Midwinter II: Flames off Freedom is a Video game of strategy - action developed by Microprose and left in 1991. The play is in 3D with a sight with the first nobody; most of the environments of play is generated by Fractale S.

The play proceeds in an Post-apocalyptic future on an archipelago of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The player incarnates there a secret agent which must release these islands of tyrannical Saharan Empire. Each island must be released by carrying out a series of missions, but the player can achieve them in any order and by several means.

Midwinter II makes following Midwinter , and was followed by Midwinter III: Ashes off Empire

Scenario

The action proceeds several years after the events of the play Midwinter . This last describes how a meteorite started a nuclear Hiver after having struck the Earth, forcing a handle of survivors to take refuge in a lately emerged island, Midwinter, then to fight against tyrannical General Masters for the control of the island.

Several tens of years later, Midwinter must be evacuated because the nuclear winter grows blurred, that the planet is heated and that the sea level goes up. Its population discovers the existence of an archipelago close to the African coast and migrates there. However, an empire centered on the Sahara obtains the domination of all the archipelago, except for the island of Agora. The 41 islands thus dominated are called the islands slaves, and the fate of their population is hardly enviable. The armada Saharan threat of more than invade Agora from one day to another. The secret services of Agora thus decide to send their agents to push the islands slaves with the rebellion. The player incarnates one of these agents.

Gameplay

Modes of play

Midwinter II proposes several modes of play: the drive mode, where the player moves freely on the island of Agora without meeting enemies; the raid mode, where the player leaves to release an island, and finally the countryside mode, where it is necessary to release the islands the ones after the others before the Saharan Empire does not send its armada.

Creation of character

In an innovating way for a play of action of 1992, Midwinter II proposes to the player to create his character. He starts by choosing his name and his sex, then creates his face (while choosing among several noses, several mouths, etc), and finally his characteristics physical (which are used for to avoid the wounds, more effectively to rest, etc) and mental (which enable him to convince the characters met).

Missions

To each island is allotted a difficulty, noted with one to five craniums. Most difficult to release are the three bastions of Lobos, Dhafra and Camargo. To release an occupied island, it is necessary there to go and achieve all the missions of this island. Moreover, one island slave which cannot trace any more road to the African continent or with a bastion (for example if the island is surrounded by released islands) releases all alone.

The missions can be several types: to assassinate leaders of the Saharan Empire, to destroy military buildings or units, to recruit or save potential members of resistance, or to recover secret documents.

Once a released island, its inhabitants offer to the hero an amount of money (which increases with each Saharan military unit that the hero destroyed), a gift of value (for example a palate or a tamed cheetah), and a secret weapon which it can employ in a later mission.

Displacement

Once on an island, the player can traverse it in various vehicles. In opposition to the snow-covered extents of Midwinter , Midwinter II is held completely in the Tropics, with a green ground, palm trees, and a sky and a blue water.

From time to time appear Saharan military units, which try to kill the hero with blows of missiles. The hero can destroy them to have peace and to touch a reward, or to benefit from it to seize one of the enemy vehicles. When the hero is with foot, it can collect several types of firearms. The majority of the vehicles are armed with missiles or torpedes with homing device, except for the tank which carries a gun, balloon which makes it possible to use the weapons recovered with foot, and of the buses and trains which are disarmed.

Displacements, especially with foot, tire the hero, who must rest from time to time. The enemies or the accidents can also wound it, and the rest enables him to be cured. The hero cannot however die of his wounds.

Characters

During peregrinations of the hero, it can fall on characters not-players and discuss with them. Some are immediately ready to help them, and to provide them various advantages like a new vehicle, the site of a secret place or a new contact. Others require to be convinced (thanks to the mental characteristics of the hero) or that the hero fills initially a task for them.

Certain characters make throw the hero in prison. The prison involves especially a waste of time, but the hero on each day the occasion to try to escape, by the force, the seduction or corruption. The chances of success depend on the personality of the guard of the day, and the mental characteristics of the hero.

Means of transport

Midwinter 2 makes it possible to the hero to borrow many means of transport. By defect, the hero is with foot; he starts to swim while entering water, but he can plunge under water. If it falls from a flying equipment, it can direct its parachute.

Other means of transport can be obtained by seizing an enemy vehicle, by finding a vehicle hidden or by obtaining some one of a character not-player. Among these vehicles are:

• Of the terrestrial vehicles: jeep, truck, bus, tank and train. Some of these vehicles can be found circulating peacefully on a road or a railway.
• Of the air vehicles: Zeppelin, Montgolfier, biplane and helicopter. A dorsal rocket exists but is available only as a secret weapon if the player saved the island of Galva.
• Of the marine vehicles: boat, outboard motor boat, submarine and pocket submarine.
• Of the amphibious vehicles: underwater tank (which can roll under the water), underwater flying (a vehicle in the shape of line manta which flies as well as it plunges), seaplane and hovercraft.

External bonds

• Midwinter II on Mobygames

• Critical drawn from the magazine Amiga Format