Hype: The Time Quest

Hype: The Time Quest is an adventure video game developed by Playmobil Interactive and distributed by Ubi Soft Entertainment. The game, released in the year 1999 along with Alex Builds His Farm (1999), is based on the medieval castle toy series from Playmobil. It revolves around Hype, a 24-year-old knight in the service of King Taskan IV, following a quest through time to return to his own era in order to save the kingdom from the evil black knight Barnak. The game was directed by Alain Tascan and featured thirty-two different voice actors, as well as original music by Robbi Finkel.

Story
The story begins during King Taskan IV's reign, following the end of a civil war. Hype, the champion of the kingdom, is being rewarded for his loyalty and valour by being presented with the powerful Sword of Peace. However, during the ceremony a mysterious and powerful black knight riding a dragon unexpectedly appears. The knight steps to the King and demands the throne. At that moment, Hype steps before the knight and attempts to confront him, but the black knight is too strong and with the use of powerful magic, transforms Hype into a statue of stone and casts him deep into the past. Two hundred years earlier, Hype's statue appears in the courtyard of an apprentice magician: Gogoud.

After many failed attempts to revive Hype, the young magician, Gogoud, manages to restore Hype to life. As Hype recovers his memory he quickly explains his ordeal with the black knight - known as Barnak - and how he must return to his own time in order to protect his king, take revenge on Barnak and marry his betrothed, Vibe. Sorrowfully, Gogoud explains that he as a magician is not very experienced and is as currently only an apprentice. Still, the young man agrees to help Hype and guide him on his quest through time. Gogoud comes to learn that in order for Hype to return to the future, he must collect a number of jewels. Both are dismayed to learn that each Jewel only allows Hype to advance one leap through time, meaning that he will have to collect and charge jewels hidden in the reigns of Taskan I, II and III before returning to the era of Taskan IV. Throughout his journey, Hype meets a number of faithful friends, including: Zatila the dragon, Karon, leader of the brigands, her daughter Nohlin and many others. On the other hand, Hype also encounters a great number of foes including King Taskan I and his followers; Rajoth the magician - founder of the Laboratories; Enost - King Taskan III's wizard, who defects to the Barnak's side; numerous different soldiers, including Barnak's armies of Black Guards and other servants; Barnak's black dragon Vhoid and finally the evil Barnak himself. Hype also confronts many non-human enemies including wolves, spectres, bats and a three-headed dragon. Hype's adventures take place in the same kingdom throughout different periods of its history. Rivalries and wars erupt between the fortress, the monastery, the brigands and the magicians in the laboratories. Upon returning to his own time, Hype is reunited with Vibe and together they form an army in order to begin an uprising against Barnak, who has taken control of the kingdom. His large army enforce his diabolical regime, forcing the kingdom's people to worship their master as a God, as well as a King. The entire kingdom is guarded by Barnak's evil minions, with the main areas of the Town of Torras, the Forest, Gogoud's Manor, the Brigand Village and the Fortress being closely watched, while 'un-necessary' areas such as the Monastery and Laboratories are closed off at Barnak's command. Most disturbing however, is that due to Barnak's conquest the land has become desolate and a fiery sky above foreshadows Barnak's triumph - causing great sadness over the kingdom's people. The land however, is finally restored to its former beauty when the Black Knight is defeated - his dark magic that plagued the kingdom broken. The spirit of Gougoud tells tales of a new world as the story ends with peace returning to the land.

Locations
Gogoud's Manor: An old tower located on top of a cliff by the sea and home of Gogoud, the magician; Hype, turned into a statue, lands here in the era of Taskan I two hundred years before his own time after he is defeated by Barnak. Gogoud's Manor is one of two places in the Kingdom of Torras to have a sundial Hype can use to travel back and forth in time; the other is the Town of Torras. Throughout the first three reigns, or eras, Gogoud is only found at his manor; in the era of Taskan IV, after his death, he appears inside the Room of the Champion at the fortress. During that same era, his manor is vandalized and occupied by the black guards. Between the first and second eras, Gogoud fashions a secret room underground beneath his manor, leaving Hype clues as to how to access it.

