Swordquest
Encyclopedia
Swordquest is an unfinished series of video games produced by Atari
in the 1980s as part of a contest
. Each of the games came with a comic book
that explained the plot, as well as containing part of the puzzle
that had to be solved to win the contest. The series had its genesis as a possible sequel
to Atari's groundbreaking 1979 title Adventure, but it quickly developed a mythology and system of play that was unique. The comic books were published by DC Comics
, and were written by Roy Thomas
and Gerry Conway
, and drawn and inked by George Pérez
and Dick Giordano
.
The games of the Swordquest series (along with Atari 2600 Raiders of the Lost Ark) were some of the earliest attempts to combine the narrative and logic elements of the adventure game genre with the 'twitch' action gameplay of the action genre, making them some of the very first 'action-adventure' games. However, the series was unable to hold the last two contests, the grand finale contest and release the final game in the series due to Atari's financial problems leading up to and being a part of the Video Game Crash of 1983
.
shows up, pointing the player to a page and panel in the comic book included with the game. There, the player would find a word that was hidden in that panel. If the player found all five, or in the case of Waterworld, four, correct clues, they could send the sentence to Atari and have a chance to compete in the finals and win a prize. During the playoff, which ran on special versions of the games, the person who managed to find the most clues within 90 minutes would be considered the winner. The winners of the four game contests would go on to a final competition where they would compete for a sword valued at $50,000. This final round did not occur because Atari cancelled the contest shortly after the company was bought in 1984. The $50,000 sword is now suspected, but not known, to be owned by one of Atari's owners Jack Tramiel
.
Earthworld was the first of the four games. Its room structure was based on the signs of the zodiac
.
While the basic creative direction of the game was provided by Swordquest Lead Tod Frye
, the game was coded by Dan Hitchens.
Sounds from Swordquest: Earthworld were used in the 2002 film Solaris
directed by Steven Soderbergh
and starring George Clooney
. The sounds are used to represent the spaceship breaking up.
summoned to kill them, but it appears that the jewel
they stole attracts it. After smashing the stone to avoid the demon, two of Tyrannus's old advisers come out and tell the two about the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery" and the "Talisman of Penultimate Truth." They are then transported, by method of pit, to Earthworld.
The Talisman
was made of 18K solid gold
, with 12 diamond
s and the birthstones of the twelve Zodiac signs embedded in it, as well as a small sword
made of white gold
attached to the front. At the time of the contest, the Talisman was valued at $25,000. According to Fireworld winner Michael Rideout, Steven Bell had the Talisman, with the exception of the white gold sword, melted down and sold to a coin dealer.
Fireworld' s room structure was based on the tree of life
.
In Fireworld, the twins split up to look for water, and Torr, with the aid of the talisman, summons Mentorr who shows Torr the "Chalice of Light," which will quench his thirst. The twins reunite eventually and find the chalice. However, Torr drops it after he is startled, and it is revealed that the one they found was not the true chalice. Herminus then gives them the chalice, and it grows until it becomes large enough to swallow the twins and transports them to Waterworld.
The Chalice
was made of gold
and platinum
and was adorned with citrines, diamond
s, green jade
, pearl
s, rubies, and sapphire
s. It was valued at $25,000 at the time of the contest; as of 2005, the Chalice is intact and still in Rideout's possession.
The room structure of Waterworld was based on the seven centers of chakra
. It was originally released only through the Atari Club.
After a brief war between the ex-queen and captain, Herminus sets the twins to duel each other. They then pray to their deities for guidance, which summons Mentorr who allows them to regain their memories. The twins throw down their swords, causing the crown to be revealed and split in half. Each half is given to both the ex-queen and the captain, who then rule as equals. The "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery" then transports the twins to Airworld where they would have to do battle with King Tyrannus and Konjuro.
The winner of this contest was supposed to receive the "Crown of Life," which was made of gold
and encrusted with aquamarine
s, diamond
s, green tourmalines, rubies, and sapphire
s. It was valued at $25,000 when the game came out. As the contest was never held, it is not known what became of the crown.
Tod Frye
, its room structure was going to be based upon the I Ching
. Additionally, Tod Frye was planning on representing each room from 1 to 64 with a six-bit number. Each bit would control a different aspect of the rules for that room (e.g., whether the player had to avoid or capture the enemies, whether the enemies attacked or avoided the player, whether the player or the enemies moved fast or slow) but this concept never got out of the design phase, and yielded some unplayable combinations, such as a slow player that had to capture fast moving enemies that avoided the player.
