Recently, while my colleagues at Ars Technica were gathered around the water cooler, we sparked a nostalgic discussion about the classic Sierra On-Line adventure games that many of us cherished during our youth. As seasoned gamers, we dove headfirst into memory lane, reminiscing about the limited-palette joys of early titles like King's Quest, Space Quest, and Quest for Glory. Our conversation even veered towards less mainstream gems like Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist and the gothic thrills of The Colonel's Bequest and Gabriel Knight. However, the topic that dominated our chat was surprisingly mundane: acorns.
The acorn puzzle from King's Quest III became our focal point. In this segment of the game, our hero Gwydion must locate some desiccated acorns to progress in the storyline. At first glance, the task seems straightforward—a simple guide suggests moving east and north to the acorn tree and trying to pick up acorns. Yet, players quickly discover that the game doesn’t always yield acorns, even with the correct commands. This often misleads gamers into believing they're searching in the wrong place. Instead, they must persistently move pixel by pixel around the tree until the game finally rewards them with the desired items.
One of my colleagues confessed to purchasing the King's Quest III hint book solely to navigate this frustrating puzzle. The hint book, now available online, suggests that players must wander around the particular oak tree since the right acorns only appear in a specific location. This revelation reminded me that the nostalgic fun I associated with these games was often clouded by their thorny puzzles.
Reflecting back, I recalled my first experience with Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge, which was my introduction to the Sierra universe. After countless hours of gameplay, my brother and I found ourselves stuck in dark tunnels, leading us to implore our father to call Sierra's 1-900 hint line. This was a significant decision for him, as he had never called a pay number before. The call, costing 75 cents for the first minute and 50 cents for each additional minute, felt like a small price to pay to restore our sanity after days of frustration.
We had the right idea; we just hadn't executed it according to the game's stringent requirements. The key was using a glowing gem as a light source—an action that required the player to put the gem in their mouth. Despite our attempts to interact with the gem in various ways, only this specific command worked, and failure meant death in the dark tunnels.
In light of our discussion, I decided to revisit Space Quest II for the first time in 35 years to defend my cherished memories. However, I quickly realized that my recollections might be more fond than accurate. The game, once lauded for its humor and engaging puzzles, now felt infuriatingly obscure. The charming art was still present, but many puzzles seemed less clever and more like hurdles designed to frustrate.
For instance, finding the glowing gem required swimming into a specific spot in a vast river without any prior indication. Trying to call a hunter who had captured you was futile until you attempted it a second time. The game even included more instances of instant death than I had remembered. Walking off the edge of an orbital space station or failing to change into the correct uniform could lead to an abrupt game over, often accompanied by mockery for the player's misjudgment.
Throughout my gameplay experience, I encountered numerous ways to die—whether it was from touching a root monster or falling into an invisible pit. As I navigated the challenges, I noted that the humor was often broad and, at times, condescending. The game relied heavily on toilet humor and simple gags, which felt dated compared to the more sophisticated storytelling found in modern games.
After several hours, I found myself acknowledging my colleague Lee's perspective—that many of the Sierra games extended a few hours of gameplay into months of frustration and trial. Surprisingly, Lee mentioned that he learned to speedrun Space Quest II during the pandemic, completing it in about 20 minutes. This revelation was a stark contrast to my nostalgic memories of the game.
Looking back, it's essential to consider the context of gaming during that era. The limitations of computer memory, graphics capabilities, and the early adoption of mice led to the prevalence of text parsers, which, while frustrating, were a product of their time. While Sierra's games may no longer hold the same appeal for modern gamers, they introduced me to the excitement of exploring virtual worlds and the beauty of evocative artwork.
Playing Space Quest II again reminded me of a simpler time before the Internet, where even flawed games could offer a sense of wonder and adventure. For those interested in reliving these classic titles, Space Quest II and several other Sierra games are available online at sarien.net, and Windows users can purchase the entire Space Quest collection through platforms like Steam or Good Old Games. There’s even a fan remake compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux, allowing a new generation of gamers to experience these iconic adventures.
