Cyc Cy c l e lls S p e lls Move Mov e Arr an Cast Cast Spe ll S p e ll B o ok: Insert New Spell L o ok round A roun d Center Cam Ca m e r a une Run Tu r n Run e On/ On/Off Vi e w M ap Swi Swi ng Sta ff S p e ll B o ok: Turn Page Select Options tur Or Re tu r n O r b St t o S ta ff A im S p e ll O p e n/C l o se Bo S p e ll B o ok Get the strategy guide Par No. art 1101 Par t No. X08-40999 m Safety Information About Photosensitive Seizures A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these "photosensitive epileptic seizures" while watching video games. These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects. Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms--children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by sitting farther from the television screen, using a smaller television screen, playing in a welllit room, and not playing when you are drowsy or fatigued. If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing. Other Important Health and Safety Information The Xbox Instruction Manual contains important health and safety information that you should read and understand before using this software. Table of Contents Using the X box Video Game System..... 2 Using the Xbox Controller ...................... 3 Game Controls .......................................... 4 Our Story ................................................... 6 Getting Started ......................................... 8 Saving & Loading Games ....................... 9 The Game Screen .................................. 10 The Spell Book Spell School Pages .......................... 12 Runes Page ....................................... 13 Wizardry Page ................................. 14 Options Page .................................... 15 The Nightcaster's Minions ..................... 16 Arran's Friends & Allies. ........................ 18 Enchanted Places .................................... 19 Collectibles ............................................. 20 Schools of Magic Fire Spells .......................................... 22 Water Spells....................................... 23 Light Spells........................................ 24 Dark Spells ........................................ 25 Credits ...................................................... 27 Warranty .................................................. 28 Customer Support .................................. 29 Avoid Damage to Your Television Do not use with certain televisions. Some televisions, especially front- or rearprojection types, can be damaged if any video games, including Xbox games, are played on them. Static images presented during the normal course of game play may "burn in" to the screen, causing a permanent shadow of the static image to appear at all times, even when video games are not being played. Similar damage may occur from static images created when placing a video game on hold or pause. Consult your television owner's manual to determine if video games can be played safely on your set. If you are unable to find this information in the owner's manual, contact your television dealer or the manufacturer to determine if video games can be played safely on your set. Unauthorized copying, reverse engineering, transmission, public performance, rental, pay for play, or circumvention of copy protection is strictly prohibited. 1 Using the Xbox Video Game System 1. Set up your XboxTM video game system by following the instructions in the Xbox Instruction Manual. 2. Press the power button and the status indicator light will light up. 3. Press the eject button and the disc tray will open. 4. Place the NightcasterTM disc on the disc tray with the label facing up and close the disc tray. 5. Follow the on-screen instructions and refer to this manual for more information about playing Nightcaster. Disc tray Using the Xbox Controller Expansion slot A Expansion slot B trigg Left trigger trigger Right trigger White button button button Black button Left thumbstick button Y button B button button button X button A button button Right thumbstick Controller Controller port 1 Controller Controller port 2 button Eject button ower button Power button Controller Controller port 4 Controller Controller port 3 Directional Directional pad Avoiding Damage to Discs or the Disc Drive To avoid damage to discs or the disc drive: · Insert only Xbox-compatible discs into the disc drive. · Never use oddly shaped discs, such as star-shaped or heart-shaped discs. · Do not leave a disc in the Xbox console for extended periods when not in use. · Do not move the Xbox console while the power is on and a disc is inserted. · Do not apply labels, stickers, or other foreign objects to discs. 1. Insert the Xbox Controller into any controller port on the front of the Xbox console. For multiple players, insert additional controllers into available controller ports. 2. Insert any expansion devices (for example, Xbox Memory Units) into controller expansion slots as appropriate. 3. Follow the on-screen instructions and refer to this manual for more information about using the Xbox Controller to play Nightcaster. button BACK button STAR button ART START button 2 3 Cast Sp Cast S p e ll (tr ig g e r) Cyc Sp lls Cyc l e S p e lls (tr ig g e r ) Pull and Hold to Increase Level Increase Spell Level Bo S p e ll B o ok: Move Mov e A r r a n Cam Ce nter Cam er a Click and Hold until Camera Resets Insert New Spell into Active Sphere Active Spell Sphere L o ok round A roun d Center Cam Ca m e r a S p e llB o ok: Page Turn Page Select Options Tu r n Run e On/ On/Off Vi e w M ap Swi Sw i ng S ta ff O p e n/C l o se S p e ll B o ok Bo A i m S p e ll (w ith O r b) (w Or Sp Click to Return Orb to Staff tur Or Re tu r n O r b St t o S ta ff 5 4 Our Story he world has fallen into never-ending night, plagued by a strange darkness called the Layman's Curse. It descended on the fields like a cold, black mist, smothering the life from all it touched, leaving the ground scarred and barren. It is an evil spell conjured by the Nightcaster in its bid to destroy humanity. But