La Abadía del Crimen
Encyclopedia
La Abadía del Crimen is a computer video game programmed in 1987 by Paco Menéndez
. The game was originally conceived as a version of Umberto Eco
's book
The Name of the Rose
. However, Paco Menéndez
and Opera Soft
received no reply from Eco in order to secure the rights for the name, so the game was released as La Abadía del Crimen. The graphics were made by Juan Delcán.
This game is a videoadventure with 3D isometric graphics, where a Franciscan monk, Fray William of Occam (William of Baskerville in the book) and his young novice Adso of Melk have to discover the perpetrator of a series of murders in a medieval Benedictine
abbey
.
abbey who behave according to programmed artificial intelligence to move throughout the mapping of the abbey and show a series of dialogs shown by written text which is moved along the lower part of the screen.
An extensive mapping of the abbey is represented in a large series of screens with 3D isometric graphics. A series of objects has to be collected in order to successfully complete the game. The action occurs in 7 days subdivided in different Canonical hours
. The time (day + current hour) is indicated at the bottom left of the screen.
The game starts with the abbot welcoming Fray William and explaining that a monk has disappeared. He also explains to Fray William that he is obligated to obey the orders of the abbot and the rules of the monastery: attend Religious services and meals and stay in his cell at night while the research of the crimes is pursued. During the game the novice Adso will remind you when you have to attend offices and meals, and you can just follow him if you forget the way to the church or the refectory
.
If you disobey any orders, or are late for services, etc., then your obsequium level, indicated on the bottom right-hand-side of the screen, will drop (obsequium is Latin for subservience or obedience). Once this obsequium level drops to zero, the abbot will not tolerate your disrespect any longer, and you will have to leave the abbey and the game is over. Some actions, such as missing a prayer office altogether or being caught wandering around at night, result in immediate expulsion and the end of the game.
, MSX
and PC
. The Amstrad CPC 464 version was different from the 6128 original, since several rooms and decoration were removed to fit the game on the 64K of the 464. A remake of this game was made for PC Windows, Game Boy Advance
, Java
and MSX2
. Also a complete disassembly of the original Z80 code for the Amstrad CPC
and a rewrite of it in C++
was made by Manuel Abadia (Vigasoco project). There is a SDL(Simple DirectMedia Layer
) port of Vigasoco that runs on Linux
-X86, Linux
-PowerPC
(PS3), PS2, WindowsXP , Mac OSX and Dreamcast.
The only Spectrum
version was for the 128 platform, being considered one of the perfect ten games for the machine according to Retro Gamer
.
from Bach
, and Crystal Palace from Gwendal. The original PC version also featured the "Ave Maria
" from Schubert
, in a short chorus recording that played through the speaker when we went to the church.
There is an easter egg on the PC version: if an illegal copy of the game was created, in the church area, instead of "Ave Maria", a voice crying "Pirate! Pirate! Pirate!" several times will be heard instead, and after that the game will crash.
Paco Menéndez
Francisco "Paco" Menéndez was a Spanish computer game programmer who wrote games for 8-bit computers. His most famous work is La Abadía del Crimen which is regarded as one of the best games made for 8 bit computers.-Early works:...
. The game was originally conceived as a version of Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
's book
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose is the first novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
. However, Paco Menéndez
Paco Menéndez
Francisco "Paco" Menéndez was a Spanish computer game programmer who wrote games for 8-bit computers. His most famous work is La Abadía del Crimen which is regarded as one of the best games made for 8 bit computers.-Early works:...
and Opera Soft
Opera Soft
Opera Soft was one the most prolific Spanish computer game developers of the so-called Golden Era of Spanish Software of the 1980s. It released many games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and similar computers in the mid-1980s, but its games were not as popular on the PC...
received no reply from Eco in order to secure the rights for the name, so the game was released as La Abadía del Crimen. The graphics were made by Juan Delcán.
This game is a videoadventure with 3D isometric graphics, where a Franciscan monk, Fray William of Occam (William of Baskerville in the book) and his young novice Adso of Melk have to discover the perpetrator of a series of murders in a medieval Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
.
Gameplay
The player controls the movement of Fray William. The player has also the possibility to control the movement of the novice Adso within the same screen in which Fray William is. If the key for controlling the novice is not pressed he follows Fray William most of the time. The game features other characters representing the monks of the BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
abbey who behave according to programmed artificial intelligence to move throughout the mapping of the abbey and show a series of dialogs shown by written text which is moved along the lower part of the screen.
