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Interphase (video game)
Encyclopedia
Interphase is a 1989
3D
first-person
and puzzle video game developed by The Assembly Line
and published by Image Works
for multiple platforms.
The developers were licensed to use concepts from Neuromancer
, reflected in the virtual-reality cyberspace concept and theme of a powerful corporation.
The game is considered an early first-person shooter
, pre-dating Catacomb 3-D and Wolfenstein 3D
. However, the game primarily focuses on puzzle-solving using the interaction between a 3D cyberpunk
environment and its conceptual relationship with a 2D zoomable blueprint in which a non-player character
is indirectly guided through the floors of a high-security building.
Later games that have a similar style to the 3D elements in Interphase include Pyrotechnica
and Rez
.
, in order to hack into and disable the computer-controlled defences.
While viewing the 2D schematic, the action in the 3D world continues, so it's essential that enemy ships have been dispensed with before puzzle-solving can proceed. Otherwise, the player becomes a sitting duck.
The 3D environment is a first-person view from the front of a virtual ship navigating a multiple-level environment. The virtual levels do not represent the floors of the building, they simply represent parts of the computer system. Navigation between levels is accomplished by flying through square panels.
, Atari ST
and Amiga
. On the PC platform it requires a 286 processor and VGA graphics.
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
first-person
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and puzzle video game developed by The Assembly Line
The Assembly Line
The Assembly Line was a British video game development company which created games for the Atari ST, Commodore 64 and Amiga systems. Recognised for the quality of its programming, it mostly created 3D action or puzzle games...
and published by Image Works
Image Works
Image Works was a publishing label of video games publisher Mirrorsoft created in 1988. The first two games published under the Image Works label were Fernandez Must Die and Foxx Fights Back...
for multiple platforms.
The developers were licensed to use concepts from Neuromancer
Neuromancer
Neuromancer is a 1984 novel by William Gibson, a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre and the first winner of the science-fiction "triple crown" — the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award. It was Gibson's debut novel and the beginning of the Sprawl trilogy...
, reflected in the virtual-reality cyberspace concept and theme of a powerful corporation.
The game is considered an early first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, pre-dating Catacomb 3-D and Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
. However, the game primarily focuses on puzzle-solving using the interaction between a 3D cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
environment and its conceptual relationship with a 2D zoomable blueprint in which a non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
is indirectly guided through the floors of a high-security building.
Later games that have a similar style to the 3D elements in Interphase include Pyrotechnica
Pyrotechnica
Pyrotechnica is a 1995 3D first-person and third-person shooter video game developed and published by Psygnosis for the DOS platform.The game was not as successful as peers such as Descent, but was notable for its highly-regarded soundtrack.-Storyline:...
and Rez
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...
.
Storyline
In a dystopian cyberpunk future, The Dreamtrack Corporation has cornered the entertainment market, selling DreamTracks, dreamed or imagined adventures and experiences which can be enjoyed by consumers. The player is Chad, a DreamTrack Dreamer who has discovered that Dreamtrack Corporation is using the DreamTracks to destroy people's minds. He decides to break into Dreamtrack HQ. To overcome the high-tech security systems, his girlfriend, Kaf-E, agrees to break into the building physically, while Chad enters a virtual reality world, inspired by NeuromancerNeuromancer
Neuromancer is a 1984 novel by William Gibson, a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre and the first winner of the science-fiction "triple crown" — the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award. It was Gibson's debut novel and the beginning of the Sprawl trilogy...
, in order to hack into and disable the computer-controlled defences.
Gameplay
The action mostly takes place in two modes: a 3D cyberpunk environment and a 2D schematic map where puzzles are encountered. 3D objects in the cyberpunk environment represent objects such as security doors and cameras. To disable the real-world devices, the 3D objects must be destroyed. Puzzle-solving involves determining which objects to disable and in what order. The player must also deal with virtual defences, represented by enemy ships which pose a threat to the player's ability to jack in to the system, and which must be defeated.While viewing the 2D schematic, the action in the 3D world continues, so it's essential that enemy ships have been dispensed with before puzzle-solving can proceed. Otherwise, the player becomes a sitting duck.
Graphical style
The 2D environment is a polygon-based schematic closely resembling an animated blueprint. A very deep zoom-in is possible and necessary. The progress of Kaf-E and the positions of moving objects -- e.g. security guards -- and fixed objects such as cameras can all be monitored in this view.The 3D environment is a first-person view from the front of a virtual ship navigating a multiple-level environment. The virtual levels do not represent the floors of the building, they simply represent parts of the computer system. Navigation between levels is accomplished by flying through square panels.
Platforms supported
The game runs on DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. On the PC platform it requires a 286 processor and VGA graphics.