Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye

Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye is a strategy game in which the player is a Celtic chieftain.{{cite magazine | author=Dembo, Arinn | date=November 1995 | title=Skatha's Scrollwork: Giving Balor The Wink In Koei's Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_136/page/n297/mode/1up | magazine=Computer Gaming World | publisher=Ziff Davis | issue=136 | issn=0744-6667 | pages=294, 296, 298, 300}}{{cite magazine | author=Mayer, Robert Riley | date=November 1995 | title=Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye Or, what Yeats never told you about Old Eire | url=https://archive.org/details/CGStrategyPlus_assorted/CG-StrategyPlus-60/page/n87/mode/2up | magazine=Computer Games Strategy Plus | publisher=Strategy Plus Inc. | issn=1546-5101 | issue=60 | pages=86–7}}{{cite magazine | author=Mayer, Robert Riley | date=December 1995 | title=Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye Part II: Battle Tactics, End Game, and Poking Out Balor's Eye in three easy lessons | url=https://archive.org/details/computer-games-strategy-plus-61-december-1995/page/104/mode/2up | magazine=Computer Games Strategy Plus | publisher=Strategy Plus Inc. | issn=1546-5101 | issue=61 | pages=104–5}}

Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye was primarily created by a group of US designers for Japanese developer Koei. The lead, Julie Carlson, was originally hired by the company as a Japanese-to-English translator for in-game text and instruction manuals before expanding her roles into design and scenario writing for titles like Aerobiz, Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny, and Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf. For Celtic Tales, she would remotely correspond with Koei via fax, sending work then receiving and making corrections each day.{{cite book | author1=Katz, Arnie | author2=Yates, Laurie | date=1996 | title=Inside Electronic Game Design | url=https://archive.org/details/insideelectronic00katz/page/170/mode/1up | url-access=registration | publisher=Prima Publishing | isbn=1-55958-669-9 | pages=156–8, 168–171}} When devising the game's rune spells, Carlson hoped that the transition to CD-ROM technology would alleviate problems due to time constraints.{{cite magazine | author=Yates, Laurie | date=January 1995 | title=Industry Spotlight – Julie Carlson: From Translator To Designer | url=https://archive.org/details/electronic-games-1995-01/page/24/mode/1up | magazine=Electronic Games | publisher=Decker Publishing | volume=2 | issue=11 | issn=0730-6687 | page=24}} The other main conceiver and designer, David Johnson, had been the US development manager of a majority of Koei releases starting in May 1990. He admitted that having an international team for Celtic Tales was not planned and that conflict was a regular hurdle with the collaboration, but that the process was ultimately helpful and stimulating. Koei released the game in Japan on Windows 3.1 as {{nihongo|Celt no Seisan|ケルトの聖戦|Keruto no Seisen|"Celtic Holy War"}}.{{cite web | title=遥かなる霧の彼方 導かれるは遠いケルトの物語 | trans-title=Beyond the distant mist, we are guided by the story of the distant Celts | url=http://www.koei.co.jp/bgate/japanese/yokohama/products/wincelt.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970525182937/http://www.koei.co.jp/bgate/japanese/yokohama/products/wincelt.htm | archive-date=May 25, 1997 | publisher=Koei | language=ja | accessdate=April 13, 2025}} A novel adaptation written by Nadine Crenshaw was published Prima Lifestyles on December 22, 1995.{{cite web | title=Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye - A Novel | url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4707422-celtic-tales | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413202431/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4707422-celtic-tale | archive-date=April 13, 2025 | website=Goodreads | accessdate=April 13, 2025}}

{{Video game reviews

| CGW = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine | author=Dembo, Arinn | date=September 1995 | title=Review: Aye, 'Tis A Bonny Land Indeed | url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_134/page/n215/mode/1up | magazine=Computer Gaming World | publisher=Ziff Davis | issue=134 | issn=0744-6667 | pages=214, 217, 219}}

| CGR = 91/100{{cite magazine | author1=Honeywell, Steve |author2=Chapman, Ted |author3=Kaiafas, Tasos | date=July 1995 | title=Review – Here Be Monsters: Pulling Back the Shroud of Mythology in Ireland | url=https://archive.org/details/computer-game-review-and-cd-rom-entertainment-july-1995/page/n55/mode/2up | magazine=Computer Game Review | publisher=Sendai Publishing | volume=4 | issue=12 | issn=1062-113X | pages=56–7}}