," which in this case was a large chunk of white jade
in an 18K gold
box encrusted with diamond
s, emeralds, citrines, and rubies, valued at $25,000. The four winners of all four game contests were also supposed to compete for the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery", a sword
with a gold handle encrusted with jewels, and a gleaming pure silver
blade which was valued at $50,000.
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
in the 1980s as part of a contest
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
. Each of the games came with a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
that explained the plot, as well as containing part of the 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...
that had to be solved to win the contest. The series had its genesis as a possible 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 Atari's groundbreaking 1979 title Adventure, but it quickly developed a mythology and system of play that was unique. The comic books were published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and were written by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
, and drawn and inked by George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
and Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano
Richard Joseph "Dick" Giordano was an American comic book artist and editor best known for introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes, and serving as executive editor of then–industry leader DC Comics...
.
The games of the Swordquest series (along with Atari 2600 Raiders of the Lost Ark) were some of the earliest attempts to combine the narrative and logic elements of the adventure game genre with the 'twitch' action gameplay of the action genre, making them some of the very first 'action-adventure' games. However, the series was unable to hold the last two contests, the grand finale contest and release the final game in the series due to Atari's financial problems leading up to and being a part of the Video Game Crash of 1983
Video game crash of 1983
The North American video game crash was a serious event that brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in North America. Beginning in 1983, the crash almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing...
.
Gameplay
Each installment in the series had essentially the same gameplay: logic puzzle adventure style gaming interspersed with arcade style action gaming. The character wanders through each screen, picking up and dropping items, playing simplified variants of current 'twitch' games of the time between screens. If the correct items are placed in a room, a clueClue
Clue may refer to:* Cluedo , a crime fiction board game** Clue , based on the board game** Clue , based on the board game** Clue , based on the board game...
shows up, pointing the player to a page and panel in the comic book included with the game. There, the player would find a word that was hidden in that panel. If the player found all five, or in the case of Waterworld, four, correct clues, they could send the sentence to Atari and have a chance to compete in the finals and win a prize. During the playoff, which ran on special versions of the games, the person who managed to find the most clues within 90 minutes would be considered the winner. The winners of the four game contests would go on to a final competition where they would compete for a sword valued at $50,000. This final round did not occur because Atari cancelled the contest shortly after the company was bought in 1984. The $50,000 sword is now suspected, but not known, to be owned by one of Atari's owners Jack Tramiel
Jack Tramiel
Jack Tramiel is an American businessman, best known for founding Commodore International - manufacturer of the Commodore PET, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, Commodore Amiga, and other Commodore models of home computers.-Biography:...
.
Earthworld
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
.
While the basic creative direction of the game was provided by Swordquest Lead Tod Frye
Tod Frye
Tod R. Frye is a computer programmer once employed by Atari, and is most notable for being charged with the home adaptation of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 video computer system. Pac-Man proved to be a stunning financial coup for Atari, who secured the exclusive Namco home license...
, the game was coded by Dan Hitchens.
Sounds from Swordquest: Earthworld were used in the 2002 film Solaris
Solaris (2002 film)
Solaris is a 2002 science fiction film and psychological drama directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone...
directed by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
and starring George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
. The sounds are used to represent the spaceship breaking up.
Plot
The plot of the games revolves around a pair of twins named Tarra and Torr. Their parents were slain by King Tyrannus's guards due to a prophecy given by the king's wizard Konjuro. The twins were then raised as commoners by thieves to avoid being slain by the king. When they go to plunder Konjuro's sea keep, they accidentally reveal their identities to him. The twins then start running from a demonDemon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
summoned to kill them, but it appears that the jewel
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
they stole attracts it. After smashing the stone to avoid the demon, two of Tyrannus's old advisers come out and tell the two about the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery" and the "Talisman of Penultimate Truth." They are then transported, by method of pit, to Earthworld.
Contest
Out of 5,000 entries, only eight people managed to find all five of the correct clues. Of those eight, Steven Bell, who was 20 and lived near Detroit at the time, took first place and won the "Talisman of Penultimate Truth."The Talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
was made of 18K solid gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, with 12 diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s and the birthstones of the twelve Zodiac signs embedded in it, as well as a small sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
made of white gold
White Gold
White Gold is a 2003 Russian action film directed by Viktor Ivanov from a screenplay by John Jopson and Viktor Ivanov. The story begins with the actual events of 1919 when a White Army train carrying the bulk of Czar Nicholas' gold reserves arrives empty at Siberia's Irkutsk station...
attached to the front. At the time of the contest, the Talisman was valued at $25,000. According to Fireworld winner Michael Rideout, Steven Bell had the Talisman, with the exception of the white gold sword, melted down and sold to a coin dealer.
