The following three covers were painted by Dave McMacken, who illustrated movie posters, album covers, and game boxes for around 50 years before his death in 2019. His work was seen on the albums and posters for such names as the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, the Beatles, and AC/DC.
For once, the title and the box art give away what kind of a game Legacy of the Ancients is: a fantasy RPG.
Set in the world of Tarmalon, you are thrown in the shoes of a simple shepherd, who one day finds a dying man with a message, that carries an important message of some evil scrolls that need to be destroyed before all hell breaks loose. At least I assume it would, as that's generally what happens in this kind stories.
The game itself was done with the engine SSI used for their Questron game, so I guess the gameplay is pretty similar to that one, not that I have played either. But, anyhow, a top-down world map, 1st person dungeons, and so on laced with turn-based combat.
I recall seeing the box art used in advertisements back in the day. It was one of those pics that aroused my interest, but back then I did not have a computer that could have run it. A shame, really, as the game does look pretty interesting, so I guess I do have to give it a spin at some point. Based on the description, I doubt the main character looks like the musclebound warrior battling against the grouching lion monster, but it is a cool fantasy piece nonetheless.
Now here's a something bit different: a real-time RPG for 1 to 3 players, each player controlling their own character in the squad. So, instead of a single-player fun, you can tackle the story of trying to find the titular Sword of Twilight which probably do something pretty important.
As an interesting little tidbit, the developer Free Fall Associates was the first developer to sign a publishing contract with EA and they developed some pretty successful titles for the future giant game publisher.
I really like the simplicity of the cover. It doesn't go overboard, it just shows a glowing, ornamental sword against the twilight sky. Just simple, lovely, and technically well-executed.
Now, here's a game you can still buy, stirringly enough. Dark Heart of Uukrull is a fantasy RPG (what else could it be with a name like that), where you lead a party of 4 adventurers to take care of the titular Uukrul, who assumedly has a dark heart. Or maybe the title is just symbolic? I don't really know, I haven't played the game.
Anyhow, as the controller of the group of 4 noble individuals, battling the evils dwelling beneath the city of Eriosthe. The exploration is shown in 1st person view, and the battle takes place in a turn-based mode.
While the cover art is something of a rather typical flair for a fantasy RPG, I do like it. A group of seasoned adventurers taking on an oversized monster, maybe Uukrul itself or just some random dragon, perhaps those who have played the game know better.
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