A hidden treasure from the early ’90s for the Apple IIGS has been recovered and released – The World of Erimar. Developed by Tony Bounds and his company Arctic Knights, this unreleased fantasy game promises a captivating experience with its SynthLAB music and a stunning palette of 256 colors all done in Hypercard 3.1.
The Developer and the Vision:
Tony Bounds, the mastermind behind Arctic Knights, crafted The World of Erimar, a game that promised to push the boundaries of the Apple IIGS’s capabilities. The fantasy-themed game was in its final stages of development, featuring a mesmerizing musical score created with SynthLAB and a rich visual experience with an extensive palette of 256 colors.
Produced in HyperCard 3.1, this gem of a work by Tony was unfortunately, never to see the light of day during the run of the Apple IIgs. Despite the promising aspects of the game and while fairly complete, it is really more of a proof of concept which went unpublished due to a number of reasons including the downturn of the industry.
In 1993, Tony Bounds submitted The World of Erimar to Roger Wagner Publishing, hoping to share his creation with the Apple IIGS community. Roger Wagner Publishing was renowned for its commitment to innovative and high-quality software for the Apple II and Apple IIGS, making it an ideal platform for developers like Tony to present their work. The World of Erimar was overlooked and not published, leaving it consigned to the realms of obscurity.
Rediscovery in Roger Wagner’s Storage Unit:
That was until Roger Wagner donated his entire library to the Kansasfest Committee in 2022. It was during the cataloging and inventorying of this collection that Brian Picchi made the discovery of the unpublished Emir.
Eager to learn more about the game’s history and the reasons behind its shelving, efforts were made to reach out to Tony Bounds. However, as nearly thirty years has passed since that time, and technology has evolved, the only contact information available is a link on the internet from the early 2000s. Despite the challenge, the folks pursuing this ends in the Apple community remains hopeful that Tony will be reached and can shed light on the intriguing story behind The World of Erimar.
The World of Erimar
For those itching to experience this lost masterpiece, there’s good news. The World of Erimar is now available for exploration on Archive.org. The link (https://archive.org/details/knight-1_202312) opens a portal to a bygone era of gaming, allowing enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the fantasy world crafted by Tony Bounds and Arctic Knights.