Fireworld
Tree of life (Kabbalah)
The Tree of Life, or Etz haChayim in Hebrew, is a mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism to describe the path to God and the manner in which he created the world ex nihilo...
.
Plot
After defeating many beasts of the Zodiac and another thief (Herminus) in Earthworld, the twins are transported to the "central chamber" where the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery" and the "Talisman of Penultimate Truth" are kept. Upon reaching them, the sword burns a hole through its altar all the way to Fireworld.In Fireworld, the twins split up to look for water, and Torr, with the aid of the talisman, summons Mentorr who shows Torr the "Chalice of Light," which will quench his thirst. The twins reunite eventually and find the chalice. However, Torr drops it after he is startled, and it is revealed that the one they found was not the true chalice. Herminus then gives them the chalice, and it grows until it becomes large enough to swallow the twins and transports them to Waterworld.
Contest
As there were more than the 50 planned participants, a much larger turn out than the previous contest, they held a second preliminary round where the contestants were told to write what they liked about the game. Out of the 50, Michael Rideout was the victor and received the "Chalice of Light."The Chalice
Chalice (cup)
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. In general religious terms, it is intended for drinking during a ceremony.-Christian:...
was made of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
and was adorned with citrines, diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, green jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
, pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
s, rubies, and sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s. It was valued at $25,000 at the time of the contest; as of 2005, the Chalice is intact and still in Rideout's possession.
Waterworld
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
. It was originally released only through the Atari Club.
Plot
Upon reaching Waterworld, the twins become separated. Tara travels to a ship made of ice, somehow forgets her name, and meets Cap'n Frost, who desires to find the "Crown of Life" and rule Waterworld. Meanwhile, Torr travels to an undersea kingdom, forgets his name as well and meets the city's ex-queen Aquana, who desires to find the "Crown of Life" in order to regain her throne.After a brief war between the ex-queen and captain, Herminus sets the twins to duel each other. They then pray to their deities for guidance, which summons Mentorr who allows them to regain their memories. The twins throw down their swords, causing the crown to be revealed and split in half. Each half is given to both the ex-queen and the captain, who then rule as equals. The "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery" then transports the twins to Airworld where they would have to do battle with King Tyrannus and Konjuro.
Contest
The contest for Waterworld was cancelled at the last minute. This is likely due to the economic struggles Atari had been facing during the video game crash of 1983. The two previous winners received $15,000 each and the winners of the preliminary round were each given $2,000.The winner of this contest was supposed to receive the "Crown of Life," which was made of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and encrusted with aquamarine
Aquamarine
Aquamarine may mean:* Aquamarine , a color, a shade between green and blue and clear* Aquamarine , a gemstone-quality blue berylAquamarine may also refer to:...
s, diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, green tourmalines, rubies, and sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s. It was valued at $25,000 when the game came out. As the contest was never held, it is not known what became of the crown.
Plot
Airworld was never finished, though two prototypes are widely rumoured to exist. According to programmerProgrammer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
Tod Frye
Tod Frye
Tod R. Frye is a computer programmer once employed by Atari, and is most notable for being charged with the home adaptation of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 video computer system. Pac-Man proved to be a stunning financial coup for Atari, who secured the exclusive Namco home license...
, its room structure was going to be based upon the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
. Additionally, Tod Frye was planning on representing each room from 1 to 64 with a six-bit number. Each bit would control a different aspect of the rules for that room (e.g., whether the player had to avoid or capture the enemies, whether the enemies attacked or avoided the player, whether the player or the enemies moved fast or slow) but this concept never got out of the design phase, and yielded some unplayable combinations, such as a slow player that had to capture fast moving enemies that avoided the player.
Contest
The contest prize was a "Philosopher's StonePhilosopher's stone
The philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal...
," which in this case was a large chunk of white jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
in an 18K gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
box encrusted with diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s, emeralds, citrines, and rubies, valued at $25,000. The four winners of all four game contests were also supposed to compete for the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery", a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
with a gold handle encrusted with jewels, and a gleaming pure silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
blade which was valued at $50,000.