Zork: Nemesis
Encyclopedia
Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands is a 1996 graphical adventure game
developed by Zombie Studios and published/edited by Activision
. It is the eleventh game in the Zork
series, and the first such title not to appear under the Infocom
label (Return to Zork
was marketed with both the Infocom and Activision labels). It was released for the Macintosh
(Ported by Quicksilver
), MS-DOS
, and Windows 95
platforms (the lattermost using DirectX
, another first for Zork). The game's plot was written by Cecilia Barajas, Nick Sagan
and Adam Simon
.
, the player takes on the role of a nameless adventurer, charged by Vice Regent Syovar the Strong to enter the Forbidden Lands to investigate the disappearance of four prominent citizens:
Additionally, the player is to investigate the rumor of a curse
put on the Forbidden Lands by a being known only as "Nemesis," which has already claimed as a victim the player's predecessor, Agent Karlok Bivotar (whose diary, included with the original release as a feelie
, provides additional back-story, a few clues and a numerical solution that allows the player to bypass a particularly gruesome puzzle).
Upon entering the Forbidden Lands, the player finds a message left by the spirit of Alexandria Wolfe.
The player enters the Temple of Agrippa to find the four citizens mentioned above (known as "The Alchemists
"), held in coffins. As the player purifies their respective elements
within the temple, they are able to speak of what they have done, giving insight into what has happened here. The "Nemesis" has "killed" them, holding them in a state of eternal torture. The player also learns the ill-fated story of two of their children - Kaine's son Lucien and Malveaux's daughter Alexandria.
Charged with learning the truth, the player travels to each of these characters' private dwellings to find the four lost elements and bring the world back into balance. In the game players visit:
In these places, the player learns of a sinister past surrounding the six characters and the so-called "Nemesis".
It is warned that some elements of the plot and certain scenes in the game may not be suitable for children.
Nemesis was one of the first games to employ such technology. As such, although it added new depth to the gameplay, it appears dated and pixellated by today's standards. Nemesis only allows panning either horizontally or vertically at any position, not both at the same time as with later games, such as The Journeyman Project 3 or Myst III: Exile
. Details were far more difficult to make out in the panoramic scenes in Nemesis than in the still screens. The sequel Zork Grand Inquisitor made significant improvements to the Z-Vision system.
Zork: Nemesis, like other adventure games of its time, made use of live actors. Each of the six major characters, plus several additional characters, were played by actors. The game features a significant amount of screen-time for the actors, thanks to its use of flashbacks at key locations (or objects) and the use of monologues in which a character addressed the player explaining and justifying his/her actions.
The player's character in Zork: Nemesis is never identified, but the hint book refers to the character as "she," and one male NPC looks at the main character and remarks, "Hey, you're beautiful!" - however, this response is a result of artificial mental stimulation, and so would likely happen regardless of the gender of the player.
Zork: Nemesis was one of the largest games of its time, occupying three CD-ROMs. This was due to the large amount of full-motion video and panoramic scenes. The disks were however organised to minimise swapping.
awarding it a coveted Editor's Choice rating in its December 1996 issue.
Regardless, Activision seemed to ultimately side with the long-time fans: the next game in the series, Zork: Grand Inquisitor, is more in keeping with the light, jovial atmosphere established by the earlier entries in the series.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
developed by Zombie Studios and published/edited by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
. It is the eleventh game in the Zork
Zork
Zork was one of the first interactive fiction computer games and an early descendant of Colossal Cave Adventure. The first version of Zork was written in 1977–1979 on a DEC PDP-10 computer by Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels, and Dave Lebling, and implemented in the MDL programming language...
series, and the first such title not to appear under the Infocom
Infocom
Infocom was a software company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that produced numerous works of interactive fiction. They also produced one notable business application, a relational database called Cornerstone....
label (Return to Zork
Return to Zork
Return to Zork is a 1993 adventure game in the Zork series. It was developed by Activision and was the final Zork game to be published under the Infocom label.-Gameplay:...
was marketed with both the Infocom and Activision labels). It was released for the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
(Ported by Quicksilver
Quicksilver (software)
Quicksilver is a computer utility software program for Mac OS X, originally developed by Blacktree Software and distributed freely. It is essentially a graphical shell for the Mac OS X operating system, allowing users to use the keyboard to rapidly perform tasks such as launching...
), MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, and Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
platforms (the lattermost using DirectX
DirectX
Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
, another first for Zork). The game's plot was written by Cecilia Barajas, Nick Sagan
Nick Sagan
Nick Sagan is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the science fiction novels Idlewild, Edenborn, and Everfree, and his screen credits include episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager...
and Adam Simon
Adam Simon
Adam Simon is an American screenwriter and film director.-Writer:*The Haunting in Connecticut *Bones *The American Nightmare *The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera...
