SPACE QUEST I: THE SARIEN ENCOUNTER
VGA REVIEW
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YEAR: 1991
SIZE: 5.43 MB
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+ The very first Space Quest game - a legend is borne
+ Hilarious exploits
+ Some puzzles have multiple ways to solve them
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- Easy to miss vital items
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STORY
You waken from your nap - or rather, you’re woken from your nap by an
alarm blaring loudly - right in the middle of a glorious dream. How
inconsiderate of the alarm to disturb you like that! As you step out of
your hiding place in the closet, a voice blares through the intercom that
your starship, the Arcada, has been boarded by invaders.
INVADERS??? Bu… But… Who? What? Why? How? What do they
want?
You are a janitor! Your job is to… mop the floors… empty bins… keep
supplies topped up, etc. You didn’t sign up to deal with INVADERS!
To make matters worse, the AutoDesctruct has been activated. The
entire ship is going to blow up in 15 minutes!
As you try to make sense of it all, you see the bodies of you crewmates
scattered throughout the corridors you know so well - after all, you’ve
mopped those corridors enough times. And you can’t help wondering…
how on earth are you gonna clean all this up?
You come across a scientist, severely wounded from the attack, who
informs you that the invaders are a race called the Sariens, and they
plan to steal the Star Generator from the Arcada. The Star Generator is
an advanced piece of technology that turn a dying planet into a blazing
sun, thus reviving the neighbouring planets and creating life again.
However, in the wrong hands (like the Sariens), it can become a deadly
weapon. Then he takes his last breath, leaving you as the sole survivor
aboard the Arcada.
You’re the only one that knows what’s happened here. You’re the only
one that can save the Star Generator technology. You’re the only one
that can stop the Sariens causing mayhem and destruction, thus saving
the entire Xenon race. You can do this! You can be… A HERO!
But first thing’s first… you just need to get off this starship alive…
　
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GAMEPLAY
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Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter is the very first Space Quest game.
This is where a legend is borne!
In this VGA version, a Point & Click interface is used to interact with
Roger’s world, giving us icons to control Roger‘s actions. 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 with Roger. To access
them, just move your mouse cursor up there.
Some Copy Protection has been added in this version, for the library,
and also the Navigation Droid. I have provided the necessary
documents for you, so you can relax and enjoy the game.
The icons are: Walk, Look, Pick Up, Talk, Smell, and Taste. And some of
those Commands can get you into a whole heap of trouble, hehe. Your
Inventory is kept in handy bag. The Scroll Bar takes you to the main
Game Menu, and from there, you can Save, Restore, Restart or Quit
your game. You can also adjust Detail, Volume, and Speed to suit yourself.
While on the Arcada, most of the bodies of your crewmates have now
been named (they weren’t in the EGA version), which I thought was a
nice touch, as it makes the crew seem more ‘real‘. Another good
addition in this version, is that the Arcade Skimmer section is now
skippable.
It should be noted, as with all early Sierra games, there are some dead
ends. Meaning that if you don’t pick up Item X, you won’t release you
need it until ages later, and by then, it may be too late to go back and
get it. So Save early, and Save often.
　
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GRAPHICS
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Graphics in this VGA version are much improved over the EGA version!
As the game starts, we are treated to an extended intro, showing the
Sariens invade the Arcada Starship. And boy, do those Sariens look
mean! Even their Battle Ship looks like a giant bug now (in the EGA
version, it was just a generic ship). A countdown clock has been added,
showing how much time you have left to escape, before the ship goes
KABOOM! Hehe.
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Throughout the whole game, there is so much more detail, everywhere
you look. Floors and walls in the Arcada have an impressive shine to
them (thanks to your janitorial skills). Inventory items are shown as
pictures, and they are very artistically illustrated. The Inventory Box
itself expands, as you acquire more items. The Orat beast and the Grell
on Kerona are very impressive. You can even see all the wee cracks on
the shattered windshield in the escape pod, as well as smoke rising
from the wreckage. There is also some lovely touches, like seeing
Roger change into the space suit, or seeing the Nav-Droid scratch his
head. The spider-droid on Kerona look more mechanical in this version
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I really loved the bar at Ulence Flats - there is a live band on stage,
which is brilliant to see. If you leave the bar and come back, you could
often see a different band. And the Salesman in Druids B Us is a giant
bug, which made me laugh.
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There is so much to explore and love about Space Quest!
　
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SOUND AND MUSIC
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Sound and music is another area that has been greatly improved in this
version.
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Music in the intro scene has a lot more depth to it - it’s not just some
beeps anymore. You’ll be humming that theme tune long after the
game is finished!
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AutoDestruct in the Arcada now has a voice reminding you how much
time you have left, every 5 minutes, which adds a sense of urgency.
The sound of electronic doors opening & closing is a nice touch. And a
‘Ding Dong Dang’ is heard when Roger picks up an item. Acid drips in
the underground cave in Kerona sound threatening, and I love Roger’s
‘I’m Melllltttttiiiiinnngggggg’ if the acid hits him. The Star Generator
pulsates with energy, and screams ‘Don’t Touch’. But my favourite is
definitely the bands in the Ulence Flats bar!
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Give the game a try - you won’t be disappointed!
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