A longbow will out range any simple shortbow or (non-steel prod) crossbow, and is capable of armor penetration at close range. A superior longbow is made of Yew at 6' it's a powerful weapon with at long draw (to the ear), high draw weight, and a heavy, destructive arrow (the 3' cloth-yard arrow). Most Generic Fantasy Settings are heavily European, making the longbow an obvious choice - doubly so given it's Welsh origins, as Generic Fantasy Elves often draw on Celtic themes. The English (or Welsh) Longbow is probably the first weapon that comes to mind, simply because of romanticism surrounding the longbow's role in English history ('greatbows' appear in many cultures, from Scandanavia to India, but the English one is the most reknown). Given it is unlikely that one culture (and Generic Fantasy Elves tend to be rather monolithic, even after the standard 'High/Wood/Sea/Dark' divide) would simultaneously develop and use both styles of bow, the question is which one fits the Generic Fantasy Elf theme best?įor those of you who are interested, some background:ġ) The English Longbow - superior close range power Both have major points in their favor, as well as major drawbacks. (There are other possible options, but these are the front runners I'll talk a little about the Japanese Asymetric Bow later.) Barring the ususal nationalistic partisanship, however, there is no clear answer to which bow is superior. but, what exactly is an 'elven bow'?Īs I see it, you have two major contenders for the 'best' bow: The English Longbow and the Turkish Composite Bow.

So, it only makes sense for the best archers in the fantasy world to have the best bows. So, you have your generic fantasy setting, complete with your generic fantasy elves - haughty, superior, in touch with nature, superb woodsmen, and archers without peer. After the end sequence, the game then continues at the base of the tree.All right. Smiling from the crenels of the castle's parapet are a young woman in a purple frock, and a man wearing a war bonnet. When the player clears the ninth level, a curtain opens to reveal the castle at the top of the tree. The ascent is divided into nine game levels the player character dances at the conclusion of each level. A gauge tracks the player's altitude, and at the conclusion of each level the game informs the player how much further to climb to reach the goal: A castle on the treetop.

He earns points by gathering apples, arrows, daggers, and coronets.

The player can jump and dangle from branches. The player ascends a magical tree by hopping from branch to branch and climbing vines and ladders-while also dodging larvae, owls, and lightning bolts. The player character is an 'Indian brave' stereotype who wears a tanned vest and trousers, and a headband with a feather. Konami included Magical Tree in the 1998 game anthology Konami Antiques MSX Collection, Vol. Konami published a Brazilian Portuguese version, Árvore Mágica, in 1985. 1 or 2 players Magical Tree ( マジカルツリー, Majikaru tsurī ?) is a vertically scrolling platform game developed by Konami for the MSX home computer, and published in 1984.

Magical tree branch bow