Ula Tor
Ula Tor is a text-based adventure game created by Ragnar Fyri, the development of which began on the Apple II and later continued on the Amiga. In his notes for the game, Fyri describes it as an "interactive story" and sometimes refers to it as Nedsuw 2, in reference to his earlier and more primitive text adventure game project which he called Nedsuw 1.
Premise
"Hear ye! Hear ye! The young Dauphin has been kidnapped by the vile Dragon of Ula Tor! Fame and fortune await the One who can bring him safely back to his Royal Cradle!"
Walkthrough
You begin at the western edge of a dark forest, with a path north and a castle west. Over the forest to the east you can see the peak of Ula Tor, but beware: entering the dark forest too soon will leave you hopelessly lost.
- Go north along the narrow ridge and collect the rocks.
- Go north again to reach a tall oak tree, then climb up to find a lapwing nest. Try to get the nest and it will fall apart.
- Return to the bottom of the tree to get the fallen pieces: a rusty key, a quirin stone, and some feathers.
- Return to the start, then go west to the gates of the castle and get the caged mynah bird.
- Go west again to enter the castle courtyard, with exits in all directions.
- First go west into the stable and find an infinitely capacious bag of holding, and inside it a book. Note that opening the bag automatically steps you inside it; to exit the bag, go up. Return to the courtyard.
- Next go south to the stairwell.
- Climb to the top of the tower and get the oriental rug.
- Descend to the dungeon and get the chains.
- Return to the main level of the stairwell and go west to enter the castle library where you'll find a map and a dangerous hobbit. Take the map, chain the hobbit, and carry him with you. Note that every ten moves or so the hobbit will free himself, and if you try to move while he's free, he'll fatally stab you. To prevent him from repeatedly escaping, carry him inside the bag of holding. Return to the courtyard.
- Go north into in the castle's throne room and open the secret door (using your rusty key) to find the magician's study. A crystal ball sits on a table, and though you can't pick it up, you can use it to view distant places. Examine the crystal ball, then say the name of a location in the adventure (e.g., "Ula Tor", "courtyard", etc.) to get a glimpse of it. Return to the courtyard.
- Go east three times to enter the dark forest. You'll immediately become lost, but if you read the map you found in the library it will guide you to a clearing on the far side.
- Enter the shack and collect the oil lamp, but don't light it.
- Go north into the darkened tunnel; your mynah bird will immediately drop dead from gas (unless you've stored it in your bag). Throw rocks into the darkness and you'll hear a window break, then feel a gust of fresh air that disperses the gas. You may now safely light the lamp.
- Enter the window and you'll be in a gloomy stairwell. Go up.
- You've reached the plateau of Ula Tor where the infamous dragon blocks your way. Tickle the dragon with the lapwing feathers and it will roll over, incapacitated with laughter.
- Enter the temple and pick up the Dauphin.
- Fly on the carpet; it will whisk you back to the top of the castle tower where you collected it.
- Go down, then north into the courtyard, north into the throne room, north into the strange Tesseract Room, and finally north once more to enter the nursery where the queen awaits. She'll thank you for your help and award you her eternal gratitude.
Fyri provides a hints file with the game that includes a similar walkthrough, as well as various other tips and information.
Trivia
- According to Fyri, the name "Ula Tor" comes from the word "emulator" with the initial "em-" removed. (A tor is a rocky pinnacle.)
- If you enter the command
TAKE ON ME, the game responds with "A-ha!"