The Forest: The woods linking Gogoud's Manor, the Town of Torras, the monastery and the Brigand Village. The forest is home to a variety of different creatures, including wild boars, wolves and bats. The disturbed appearance of a number of spectres in the forest in later eras is a result of the many experimentations at the town laboratories. One of the different clearings in the forest is where Zatila, the dragon lives. The brigands dominate the forest during the era of Taskan I, but after they become Hype's allies, they return to their hidden village up in the trees. The brigands' and Hype's allegiance leads to the discovery of a secret dolmen that King Taskan II informs is the entrance to a Lost City outside time and the kingdom, where the Gods can aid the humans without interfering in their lives.

The Monastery: The monastery is where the monks live, also guarded by a large number of guards. Differences between the men of the monastery and the fortress leads to a rivalry between the two. The monastery manages to obtain the Royal Jewel shortly before Hype's arrival in the Era of Taskan I, the first of the four jewels that Hype needs to obtain in order to advance in time and defeat Barnak. Senekal, a former fighter at the Field of Courage, hides the young Prince Taskan IV at the monastery to keep him safe during the civil war. The monastery is home to one of the three precious almanacs in the kingdom and where the flag of King Taskan II is safely kept.

Town of Torras: The Town of Torras is where the villagers of the kingdom live. It has one of the two sundials Hype can strike in order to advance or retrocede in time. The town is home to numerous people, many of which help Hype in some way throughout his journey. The town faces numerous changes throughout the four eras: the addition of the laboratories, the Field of Courage, a new secret entrance to the king's fortress and finally, the domination of Barnak and his black guards in the era of Taskan IV. During the four eras, the town of Torras homes a small shop where life potions and herbs can be purchased, a blacksmith's workshop where armours are restored and arrows sold and an inn where visitors can recooperate their strength with meals and are offered lounging; it is at the inn that Hype and Vibe are reunited. Inflation causes these services to become more costly overtime, however new items are included in later reigns. The earlier 1995 Playmobil Interactive game lightly reveals the possibility that centuries after Hype: The Time Quest the town of Torras became the setting of Laura's Happy Adventures.

The Laboratories: The laboratories are founded just outside the Town of Torras by the evil magician Rajoth with financial support from King Taskan II. In the second reign of the Taskan family, the laboratory introduces the villagers to magic and science. However, when King Taskan II is away from the kingdom with the purpose of learning about the outside world, Rajoth takes the opportunity to carry out evil schemes. Rajoth captures and imprisons several magicians, including Gogoud, in order to learn about Hype and thus steal his power to travel through time. The laboratories are also home to one of the three precious almanacs, the Magicians' Almanac. In the third era, the entrance to the laboratories is tightly sealed and a new underground entrance, by means of a water well located in the town of Torras, must be used in order to access them.

The Fortress: The fortress is where the Taskan family lives. During their corresponding reigns, Kings Taskan I and III can be found inside the fortress; Taskan II is away from the kingdom and never seen, while King Taskan IV and his wife, Queen Lyzothe, are locked away in the underground cells when Barnak takes over kingdom. There are eventually two ways of accessing the fortress from outside its walls: by means of the water well located in Torras or by climbing on the roofs of the town just outside the fortress. The Room of the Champion is hidden behind a fireplace at the fortress; in the fourth era, this room becomes Hype's room and where he meets Gogoud's spirit as the Guardian of Time following the magician's death.

The Black Tower: The Black Tower is the stronghold of Barnak the Black Knight and his army. Built by the treacherous wizard Enost in honour of Barnak, when he switched to Barnak's side from that of Taskan III. Built high on a dark mountain top, the tower overlooks the kingdom, and defended by leigons of Barnak's servant's, the Black Tower is a menacing structure. When Barnak arrived, he began his plots for domination of time itself, by use of the tower itself. The Tower was not built just to be fortress, but as a giant sundial similar to those used to teleport between eras. The tower's sundial however has been embedded with the Jewel of the God's, and when the eclipse occurs, Barnak's striking of it will bring about his domination of time and space. However, when Hype defeats Barnak, he destroys the dial, so that it cannot be used for evil, and the Taskan family will rule for evermore.