| NGen = {{Rating|4|5}}

| PCGUS = 87%{{cite magazine | author=Ward, Trent C. | date=September 1995 | title=Reviews: Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://archive.org/details/pc-gamer-issue-16-september-1995/page/n112/mode/1up | magazine=PC Gamer | publisher=Future plc | issue=16 | issn=1080-4471 | page=111}}

| rev1 = Dimension-3

| rev1Score = 82%{{cite magazine | author=Winding, Mark P. | date=August 1995 | title=Celtic Fever Is Back! Koei Reintroduces Us To The Original Celtics!! | url=https://archive.org/details/dimension-3-august-1995/page/n59/mode/2up | magazine=Dimension-3 | publisher=Dimension Publishing | issue=4 | pages=60–1}}

| rev2 = Electronic Entertainment

| rev2Score = {{rating|2.8|5}}{{cite magazine | author=Klett, Steve | date=September 1995 | title=Strategy Games: Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicEntertainment21Sep1995/page/n65/mode/1up | magazine=Electronic Entertainment | publisher=IDG | issn=1074-1356 | page=64 | issue=21}}

| rev3 = Fusion

| rev3Score = B{{cite magazine | author=Ceccola, Russ | date=August 1995 | title=Create A Celtic Dynasty: Celtic Tales Brings Early Ireland Back To Life | url=https://archive.org/details/FusionIssues1-5/Fusion%20Issue%201%20%28August%201995%29/page/n79/mode/2up | magazine=Fusion | publisher=Decker Publishing | issue=1 | issn=1083-1118 | pages=80–1}}

| rev4 = Level

| rev4Score = 80/100{{cite magazine | author=Draken | date=September 18, 1995 | title=Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411014157/https://www.oldgames.sk/images/magazine/level/1995/08/level8-026.jpg | magazine=Level | publisher=Vogel Publishing | issn=1211-6777 | language=cs | issue=8 | page=26}}

| rev5 = PC Joker

| rev5Score = 69%{{cite magazine | author=Schnelle, Michael | date=October 1995 | title=Der König der Blinden: Balor of the Evil Eye | trans-title=The King of the Blind: Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://archive.org/details/pc_joker_1995_10/page/n35/mode/1up | magazine=PC Joker | publisher=Joker Verlag | language=de | page=36}}

| rev6 = PC Player

| rev6Score = 58/100{{cite magazine | author=Langer, Jörg | date=September 1995 | title=Evil Eye of Balor | url=https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1995-09/page/n69/mode/2up | magazine=PC Player | publisher=Future Verlag | language=de | issn=0943-6693 | pages=70–1}}

| rev7 = Power Play

| rev7Score = 49%{{cite magazine | author=Schwindt, Peter | date=September 1995 | title=Holzauge sei wachsam! Balor of the Evil Eye | trans-title=Wooden Eye be alert! Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://archive.org/details/powerplaymagazine-1995-09/page/n43/mode/1up | magazine=Power Play | publisher=Future Verlag | language=de | issn=0937-9754 | page=44}}

| rev8 = Score

| rev8Score = 8/10{{cite magazine | author=Anastasov, Andrej | date=July 1995 | title=Recenze: Celtic Tales: Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://score.cz/1.809.aktuality.clanek-score-19 | magazine=Score | publisher=Omega Publishing Group | language=cs | issue=19 | issn=1210-7522 | pages=30–1}}

| rev9 = Secret Service

| rev9Score = 87.5%{{cite magazine | author=Jankowski, Paweł | date=September 1995 | title=Balor of the Evil Eye | url=https://archive.org/details/secretservicemagazine-1995-10/page/n63/mode/2up | magazine=Secret Service | publisher=ProScript | issn=1230-7726 | language=po | pages=64–5}}

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Next Generation rated the game four stars out of five, and stated that "As well made as it is [...] Balor is not for everyone. The game's intense complexity of play will make it unaccessible for all but the most devoted and persistent of strategy gurus. If you're the kind of player who likes to rip into a game without the instruction manual, this game will leave you completely cold."{{cite magazine|title=Finals|magazine=Next Generation|issue=10|publisher=Imagine Media|date=October 1995|pages=116–117}} Computer Game Review was strongly positive, awarding the game a "Golden Triad" score, and the magazine's Tasos Kaiafas wrote, "For a game that involves many hours to reach the end, Celtic Tales should hold your interest all the way to the finish."

{{Clear}}

{{reflist}}

• {{MobyGames|/celtic-tales-balor-of-the-evil-eye}}

Category:1995 video games

Category:DOS games

Category:Koei games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Turn-based strategy video games

Category:Video games based on Celtic mythology

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Video games set in Ireland

Category:Video games set in the 1st century BC

Category:Video games with isometric graphics

Category:Windows games

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