long-awaited CD-ROM Return to Krondor promises to pierce the imagination and provide an experience like never before. This beautifully detailed 3-D role-playing game gives the player a new level of excitement and danger that is inherent to the genre of sword-play and magic.

Return to Krondor is the sequel to the highly successful Betrayal at Krondor(TM), which enjoyed an uncommon six month run on Entertainment Weekly's top 20 CD-ROM game list and was named "Game of the Year" for 1993 by Compute Magazine. In the sequel, 7th Level has preserved the storytelling elements that made the original title so successful. Additionally, the company has used its technical expertise to take Return to Krondor a step further in establishing a new standard of production quality in role-playing games.

Return to Krondor is not only native to Windows(R) 95 and maximizes its DirectDraw(TM), DirectSound(TM) and Direct3D(TM) features, but it is also built on Top Gun(R), 7th Level's proprietary authoring technology. The combination of these technologies allows for more complex environments in real time and provides deeper, more interactive gameplay.

"The action in role-playing games is usually too slow and graphically uninteresting," said 7th Level President and CEO George Grayson. "By combining Raymond's storytelling ability with 7th Level's high production values and technology, we're able to create a richer game experience that immerses players into its storyline."

The title challenges players who attempt to unravel a deadly plot that takes them on a quest to the bottom of the Bitter Sea, to the peaks of the Gray Towers and finally 500 years into the future. Gamers will control the actions and decisions of a select group of characters as they explore the world displayed through nine fully-navigable environments rendered in a real time 3-D. In this fantasy world, players engage in combat with villains, thugs and monsters as they gather and manipulate magic artifacts to recover the Tear of the Gods. During combat players will experience a fully controlled 3-D combat system and camera angles for tactical advantage, ship to ship ocean battles and an auto-mapping feature to track what they've seen.

The magic of Krondor is intensified with an original soundtrack by top Hollywood composers and features more than 50 themes of music that have been written to highlight various points within the story. Unlike other role-playing games, this audio feature avoids constant repetition and adds an emotional resonance to the game.

The Return of Krondor storyline is plotted through nine chapters and features 50 speaking characters; dozens of full motion cinematic sequences to flesh out the gamer's experience; more than 75 spells, weapons and magic effects; and character artificial intelligence that tracks the player's decisions throughout the game.

"The art of storytelling is one of the most important parts of this title," said Grayson. "We have some of the same writers from the original title working on this script to ensure that the compelling nature of Raymond Feist's stories unfold as dramatically in the game as they do in his books."

The centerpiece to the story is a deeply powerful religious artifact called the Tear of the Gods, which the Ishapian church inexplicably loses as it is being transported by ship. The Ishapians call on Prince Arutha to find the Tear and return it before the other churches realizes its disappearance and take action.

"The fantasy world, its characters and mood are skillfully designed and perfectly executed," said Raymond E. Feist, the international best-selling author of the Riftwar Saga on which the Krondor games are based. "Return to Krondor is breathtaking. Gamers are going to love the magic and be exhausted its by quest."

Feist has been a frequent resident on the New York Times Best-Seller list and has more than 13 million copies in 12 languages in print worldwide. His latest release is Rise of a Merchant Prince published by William Morrow & Company.

Return to Krondor is scheduled for release in the 2nd quarter of 1996 and a Macintosh version will follow.

For more information on Return to Krondor, check the online services: On the world wide web at www.7thlevel.com. On CompuServe, AOL and MSN use "SEVENTH."

7th Level, Inc. blends Hollywood creative artistry, proprietary production techniques and world-class animators and producers to deliver state-of-the-art multimedia products. Upcoming titles from 7th Level include Arcade America(TM), The Universe According to Virgil(TM), SharkBoy(TM), G-NOME(TM) and Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail (working title).

7th Level's shipping products include Battle Beast(TM), The Great Word Adventure,(TM) and TuneLand(TM) starring Howie Mandel, Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time and Take Your Best Shot(TM).