SPACE QUEST V: THE NEXT MUTATION
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YEAR: 1993
SIZE: 33 MB
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+ Gorgeous graphics
+ Wonderful sound effects
+ Wacky humour
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- Tricky arcade sequence, rescuing Cliffy
- Horrendous maze in the Goliath ship
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STORY
Having decided there must be something more to life than just being a
janitor, Roger Wilco, has now enrolled in the Star Confederacy (StarCon)
Academy. He wants to work his way up the ranks, and become a
captain. He may not be well-liked at the academy, but he doesn’t care.
However, today is the day of the StarCon Aptitude test. And he hasn’t
studied for it. Help!
But thanks to a little incident involving an alien critter in the academy…
he did it. Wow! He passed the test. Not only did he pass.. he got TOP
MARKS! And now, he made the rank of Captain! Congratulations are in
order! ‘Captain Wilco’ has such a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
After an intense weekend of ‘Captain Training’, he is taken to his new
ship. However, upon arrival at his new command - the SCS Eureka - he
is less than impressed. This isn’t the brand-spanking-new top-of-the-
range hi-tech ship he had envisioned - this is a garbage scow! And his
new crew aren’t exactly friendly. Still… better make the most of it. The
SCS Eureka may not be the best ship around. In fact, it’s nothing more
than a garbage scow. But it’s a ship. And it’s HIS ship!
But being a Captain isn’t as glamorous as it’s made out to be.
Especially when he’s Captain of a garbage scow. His first orders are to
pick up some waste garbage from the nearby planets.
However, what begins as dull, mundane ‘collect the garbage’ jobs, soon
turns into something of the utmost urgency, as he uncovers a plot
involving Sludge Bandits, toxic waste, and something called ‘Bad Soup’.
Roger is pulled further into the deadly mystery, as he travels from
planet to planet, discovering more and more evidence of a mutagenic
disease that is spreading throughout the galaxy, infecting everyone it
comes into contact with. And when StarCon’s flagship - The Goliath -
becomes infected (and that includes the lovely Beatrice, future mother
of his son, as seen in SQIV)… it’s down to Roger and his crew to discover
the source of the disease, find a cure, and save the universe.
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COPY PROTECTION
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SQ5 copy protection is very creatively hidden in the game manual, in the form of Planetory Coordinates. In fact, you probably won’t even realise it’s there. If you look carefully at Page 18 & 19, you’ll see planets with their coordinates listed. Alternatively, you can just look at them HERE.
　
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GAMEPLAY
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Space Quest V: The Next Mutation continues the adventures of our
lovable hero, Roger Wilco, and it is my favourite of the Space Quest
games. It uses a similar point & click interface as SQIV, so it‘s easier to
play than the earlier SQ games. Graphic icons are used to interact with
Roger’s world. What’s more, those icons are safely tucked away at the
top of the screen, so it doesn’t get in the way of what’s happening on-
screen. To access them, just move your mouse cursor up there.
The icons are: Walk, Look, Pick Up, Talk, and Command. The difference
between those last 2 icons is, Talk is used for general chat or to ask
questions. Command is used when you are giving orders to your crew
on board your ship (such as ‘Hail Ship’, or ‘Evasive Action’ etc). To move
Roger around, simply click on the screen, and Roger will go there. Your
inventory is stored in a handy bag, also accessible from the menu at top
of the screen. The Eye icon in the Inventory window gives a more
detailed description of any of your items, while Up & Down arrows allow
you to scroll through your Inventory. The Slider Bar brings you to the
Game Menu, and from there, you can Save, Restore, Restart, or Quit
your game. There is also sliding scales, allowing you to adjust Detail,
Volume, and Speed, to your own preference.
The humour is top-notch. As soon as you start playing, you’ll be struck
by the fact that it’s very much a Star Trek parody. There’s loads of
other references in there as well, but Star Trek is the most obvious.
And Star Trek humour aside, there is so much more in the game to love.
Just look at the names of the planets you visit! And who could fail to
love WD40? And let’s not forget Roger himself becoming a fly!
Hilarious!
There are a couple of places that frustrated me. The first is when I have
to use a pod to rescue Cliffy, who is drifting out in space - it was a bit
tricky to operate the pod and not run out of fuel. The second is a maze
onboard the SCS Goliath. That maze is HORENDOUS! Other than that,
it is a wonderful game that any adventure fan will love.
　
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GRAPHICS
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Space Quest V uses VGA graphics, and everything is just beautiful to
look at. The game begins with a (skippable) amazingly detailed intro
with Roger’s captain skills being put to the test in a fierce battle… then
we find out it’s just a simulation that Roger was playing around in,
without permission.
The diversity of characters and planets is wonderful! Everything from
the teacher-droid in the StarCon classroom (notice Worf sitting behind
Roger in the classroom!), to the infected Pukoids, to Droole who
doesn’t have a mouth! Even Roger’s ship, the Eureka, looks like a giant
vacuum cleaner!
Inventory items are shown as little pictures, so it’s easy to see at a
glance what you are carrying. As you collect more items, you’ll need to
scroll up & down your Inventory window to see everything.
Animation is incredibly smooth. The waterfall in KU runs realistically.
Things like Roger falling from the tree, or the space monkeys in the
Space Bar, or WD40 exploding in mid-air, or tumbleweeds rolling past
you in Klorox II, are a joy to see. I love the way Roger sits down in his
command chair, as well as the look on his face when he first finds his
pet Spike. The Astro Chicken AutoDestruct button is just hilarious!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Space Quest game without those infamous
Death Messages. They’re still as hilarious as ever. It’s fun to look for
ways for Roger to die, just to see the Death Messages!
There is so much to explore and love about Space Quest V!
　
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SOUND AND MUSIC
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Space Quest V has music throughout the game, and it changes,
depending on your location. Roger cleaning the StarCon crest is
accompanied by some really goofy music. Klorox II music is sad and
lonely, echoing the state of the abandoned planet. The Space Bar has
mellow ‘elevator’ music. And as the Pukoid threat intensifies, we
hear dramatic ‘Get Out Of Here NOW’ music, encouraging Roger to
escape. The music always seems to fit just right.
Sound effects are impressive, and are fun to listen to. Every time Roger
sits down in his Command Chair, you hear a loud whoopy cushion.
Doors in StarCon Academy, and also SCS Eureka, open with a satisfying
Whoosh. Spike’s frightened wailing when you first find him is quite
emotional. Cliffy is frequently banging away on something. On SCS
Eureka, you can hear the screech of breaks as Droole slows down.
Technical instruments on the Bridge continually beep away at you.
When Roger wears the rebreather mask on Thrakus, his breathing is
very amplified, like Darth Vadar.
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Give the game a try - you won’t be disappointed!
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