the world has a champion, a young boy named Arran, whose fate is about to be revealed. One day, while playing with his friends, Madelyn and Lochran, Arran encounters a mysterious glowing Orb. It tells Arran of the Nightcaster and of its plot to destroy the world. Arran, it explains, is the chosen one, the redeemer who must fight the evil and relight the world. Yet, victory will come at a high cost. Arran must learn the ways of magic, but to do so he must be hidden away for many years, away from his friends, his homeland, and his parents. It is the only way. Reluctantly, the boy agrees. Years later, the fledgling wizard emerges to discover his parents dead, his land consumed by evil, and his friends leading a rebellion against hoards of vile creatures inhabiting the world. There is no time to spare. Armed only with an ancient spell book and a staff made from a branch of the sacred Yew Tree, Arran sets upon his quest to reunite the four essences of Magic--Fire, Water, Light, and Dark--to gain the power he'll need to defeat the Nightcaster. 6 7 Getting Started To begin the game, press START. The Spell Book opens to the Main Menu. Select the option you want, and then press the A button. Saving & Loading Games New Game Begin a new game. Your adventure starts with a cinematic and tutorial. To skip the cinematic, press START. Save (Mushroom Rings) When Arran steps into a mushroom ring (see page 19), the Spell Book opens to the Save page. If the game was previously saved, the next available slot is automatically selected. To save, press the A button. If the current game has not been saved, or if you want to save to a different slot, select a storage device (MU or hard disk), press the A button, select a slot to save to, and then press the A button again. Continue Load the most recently saved game from an Xbox Memory Unit (MU) or the hard disk. Game Demos Check out demos of other exciting games available for your Xbox video game system. Load To load a saved game, select Load Game from the Main Menu or the Options page. Select the storage device where your game was saved (MU or hard disk), and then press the A button. Select the game you want to load, and then press the A button again. 8 9 THE Game Screen Readied Spells Three additional spells stand ready to be cycled into the Active Spell Sphere. Any combination of spell types can be placed in the queue and can be changed whenever you want using the Spell Book. Mana Indicator Shows the amount of mana (spell energy) Arran has. Mana is used whenever Arran casts a spell or uses a rune. Mana replenishes itself naturally, but it takes time. Spell Level Indicator Indicates the power level of the spell Arran is conjuring. As a spell charges, the lights flash to show what level is ready to be cast. Health Indicator Shows Arran's life force. When Arran is attacked, his life force decreases. If he is poisoned, the indicator turns green and his health slowly drains until the poison wears off. If the indicator runs dry, Arran will die and you must restart or load a saved game. Active Spell Sphere Contains the spell that Arran is currently using. 10 11 The Spell Book Arran carries an ancient Spell Book given to him by the Orb. The Spell Book contains several different types of pages that let you manage the items Arran collects, select and control game options, or view a summary of Arran's accomplishments. To open the Spell Book, press START. The game pauses when the Spell Book is open. To turn the pages, use the left thumbstick. To close the Spell Book and return to the game, press START again. Changing the Readied Spells To change spells in the Readied Spell queue, select a spell on the left page, pull the left trigger to cycle the spells in the Readied Spell queue until the spell you want to replace appears in the Active Spell Sphere, and then tap the right trigger to insert the new spell. Runes Page Spell School Pages The Spell School pages store the spell spheres that Arran finds. For each school of magic--Fire, Water, Light, and Dark--there are four spell types. Each spell type can have up to three levels of ever-increasing power. When Arran discovers a rune, it is automatically placed in its proper slot on the Runes page. To equip Arran with a rune, select it, and then press the A button. To remove a rune, press the A button again. To turn a rune on or off during gameplay, press the B button. Storing Spell Spheres When Arran picks up a spell sphere, it is automatically stored in its proper Spell School page. Spell types appear on the left page and the levels gathered for each spell are on the right page. Each spell type has three levels, each with increased ability to do more damage and strike more enemies. But be prudent--the greater the spell, the longer it takes to conjure and the more mana it takes to cast. 12 13 Wizardry Page The Wizardry page lets you allocate and manage mana balls, and it provides a summary of Arran's accomplishments. Options Page Select from the following options, and then press the A button. To cancel a selection, press the B button. Mana Balls When Arran picks up a mana ball, the Spell Book opens to the Wizardry page so you can allocate it to a school of magic. To allocate a mana ball, move it over a school of magic using the left thumbstick, and then press the A button. Choose carefully--a mana ball cannot be reallocated. Load Game Load a saved game. Controller Display game controller functions. Audio Settings Wizard Summary Provides a summary of the spells that Arran has found, the number of kills he has made, his favorite spell school, and the spells he has used most often. Set the volume levels for sound effects and music. Thumbsticks Enable or disable the left thumbstick button (Click to Center Camera) and the right thumbstick button (Click to Return Orb to Staff). Quit Game Quit the game and return to the Title Screen. 14 15 The Nightcaster's Minions The Nightcaster's minions are vile creatures, enlisted to stave off Arran's magic and stop his advance. They are born from the four essences of magic from which Arra ...