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Old 22-06-2015, 07:30 PM   #1
freeman A
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Default freeman A- Mindshadow

I wrote a review for the game Mindshadow; I can provide screenshots as well if needed.

---

The video game crash of 1983; a year that will live in infamy. However, during that time while the console market failed and major companies faced bankruptcy, home computer gaming continued to thrive. During that same year, the company Interplay Productions was founded, which would eventually go on to produce games like The Bard's Tale, Baldur's Gate, Battle Chess and Fallout. However, before all that, in 1984 they released their very first game; Mindshadow.

Mindshadow is a first-person puzzle adventure game that draws its inspiration from Robert Ludlum's book, Bourne Identity, as well as other classic stories. (Midway through the game you might notice a Casablanca reference, as well.) You begin the game by waking up on a beach with no idea who you are or how you got here. During your adventures, you find clues about your forgotten past and set off to discover the truth.

The game uses a simple text parser and it works fairly well. Most of the commands you will need are phrased like "VERB NOUN," or "VERB NOUN WITH NOUN." One of the classic problems with this type of game is trying to find the exact phrasing that the game wants you to use. Sometimes when you are trying different things, the game is kind enough to give you hints about which command to use or how to phrase them.

There are two important commands to know, as well. The first is the command THINK, which can be used with items to remember pieces of your past. It's important to remember to do this, as you won't b able to complete the game until you THINK about all of the clues. The second command is HELP ME CONDOR (or just HELP CONDOR if you're in a hurry), which summons a friendly avian ally who will gives you hints in the game. Be careful, though. Although he's amusing, he can only be called three times before you're on your own.

There are a few shortcomings in the game, design mistakes that most likely occurred because this was Interplay's first game. Early in the game is a quicksand maze that can only be solved through trial and error. This maze made me notice another strange quirk; when you die, the game doesn't allow you to "restart, restore or quit" like almost every other adventure game that came later. Instead, it asks if you'd like to play again and boots you straight back to the beginning of the game. The fact that one misstep in the quicksand maze leads to death got me quite familiar with the sight of the first screen.

Another thing to note is that the game doesn't often tell you if there are adjacent rooms to explore, and the only way to fully explore the game is to try traveling every direction in every room and bumping into invisible walls. If you just can't seem to progress any further because you seem to be missing a critical item, it probably means there's a room somewhere you hadn't noticed yet.

There's no sound in the game, and as far as the graphics... well, I'm sure they looked amazing back in 1984. The graphics might look a bit primitive today, but honestly, I've seen much worse for the time.

If you are a fan of the classics and want to see the humble beginnings of the adventure game genre, check this one out. The game will also keep you amused with it's sense of humor. You might end up using up your hints just to see what that smarmy condor has to say next, or replaying the game to discover all the fun ways you can get yourself killed.
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Old 28-06-2015, 01:13 PM   #2
marko river
10 GOSUB Abandonia
20 GOTO 10





 
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Yes please I just sent you FTP access for uploading material.

Please do give us a little more about the game: year, developer, publisher, any similar games on abandonia?
And how would you rate the game from 1 to 5?

And welcome
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