Magic: The Gathering, the foundational trading card game, has a long history of digital adaptations. While Magic: The Gathering - Arena is the current premier digital client, an earlier title from 1997, also named Magic: The Gathering, developed by Microprose for personal computers, holds a significant place in the game's history. This game was the first digital foray for Magic, reimagining its complex ruleset as a single-player role-playing game.
The game, set on the plane of Shandalar, tasked players with assuming the role of a Planeswalker to thwart an invasion by five mage lords. These lords were casting the "Spell of Dominion" to summon the demon lord Arzakon. The game cleverly integrated Magic's core mechanics, with the five evil mage lords representing the game's five colors: White, Black, Blue, Red, and Green. Players chose a starting color and spellbook and ventured across Shandalar, seeking new spells and completing quests to build their power.
Exploration involved traversing an overworld, visiting towns, and undertaking quests that often required acquiring specific powerful cards or defeating enemies. All combat sequences adhered to Magic's established ruleset, allowing players to test and refine their deck-building strategies. Dungeons offered challenging encounters with rare rewards, including the iconic "Power-9" cards, some of the most potent cards ever printed in Magic.
The climax of the game saw the player confronting Arzakon, a formidable Planeswalker with immense power and access to all five colors. While Arzakon could not be fully defeated, players could seal him away for a period, with the duration dependent on the damage dealt in the final battle. This damage also factored into the player's final score.
Magic: The Gathering for PC was a commercial and critical success for Microprose, garnering long-term support through expansions. "Spells of the Ancients" enhanced the game's engine and user interface while adding cards from the Arabian Nights and Antiquities sets. "Duel of the Planeswalkers" followed, introducing cards from the Legends and The Dark sets.
The game's legacy has persisted through community-driven modifications, often referred to as "Shandalar," which continually update the game with cards and mechanics from modern Magic sets, all within Microprose's original RPG framework. The game also notably features one of Rhea Seehorn's early acting roles in its full-motion video cutscenes. Its blend of RPG elements and card-based combat has been cited as an influence on titles like CD Projekt Red's Thronebreaker, which similarly uses the Gwent card game as its core mechanic within an RPG structure.
A New Card Honors an Old Game
The enduring impact of the 1997 game is further recognized with the upcoming release of Arzakon as a playable Magic: The Gathering card in the Mystery Booster: Commander set. This five-color Planeswalker card features abilities reminiscent of iconic Magic spells, such as dealing damage, creating mana-generating tokens, and forcing hand/graveyard reshuffles. Arzakon is also designated as a commander, a significant role in Magic's most popular format.
Magic: The Gathering (1997) proved the viability of deeper narrative experiences within the game's ruleset, demonstrating an audience appetite for playing Magic on screens. It established a precedent for subsequent digital iterations like Magic Online and Arena, while a dedicated fanbase continues to maintain and update the original "Shandalar" experience. The inclusion of Arzakon in the Mystery Booster: Commander set offers a fitting moment to reflect on this pivotal early chapter in Magic's digital journey.