Paganitzu
Encyclopedia
Paganitzu is a tile-based
, CGA
/EGA
computer game created by Keith Schuler and published by Apogee Software
in October, 1991. It is the sequel
to Chagunitzu
. The game is a 2D
puzzle game
comparable to Chip's Challenge
. It requires the player
to solve various puzzle
s to complete the game.
Paganitzu was published in three parts. Part 1: "Romancing the Rose", Part 2: "The Silver Dagger" and Part 3: "Jewel of the Yucatan". Part 1 was made available as shareware
and is still available to be downloaded from many DOS
game sites.
and player character
of Paganitzu is Alabama "Al" Smith, an explorer comparable to Indiana Jones
, working his way through an ancient Aztec pyramid
. The story is split into three sections, corresponding to the three parts the game was published in.
Episode 1: Spiders can be killed by being cloistered in one square, which destroys anything but walls and Alabama around them and leaves behind some gems. If water pipes are destroyed the water will stop flowing. Certain spots teleport Alabama around the level. One trap Alabama will frequently face are spears that elongate and try to plunge into Alabama. Those traps can be disarmed by hitting something else that gets in their path as they elongate. Once disarmed, they block a certain amount of space. Also there are snakes that spit fire horizontally if Alabama crosses their path and to pass them, they must have an item, spider or boulder blocking their view. One unique puzzle requires Alabama to shed some light in a dark level before it can be completed.
Episode 2: Enemies in this episode cannot be killed and must be avoided at all costs. Levers in many of the levels can be pulled to switch flame traps on and off. One unique puzzle requires Alabama to pull a set of levers in the correct sequence.
Episode 3: Skeleton Lizards are completely harmless enemies that only obstruct Alabama. There are living pods that fire projectiles horizontally and vertically and must be dealt with in the same manner as the snakes. Throughout the levels Alabama will encounter statues with different functions. A statue with a yellow stone is used to exit to the next level. A statue with a blue stone is used to activate the exit statue. A statue with green arrows can be passed uni-directionally either horizontally or vertically. A statue with a red stone is used to switch arrows on statues. One unique puzzle requires Alabama to navigate through a maze of invisible walls.
. The name of the third part, "Jewel of the Yucatan", is a reference to the sequel of the previously mentioned movie, The Jewel of the Nile
.
Tile-based game
A tile-based game is a game that uses tiles as one of the fundamental elements of play. Traditional tile-based games use small tiles as playing pieces for gambling or entertainment games...
, CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
/EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
The Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification which is between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in October 1984 by IBM shortly after its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a...
computer game created by Keith Schuler and published by Apogee Software
3D Realms
3D Realms is a current video game publisher and former video game developer based in Garland, Texas, United States, established in 1987...
in October, 1991. It is the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Chagunitzu
Chagunitzu
Chagunitzu is a tile-based, CGA/EGA computer game created by Keith Schuler and published by Softdisk in June, 1990 on Big Blue Disk #44. It is followed by Paganitzu. The game is a 2D puzzle game comparable to Chip's Challenge...
. The game is a 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
puzzle game
Computer puzzle game
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
comparable to Chip's Challenge
Chip's Challenge
Chip's Challenge is a tile-based, puzzle video game for several systems, including the hand-held Atari Lynx, Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, DOS, and Windows . It has also been ported to the TI-84+ calculator and the TI-89 Titanium...
. It requires the player
Player (game)
A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
to solve various puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
s to complete the game.
Paganitzu was published in three parts. Part 1: "Romancing the Rose", Part 2: "The Silver Dagger" and Part 3: "Jewel of the Yucatan". Part 1 was made available as shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
and is still available to be downloaded from many DOS
DOS
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...
game sites.
The story
The protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
and player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
of Paganitzu is Alabama "Al" Smith, an explorer comparable to Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
, working his way through an ancient Aztec pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
. The story is split into three sections, corresponding to the three parts the game was published in.
Gameplay
The object of the game is to collect all the keys in a level to unlock the exit and try not to get killed by monsters and traps. However the object of the third episode is to reach the statue with the yellow stone. Each episode has 20 levels, but episode 3 has one more playable level and four secret unplayable levels from Chagunitzu. Treasures can be collected for points and special encounters can be found for 5000 points each. Some of the walls can be walked into to reveal secret passages. Dirt can be uncovered and rocks can be pushed around. Rocks pushed into water, lava or slime turn the spot into solid terrain. Each episode has different puzzles and enemy tackling.Episode 1: Spiders can be killed by being cloistered in one square, which destroys anything but walls and Alabama around them and leaves behind some gems. If water pipes are destroyed the water will stop flowing. Certain spots teleport Alabama around the level. One trap Alabama will frequently face are spears that elongate and try to plunge into Alabama. Those traps can be disarmed by hitting something else that gets in their path as they elongate. Once disarmed, they block a certain amount of space. Also there are snakes that spit fire horizontally if Alabama crosses their path and to pass them, they must have an item, spider or boulder blocking their view. One unique puzzle requires Alabama to shed some light in a dark level before it can be completed.
Episode 2: Enemies in this episode cannot be killed and must be avoided at all costs. Levers in many of the levels can be pulled to switch flame traps on and off. One unique puzzle requires Alabama to pull a set of levers in the correct sequence.
Episode 3: Skeleton Lizards are completely harmless enemies that only obstruct Alabama. There are living pods that fire projectiles horizontally and vertically and must be dealt with in the same manner as the snakes. Throughout the levels Alabama will encounter statues with different functions. A statue with a yellow stone is used to exit to the next level. A statue with a blue stone is used to activate the exit statue. A statue with green arrows can be passed uni-directionally either horizontally or vertically. A statue with a red stone is used to switch arrows on statues. One unique puzzle requires Alabama to navigate through a maze of invisible walls.
Cultural references
The name of the first part of the game, "Romancing the Rose", is a reference to the movie Romancing the StoneRomancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone is a 1984 American action-adventure romantic comedy. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, it stars Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. The film was followed by a 1985 sequel, The Jewel of the Nile....
. The name of the third part, "Jewel of the Yucatan", is a reference to the sequel of the previously mentioned movie, The Jewel of the Nile
The Jewel of the Nile
The Jewel of the Nile is a 1985 romantic adventure film, and a sequel to the 1984 film Romancing the Stone, with Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito reprising their roles...
.
External links
- Official 3D Realms page
- MobyGames' page
- [ftp://ftp.3drealms.com/share/1paga.zip v1.02 shareware episode (361k)]