[ Fuzzy Memory ] C64 Detective Text Adventure
February 21st, 2012 by Benj Edwards
Every once and a while, I receive emails from people looking for a certain game, electronic toy, or computer from their distant past. I then pass it on to intrepid VC&G readers to crack the case.
The Clues
Jakdin writes:
Hi there,
I have been trying to remember the name of a C64 (possibly C128) text adventure game that I played in 1989 or 1990. I don’t remember the game containing any visuals, but there might have been… Regardless, here’s what I remember, and it’s not much, of the game content:
You are a detective (I believe) and are at a seaside or lakeside resort during it’s off-season time. I remember that I could “see” an abandoned row boat and closed/locked market along the water.
That’s all I vividly remember. Not so clear is the possibility of other shut or closed down stores and buildings in the vicinity of where the game starts the player.
Any help at all in finding the title of this game from my vague memory would be MUCH appreciated!
Thanks!
jakdin
The Search Begins
It’s up to you to find the object of Jakdin’s fuzzy memory. Post any thoughts or suggestions in the comments section below. Jakdin will be monitoring the comments, so if you need to clarify something with him, ask away. Good luck!
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Have a memory of a computer, video game, computer software, or electronic toy you need help identifying? Send me an email describing your memories in detail. Hopefully, the collective genius of the VC&G readership can help solve your mystery.
February 21st, 2012 at 6:40 pm
That’s not much to go by. Especially considering you don’t remember if it had graphics or not. This is at the end of the golden age of text adventures, and the detective theme was very popular in this genre, so there’s many to choose from. Activision’s Mindshadow comes to mind since I remember it started at a beach.
Remember the specific starting location? Any more details that has surfaced since you wrote down your fuzzy memory?
February 21st, 2012 at 8:15 pm
It’s Mindshadow: http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/mindshadow/screenshots/gameShotId,69936/
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:49 am
wow! you guys are fast on the draw…I am almost certain it’s not Mindshadow, though.
I looked up images for Mindshadow but I do not remember seeing those visuals when I played the game I’m fuzzy on. My brain is telling me that there were very simple graphics but no colour. I now remember a BLUE background for the whole screen, with white text on the bottom half of the screen and white lines for the images on the top half of the screen.
The storyline of Mindshadow seems familiar, but it might be that I played that also, back in the day.
Seeing the HUT in Mindshadow’s screenshots… definitely not in the game I am trying to pull out of my mind’s shadow! 😉 The buildings in the game I seek were of a non-tropical design. In fact, the feeling I got from the game I’m looking for was the same feeling I got when I first played Silent Hill on the PS1: That derelict, eerie, lonely and once-used feeling and atmosphere.
You guys must hate me now. Hehehe.
Please let me know what you think! And thank you!
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Accepted Answer
I think it might have been Cutthroats, by Inforcom:
http://www.infocom-if.org/games/cutthroats/cutthroats.html
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Forgive me. I meant Infocom.
February 28th, 2012 at 10:32 am
YES!!!! You hit it, Dementropy!
One look at the box cover at that link jarred my memory. Wonderful!
I went to Moby games and looked at screenshots. My poor brain was telling me there were visuals, but this was a straight-up text game. And the blue background was on the Atari-8bit…maybe that’s the machine I played it on??
Thank you all for helping me with this challenge! I’m a happy camper now, and off to see if I can procure this from ebay! 🙂
March 12th, 2012 at 1:14 am
Jakdin,
Glad I could help. It was one of the few games where the writing painted a very detailed mental image. However, I remember playing Submarine Commander (Activision for the Atari 2600) and SubRoc (for the Colecovision) as well, around the time I was introduced to Cutthroats, so that may be influencing your memories of the game, as well.