Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a 1988 published point-and- click adventure. It is after Maniac Mansion the second game of this type of company Lucasfilm Games (later LucasArts ).

Contents and action

The player assumes the role of Zak McKracken, a frustrated reporter Boulevard from San Francisco. In the opening credits of the game appear to him in a dream aliens, an ancient map of the Earth, a strange device and an unfamiliar woman he looks back on a TV show the next morning. As the story progresses it becomes clear that Zak McKracken must save the Earth from an invasion by aliens who want to dumb down humanity. He receives support this by the archaeologist Annie, who appeared to him in a dream and also lives in San Francisco, as well as her two friends Melissa and Leslie, who are flown with a converted VW bus to Mars. The aim of the game is to assemble the so-called Skolarische device whose items consist of artifacts that are spread all over the world.

The plot of the game used in a skillful manner, various popular science gutted supposed mystery of humanity. Besides the great chapter pre- astronautics, which provides the framework for the story, are, inter alia, the high culture of the Incas, the mystery of the pyramids and the Sphinx in Egypt, El Astro car, the unexplained function of Stonehenge, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, the myth of Atlantis and the supposed Mars face taken up. According to this variety of influences numerous places to be visited on every continent and on Mars in the game. Apprehended and explains supposedly is also the Hum phenomenon: the " Caponier " Aliens use it to stultify and eventually enslave humanity.

In the game, the entire action in 1997, nine years in the future of the year 1988, settled, some statements can be made regarding future technology trends. Examples are the exclusive Pay with a so-called Cash Card and the use of DAT tapes. The former now has a real equivalent in cash-free payments with credit card and cash card, while the latter could never really push through and were now largely obsolete by CDs.

Systems and versions

The game was released in 1988 for Commodore 64, MS -DOS with EGA graphics, Amiga, Atari ST and Apple II, and later also for the FM Towns with 256- color graphics and an altered soundtrack. Contrary to the later practice which technically much improved FM-Towns version but was not backported for MS -DOS.

Technology and control

Technically, the title depending on the platform on version one, two or three of LucasArts ' SCUMM language. That is, the screen is divided into three parts in an area for action verbs, including one arranged, consisting of words inventory of the character and the game screen, which occupies the largest part of the image. Despite the various versions used is obtained for all systems to a Maniac Mansion identical look and feel.

In special situations, it may happen in the game that the action verbs are gradually disappears. This is intended to represent a dumbing down of the player, the time is but again fully reversible.

Developer

  • Design: David Fox, Ron Gilbert, Matthew Kane, David Spangler
  • Programming: David Fox, Ron Gilbert, Matthew Kane
  • Graphics / Animation: Basilio Amaro, Martin Cameron, Mark J. Ferrari, Gary Winnick
  • Music: Matthew Kane

Press

Reviews in game magazines

  • Power Play 29/88 91 %

Awards from gaming magazines

  • Voted, Power Play 29/88

Trivia

In the game, numerous cross-references found, depending on the version on other LucasArts games. Examples thereof include:

  • A canister petrol chainsaw that is missing in Maniac Mansion
  • A wanted poster on the Meteor from Maniac Mansion
  • A tree of Loom
  • Several posters
  • Chuck the plant, in several games from LucasArts popular running gag
  • McKracken to pay a phone bill of $ 1,138 at the beginning of the game, a number that keeps coming up in the Lucas universe. This refers to George Lucas ' first feature film, THX 1138.

The names of the three companions of Zak are the names of former girlfriends of the main programmer. David Fox is now married with Annie. The gag that Leslie always has a different hair color undress her helmet is due to the fact that functions as a real role model Leslie has the time of development of Zak McKracken often colored hair.

The Miami airport was indeed not useless as a tourist destination, but about the airport addition, you never came, as a sign declared at the airport door that Miami was closed for renovations.

The last name McKracken was randomly selected by the programming team from a phone book.

The main theme of the game is now come to prominence due to numerous remixes and cover versions.

The monolith on Mars, which serves as a ticket machine, is an allusion to the monolith in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the ( Earth, Moon, Jupiter) are located at different places in the solar system.

The name of the tabloid, working at the Zak, The National Inquisitor, is an allusion to the real newspaper The National Enquirer.

Unofficial successor

Since LucasArts, has unlike Maniac Mansion, never published a second part emerged now several fan projects. Completed are now the following games:

  • Zak McKracken With - Between Time and Space, a project that has been provided with up -assessed, hand drawn graphics exist. This unofficial successor was published on April 19, 2008, 20 years after the appearance of the original.
  • The New Adventures of Zak McKracken remembers the original, grobpixeligen VGA graphics very to the predecessor and contains many humorous references to LucasArts in general and the predecessor Zak McKracken and Maniac Mansion in particular.

Another fan project that wanted to create based on the FM - Towns game a 256-color version for personal computers, is now discontinued in favor of a support in ScummVM.

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