It should have been Christmas of 1991 that I discovered Area Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers below the tree, and received the reward of seeing thrilling new prospects in video games.
I used to be a fan of journey video games, positive, having performed a number of video games in Sierra’s King’s Quest sequence, to not point out Lucasfilm’s good and weird early titles like Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island. However this was my first expertise with Area Quest, Sierra’s comedic sci-fi sequence starring Roger Wilco, the hapless space-janitor who finds himself thrust into one cosmic misadventure after one other.
To be trustworthy, I don’t keep in mind a lot concerning the high quality of Area Quest IV’s puzzles. What I do keep in mind is how assorted and vibrant its universe appeared, with harsh alien worlds, moody cantinas, and glitzy space-malls. However what actually knocked my socks off concerning the sport was how meta it was. After progressing a bit by Area Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers itself, poor Roger finds himself flung into (the non-existent) Area Quest XII: Vohaul’s Revenge II.
In the present day, it’s not so unusual for video games to interrupt the fourth wall and wink knowingly on the participant about being video video games, to play with conventions in methods each drained and impressed. However wow, was this thrilling for me in 1991! The sport additionally sees you venturing into Area Quest X: Latex Babes of Estros (an apparent riff on the 1986 Infocom journey Leather-based Goddesses of Phobos) and all the way in which again to the unique Area Quest, which already appeared humorously primitive and pixelated in comparison with 1991’s state-of-the-art graphics, making excessive(er)-definition Roger Wilco all of the extra conspicuous.
Area Quest IV might or will not be an important sport, I actually don’t keep in mind effectively sufficient to say. I simply keep in mind sitting there on my Christmas break, awestruck by the intelligent meta-ness of all of it, and having my thoughts expanded concerning the prospects of what online game storytelling and construction may do.
Carolyn Petit, Managing Editor