.
Plot
In the gameGame
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
, the player takes on the role of a nameless adventurer, charged by Vice Regent Syovar the Strong to enter the Forbidden Lands to investigate the disappearance of four prominent citizens:
- Madame Sophia Hamilton, voiced by Lauren KoslowLauren KoslowLauren Alice Koslow is a long-time American dramatic actress, best known for her long running portrayal of Kate Roberts on the NBC dramatic serial Days of our Lives, which she has played continuously since 1996...
of Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
and The Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
fame, - Bishop Francois Malveaux,
- Doctor Erasmus Sartorius, and
- General Thaddeus Kaine.
Additionally, the player is to investigate the rumor of a curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
put on the Forbidden Lands by a being known only as "Nemesis," which has already claimed as a victim the player's predecessor, Agent Karlok Bivotar (whose diary, included with the original release as a feelie
Feelie
Infocom used the term feelie to refer to the extra content included with the boxed versions of their interactive fiction computer games. Feelies differed from game to game and were of the same theme as the game they came packaged with...
, provides additional back-story, a few clues and a numerical solution that allows the player to bypass a particularly gruesome puzzle).
Upon entering the Forbidden Lands, the player finds a message left by the spirit of Alexandria Wolfe.
The player enters the Temple of Agrippa to find the four citizens mentioned above (known as "The Alchemists
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
"), held in coffins. As the player purifies their respective elements
Alchemical elements
Alchemical elements are components of the universe, expressed in their Aristotelian forms by alchemists as Fire, Earth, Air and Water. The elements represent physical substances and a larger consideration within philosophical alchemy....
within the temple, they are able to speak of what they have done, giving insight into what has happened here. The "Nemesis" has "killed" them, holding them in a state of eternal torture. The player also learns the ill-fated story of two of their children - Kaine's son Lucien and Malveaux's daughter Alexandria.
Charged with learning the truth, the player travels to each of these characters' private dwellings to find the four lost elements and bring the world back into balance. In the game players visit:
- Frigid River Branch Conservatory (Hamilton, Water)
- Steppinthrax Monastery (Malveaux, Fire)
- Grey Mountains Asylum (Sartorius, Air)
- Castle Irondune (Kaine, Earth)
In these places, the player learns of a sinister past surrounding the six characters and the so-called "Nemesis".
It is warned that some elements of the plot and certain scenes in the game may not be suitable for children.
Technology
Zork: Nemesis employed technology Activision dubbed "Z-Vision Surround Technology." This gave users a simulated 360-degree view of each location visited.Nemesis was one of the first games to employ such technology. As such, although it added new depth to the gameplay, it appears dated and pixellated by today's standards. Nemesis only allows panning either horizontally or vertically at any position, not both at the same time as with later games, such as The Journeyman Project 3 or Myst III: Exile
Myst III: Exile
Myst III: Exile is the third title in the Myst series of first person adventure video games. While the preceding games in the series, Myst and Riven, were produced by Cyan and published by Brøderbund, Exile was developed by Presto Studios and published by Ubisoft...
. Details were far more difficult to make out in the panoramic scenes in Nemesis than in the still screens. The sequel Zork Grand Inquisitor made significant improvements to the Z-Vision system.
Zork: Nemesis, like other adventure games of its time, made use of live actors. Each of the six major characters, plus several additional characters, were played by actors. The game features a significant amount of screen-time for the actors, thanks to its use of flashbacks at key locations (or objects) and the use of monologues in which a character addressed the player explaining and justifying his/her actions.
The player's character in Zork: Nemesis is never identified, but the hint book refers to the character as "she," and one male NPC looks at the main character and remarks, "Hey, you're beautiful!" - however, this response is a result of artificial mental stimulation, and so would likely happen regardless of the gender of the player.
Zork: Nemesis was one of the largest games of its time, occupying three CD-ROMs. This was due to the large amount of full-motion video and panoramic scenes. The disks were however organised to minimise swapping.
Reception
Zork: Nemesis was a significant departure from the rest of the Zork series. Many long-time fans of the series criticized Nemesis for its sombre atmosphere, which was in stark contrast to the playful, light-hearted spirit of the previous entries. For example, players must decapitate a nude corpse and attach the severed head to a machine in order for it to speak. Those for whom Nemesis was their first exposure to the Zork series, on the other hand, generally approved of the game's realism and found it to be a game that could stand on its own merits. Critical reviews for Zork: Nemesis were universally positive, with PC GamerPC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
awarding it a coveted Editor's Choice rating in its December 1996 issue.
Regardless, Activision seemed to ultimately side with the long-time fans: the next game in the series, Zork: Grand Inquisitor, is more in keeping with the light, jovial atmosphere established by the earlier entries in the series.