The most notorious computer game ever made gets an update

March 13, 2014   Uncategorized

Before I tell you what the most notorious computer game ever created is, you might already have an idea formed. Some Xbox game, maybe? Or the infernal Angry Birds or Candy Crush? Please. Those are for kids. Let me clarify; by notorious, I mean difficult, Not just difficult, but insidious, and obtuse, and unclear, and confusing, and if you make one tiny mistake your character will be dead and you’ll have to start over.

You’ll be surprised when I tell you. Usually it’s the other way around; I say “You’ll know when I tell you,” then I tell you, and you all say “Oh yeah, I knew that.” But this is a tough one.

Are you ready? Are you sure you’re ready? You didn’t see it on the screenshot above? OK, here it is:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Yep, based off the beloved book/radio play of the same name by the late Douglas Adams, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the book that went on to become a 4-part trilogy. But it’s not a game as we know it today. This particular game was released way back in 1984, in the very early days of computer gaming when the industry was still trying to find its place, by a company known as Infocom. Infocom was unique, because it released games that had no graphics, they were text only. The game would provide a written description of where you were and what was going on, and you typed a command just like the command-line interface we discussed in class. Because of that, their descriptions of environments were incredibly illustrative and colorful even without images, and could accept and parse a wide range of complex inputs at the command line, such as ‘Get squid from squid tank and wear it as a hat, then open the inflatable treasure chest.’ They were interactive fiction, as well written and absorbing as any novel.

I know the above screenshot doesn’t look like much, but it is the opening screen of the very first and most well-known Infocom release, Zork I. The stories and technology to tell them became more advanced as time went on.

They had many detailed and involving games games, each one an adventure in a unique setting – from a carnival to a haunted house to a sunken ship and many others – as you can tell from their titles. Games included Wishbringer, Infidel, Ballyhoo, Deadline, Lurking Horror, Planetfall, Cutthroats, and there were many more as you can see in the promo image for the iPhone/iPad app below.

To make the experience even more engrossing, their packaging included what Infocom referred to as ‘Feelies.’ These were maps, or magazines from the game world, or tokens, or a wand, or pieces of eight, or a key, or a bunch of other things from the story itself that helped the story come alive.

Back to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It is legendary for it’s difficulty and the level of frustration it caused. In fact, when it first starts, this is all you get:

  • >_
And that’s it! You are expected to figure out what to type at that prompt, and almost anything you type will give you a smart-ass response or get you killed. Even if you’re familiar with the books it’s still very difficult to figure out the proper sequence of actions to survive even for a second. But don’t panic.
So why am I telling you about all this? Because it’s been updated and re-released on the BBC’s website! But this time it’s using the HTML5 specification and updated with retro-futuristic graphics, along with the ability to save and reload your game, thankfully. For someone like me who remembers the original, it’s a thing of beauty. But if you aren’t familiar with this type of interactive fiction or even the story of the Guide, this is an outstanding introduction to both. I dare you to try it and let us know how you did. As far as I can tell, *it only works in Internet Explorer,* but it’s worth it. 
I should also add that, as mentioned above, there is a very well-done app for the iPad and iPhone called ‘Lost Treasures of Infocom,’ that has Infocom’s original game, Zork I, and its other titles available for 99 cents each. But they come with enhanced playability, history of the game, and all of the ‘feelies’ that were included with each title. It’s so well done I can’t stand it, I’m envious of iPhone users because they have access to it.
Also, if you decide to brave The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy game, the very first thing you should type is ‘Turn on light.’ You’ll thank me later.