Text Adventures Still Around
Interactive Fiction isn't dead, it's getting better.
January 26 saw the release of Hotel Dusk for the always innovative Nintendo DS.
The game play is unique. The player holds the DS like a book and gets to interact with an old detective novel.
While it seems revolutionary now, most modern adventure games were spawned from a genre called interactive fiction.
These games were strictly text-based, with descriptions of the rooms and scenarios written on the screen, the player had to type in commands to interact with the plot.
To most gamers, this would seem archaic, but the truth is, there are legions of fans who not only still play these games, but keep the genre alive by writing new ones.
The most obvious place this community is still alive is through the interactive fiction competitions.
First round voting is already over for XYZZY's (an online zine for IF enthusiasts) annual contest and results will be known March 4.
There are many reasons players still enjoy the text-based approach to gaming. For some, it's nostalgia, for others it's because these games require serious thought but for most, it is because these games are about storytelling.
No flashy graphics or complicated battle systems. There's the story to interact with and solve puzzles within and that's it.
While many games came before it, the genre rose to prominence with the release of Infocom's Zork. The game immersed players in a fantasy world where they had to solve puzzles to find treasures and make sure to have a brass lantern to avoid being eaten by the Grue.
Infocom released many other successful text adventures, most notably and interactive fiction adaptation of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The company was eventually bought out by Activision, who caused an uproar when they released the graphics intensive Return to Zork. Hardcore interactive fiction fans felt betrayed and communities were born to keep the genre alive, which we see today.
Although some might find the games boring, they're at least interesting from a historic point of view. The modern adventure game probably wouldn't exist with them (including Hotel Dusk.)
In fact, a crude text adventure called Softporn Adventure would later have graphics added to it and be renamed Leisure Suit Larry.
Anyone interested in getting into interactive fiction (or getting back into the games) should check out some beginner's sites like Microheaven.com to find the software needed to play text adventures.
Or check out the games section of Homestarrunner for parodies of classic games, including text adventures.