An extensive mapping of the abbey is represented in a large series of screens with 3D isometric graphics. A series of objects has to be collected in order to successfully complete the game. The action occurs in 7 days subdivided in different Canonical hours
Canonical hours
Canonical hours are divisions of time which serve as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round. A Book of Hours contains such a set of prayers....
. The time (day + current hour) is indicated at the bottom left of the screen.
The game starts with the abbot welcoming Fray William and explaining that a monk has disappeared. He also explains to Fray William that he is obligated to obey the orders of the abbot and the rules of the monastery: attend Religious services and meals and stay in his cell at night while the research of the crimes is pursued. During the game the novice Adso will remind you when you have to attend offices and meals, and you can just follow him if you forget the way to the church or the refectory
Refectory
A refectory is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries...
.
If you disobey any orders, or are late for services, etc., then your obsequium level, indicated on the bottom right-hand-side of the screen, will drop (obsequium is Latin for subservience or obedience). Once this obsequium level drops to zero, the abbot will not tolerate your disrespect any longer, and you will have to leave the abbey and the game is over. Some actions, such as missing a prayer office altogether or being caught wandering around at night, result in immediate expulsion and the end of the game.
Versions
The game was originally developed for the Amstrad CPC 6128 8 bit platform and ported to other systems: ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. The Amstrad CPC 464 version was different from the 6128 original, since several rooms and decoration were removed to fit the game on the 64K of the 464. A remake of this game was made for PC Windows, Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Java
Java applet
A Java applet is an applet delivered to users in the form of Java bytecode. Java applets can run in a Web browser using a Java Virtual Machine , or in Sun's AppletViewer, a stand-alone tool for testing applets...
and MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
. Also a complete disassembly of the original Z80 code for the Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and a rewrite of it in C++
C++
C++ is a statically typed, free-form, multi-paradigm, compiled, general-purpose programming language. It is regarded as an intermediate-level language, as it comprises a combination of both high-level and low-level language features. It was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup starting in 1979 at Bell...
was made by Manuel Abadia (Vigasoco project). There is a SDL(Simple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer
Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform, free and open source multimedia library written in C that presents a simple interface to various platforms' graphics, sound, and input devices....
) port of Vigasoco that runs on Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
-X86, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
-PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
(PS3), PS2, WindowsXP , Mac OSX and Dreamcast.
The only Spectrum
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
version was for the 128 platform, being considered one of the perfect ten games for the machine according to Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
.
Features
The music played in the game corresponds to the Minuet in G major and the sonata for flute BWV 1033Sonata in C major for flute or recorder and basso continuo
The Sonata in C major for flute or recorder and basso continuo may have been written by Johann Sebastian Bach is a sonata in 4 movements:* Andante – Presto* Allegro* Adagio* Menuet 1 – Menuet 2...
from Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, and Crystal Palace from Gwendal. The original PC version also featured the "Ave Maria
Ellens dritter Gesang
Ellens dritter Gesang , in English: "Ellen's Third Song", was composed by Franz Schubert in 1825 as part of his Opus 52, a setting of seven songs from Walter Scott's popular epic poem The Lady of the Lake, loosely translated into German.It has become one of Schubert's most popular works under the...
" from Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, in a short chorus recording that played through the speaker when we went to the church.
There is an easter egg on the PC version: if an illegal copy of the game was created, in the church area, instead of "Ave Maria", a voice crying "Pirate! Pirate! Pirate!" several times will be heard instead, and after that the game will crash.
Critical reaction
The game was programmed making the most of the capacities of 8 bit computers, and taking a high level of care for details: plot, mapping, graphics, artificial intelligence of the characters, sound, etc. All of this made the game to be regarded as one of the best videogames made for 8 bit computers. In spite of its quality, the game was never officially released outside of Spain.External links
- http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0000047Entry of the game in World of SpectrumWorld of SpectrumWorld of Spectrum is a website devoted to cataloging and archiving material for the ZX Spectrum home computer popular in the 1980s, and has been officially endorsed by Amstrad which holds the rights to the ZX Spectrum brand...
] - Review
- [ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/games-info/a/AbadiaDelCrimenLa(AbbeyOfCrimeThe).txt Instructions for the game]
- Review, solution, maps and download
- Remake for PC
- Remake for Java
- Remake MSX2, maps and other documents
- Dissasembly of the original Z80 code
- Vigasoco SDL port
- La Abadía del Crimen in MobyGames