Gameology 2.0

Review Of

Crowe, Mark. Space Quest. Oakhurst, CA: Sierra Entertainment, 1986.

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Sierra On-line's Space Quest hit the shelves in 1986, just two years after the famous King's Questmade its debut. I might also add that it was two years after Infocom released Meretzsky's Planetfall, a fantastic science fiction text-adventure. To say that Space Quest borrows from Planetfall seems something of an understatement. Like Space Quest, Planetfall features an anti-heroic, bumbling janitor as an avatar. Space Quest also strives to emulate the sharp wit of the other title, but does so only erratically. The main appeal here seems to be Sierra's taking its GAG engine in a new direction, and introducing the satirical tone of Infocom's games into a new format. It's certainly a fun game that doesn't mind poking fun at itself, but Sierra's terrible, non-intuitive puzzles and some glitches in the interface make this game virtually unsolvable without a hint book. Two major glitches occur shortly into the game, when the avatar (Roger) manages to crash-land an escape pod onto the surface of an alien planet. Here's the view from the cockpit after the ship crashes:

Illustration 1: Do you see a survival kit? I'd call this a glitch in the GUI.: Space Quest - Illustration 1

Do you see a survival kit in there? I don't. In fact, there are no clues to its existence unless you type œlook pod, which casually mentions that a survival kit containing two plot-critical items has fallen from œsomewhere. A similar problem occurs just as you leave the pod. Though there are no visual or textual clues whatsoever, you are somehow expected to know to œTAKE GLASS, which adds a sheet of reflective glass to your inventory. I tried a variety of ways to fish for clues to this effect after reading about the glass in a walk-through, but found none. It's a dud.

Illustration 2: Lots of fun here at the cantina. Stick around to catch other bands if the Blues Brothers aren't enough for you.: Space Quest - Illustration 2

There are also some rather difficult arcade sequences in Space Quest that might throw off even someone willing to get beyond these issues. Here's a shot of the œskimmer sequence, which involves the player's twitching left and right to avoid a collision with rocks. Thankfully, these sequence can be completed by switching the game speed to the lowest setting, but even then it may take a few tries to get it right. However, the worst such sequence must be in the bar. The only way to collect enough credits to buy a ship and a droid to pilot it means gambling at the bar's slot machine. This process seems entirely random, and the only way to do it successfully is to frequently save and reload (otherwise, you'll go bankrupt or, if your luck is really poor, blasted by the machine). In other words, the only way to win the game is to œcheat using the game's interface to save and reload the game until the player reaches the desired outcome. Does that sound like good game design to you?

Illustration 3: The end scene. Star Wars fans will get a chuckle from the subtle and not-so-subtle allusions sprinkled throughout the game...: Space Quest - Illustration 3

Thankfully, Space Quest is a short game that can be completed in a little under an hour--more than enough time for the game scholar to see what the game has to offer. I would advise consulting a good walk-through and point list just to make sure you catch all the fun allusions. I found several related to King's Quest and some obvious Star Wars references, including the end scene. In so many ways, this game really sets the stage for Lucas Arts' style, which would make its first appearance a year later with Maniac Mansion and then Zak McKraken in 1988. Sierra enjoyed great success with Space Quest and launched five sequels (and VGA versions of some of the older titles)and the fan community has offered us several fun spin-offs, one of which (Space Quest 0: Replicated) I've played and really enjoyed.