Ring (video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ring |
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Cover art of Ring
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| Developer(s) | Arxel Tribe |
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| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS |
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| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ring: The Legend of the Nibelungen is an exciting video game from 1998. It's a type of game called a point-and-click adventure. This means you use your mouse to explore, solve puzzles, and interact with characters.
The game was made for computers like Windows and Mac OS. It was created by a company called Arxel Tribe.
Ring is special because it's based on a famous series of four operas by Richard Wagner. These operas are called Der Ring des Nibelungen. The game also uses music from these operas, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. A famous comic-book artist, Philippe Druillet, helped create the game's artwork.
The game takes the old opera stories and mixes them with a cool science fiction twist. You play as a character named ISH. ISH is guided by a voice and discovers the amazing story of the Nibelungs.
Even though some people didn't give Ring great reviews, it was very popular! It sold over 400,000 copies around the world.
Contents
How to Play the Game
Playing Ring is a lot like other adventure games. You mostly see the game through the eyes of your character, which is called a first-person perspective. You use your mouse to control everything.
To talk to other characters or use objects, you just click on them. Your mouse also helps you move around. When ISH moves to a new area, the game briefly shows a different view. This view is like watching your character from a distance.
The game has four main parts, just like the opera series it's based on. You can choose to play these parts in any order you like! There's a special asteroid that acts as a "hub" or central meeting point. This asteroid is where you choose which part of the story to play. It's also where the game starts and ends.
The Story of Ring
The game's story takes place far in the future, in the 40th century. You meet ISH, who is one of the very last humans left. Long ago, aliens destroyed Earth and took away all human creativity. Because of this, humanity slowly forgot its own history and culture.
But ISH gets a chance to save humanity! The aliens show him the story of the Nibelungen. They make him experience the story by becoming each of the four main characters. The aliens hope this will make ISH want power, which they believe caused humanity's downfall.
However, a goddess named Erda (voiced by Charlotte Rampling) wants to help ISH. She guides him to reject the idea of wanting power. The four characters ISH becomes are:
- Alberich: A mean dwarf king.
- Loge: A spirit made of fire.
- Siegmund: The son of the god Wotan.
- Brünnhilde: A brave Valkyrie warrior.
Alberich's Adventure
The first part of the story begins with Alberich. He returns to his kingdom and finds almost nothing left. Nothing works, and his workers have formed a union and gone on strike! To get them back to work, Alberich needs to find something to make them happy. So, he sets off to get the gold of the Rhinemaidens.
Loge's Mission
In the second part, you play as Loge. His story is connected to Alberich's. Loge works for the gods. The god Wotan asks Loge to get the Nibelungen ring and Wotan's magic crown back from Alberich.
Siegmund's Quest
The third part of the game tells the story of Siegmund. He is the son of Wotan. Siegmund tries to figure out what happened to his mother and sister.
Brünnhilde's Escape
The fourth and final part is about Brünnhilde. She is Siegmund's half-sister. At the end of the third chapter, she saves Siegmund. This makes Wotan very angry. Brünnhilde has to run away to Valhalla. There, she can find a magic item to bring back to the asteroid where the story began. This completes the "ring" of the story!
The Next Chapter: Ring II
In 2003, a sequel to Ring was released. It was called Ring II: Twilight of the Gods. This game finished the story cycle, following the last two parts of Wagner's Ring des Nibelungen operas: Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. Unfortunately, Ring II did not get good reviews and was not considered a success.
