Mind Walker
Encyclopedia
Mind Walker is a 1986
computer game by the late Bill Williams
.
by Commodore
and is often cited as the first commercial title for the new Amiga 1000
computer, though there are other contenders. The game is perhaps best known for its unusual gameplay
and concept. The game has also been chosen by Amiga, Inc.
as one of the first six games to be made available to download from their own site using their "Classic Amiga Game Player" to enable users to play the game on a Windows PC.
The game's story is vaguely reminiscent of the 1966 Twentieth Century Fox film Fantastic Voyage
. The player is immersed inside a human brain
and must cure a psychosis that is threatening the patient's well-being. Many aspects of the game (including enemies and power-up
s) play on this psychological theme. The four player avatars
, for instance, are the human bodybuilder, the sultry water nymph, the mysterious wizard, and the alien spriggan.
The first stage of the game requires the player to build a path from a crystal to a special square located somewhere in the brain. Various types of platforms rest between the player's starting point and the destination —each type corresponds to one of the avatars. For example, water can only be connected by the nymph, towers by the wizard, and so on. The destination point is often surrounded by "tubes" which often block the players path as a path cannot be created on a square with a tube. Floating enemies assail the player, who can destroy them with a lightning bolt. However, the player must remain stationary while attacking enemies. The density of enemies increases as the player approaches the destination. Once the destination point is reached the surrounding tubes lower, allowing the player to venture into the next stage. Stages vary depending on which tube is chosen.
The next stage takes place in a 3D
first-person perspective (the player is falling down a pit). The player must maneuver so that he falls into one of the green zones and is taken into a deeper region of the brain.
In the next stage, the player must guide the avatar through a maze
of neuron
s that pulse with electricity. Touching any of these neurons while electrified instantly kills the player, and various colored enemies also float around the stage (the damage they incur increases as the game progresses). The player must travel through the maze trying to find a pyramid object (sound can be used as a cue here, it gets faster as the player gets closer). Once the pyramid is obtained the player must backtrack to their starting point, and exit the level (the exit is surrounded with neurons, one must determine the pattern of the electrical pulses and cross while they are inactive).
The last stage, a reference to psychoanalysis, asks players to put together a strange, color-cycling puzzle. At the expense of their accumulated points, players can tap Sigmund Freud
's pipe and be shown where a piece must be placed, or they can place the pieces in the puzzle themselves. The puzzle consists 42 spaces (6 x 7), and seven pieces are gained with the completion of each of the six levels.
1986 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:*Namco releases Sky Kid Deluxe, Hopping Mappy, Toy Pop, The Return of Ishtar, which is the sequel to Tower of Druaga, Genpei Tōma Den, and Rolling Thunder....
computer game by the late Bill Williams
Bill Williams (game designer)
Bill Williams was a game designer and programmer.-Summary:He was the author of the acclaimed Atari computer games Salmon Run, Necromancer, and Alley Cat, and the Amiga games Mind Walker, Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon, Pioneer Plague, and Knights of the Crystallion...
.
Summary
This video game was publishedVideo game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Commodore
Commodore International
Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...
and is often cited as the first commercial title for the new Amiga 1000
Amiga 1000
The A1000, or Commodore Amiga 1000, was Commodore's initial Amiga personal computer, introduced on July 23, 1985 at the Lincoln Center in New York City....
computer, though there are other contenders. The game is perhaps best known for its unusual gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
and concept. The game has also been chosen by Amiga, Inc.
Amiga, Inc.
Amiga, Inc. is the company that holds the intellectual property associated with the Amiga personal computer , including the Amiga trademark.-Brief history of Amiga brand:...
as one of the first six games to be made available to download from their own site using their "Classic Amiga Game Player" to enable users to play the game on a Windows PC.
The game's story is vaguely reminiscent of the 1966 Twentieth Century Fox film Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage
Fantastic Voyage is a 1966 science fiction film written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby.Bantam Books obtained the rights for a paperback novelization based on the screenplay and approached Isaac Asimov to write it....
. The player is immersed inside a human brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
and must cure a psychosis that is threatening the patient's well-being. Many aspects of the game (including enemies and power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s) play on this psychological theme. The four player avatars
Avatar (virtual reality)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
, for instance, are the human bodybuilder, the sultry water nymph, the mysterious wizard, and the alien spriggan.
Description
The next stage takes place in a 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
first-person perspective (the player is falling down a pit). The player must maneuver so that he falls into one of the green zones and is taken into a deeper region of the brain.
In the next stage, the player must guide the avatar through a maze
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
of neuron
Neuron
A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...
s that pulse with electricity. Touching any of these neurons while electrified instantly kills the player, and various colored enemies also float around the stage (the damage they incur increases as the game progresses). The player must travel through the maze trying to find a pyramid object (sound can be used as a cue here, it gets faster as the player gets closer). Once the pyramid is obtained the player must backtrack to their starting point, and exit the level (the exit is surrounded with neurons, one must determine the pattern of the electrical pulses and cross while they are inactive).
The last stage, a reference to psychoanalysis, asks players to put together a strange, color-cycling puzzle. At the expense of their accumulated points, players can tap Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
's pipe and be shown where a piece must be placed, or they can place the pieces in the puzzle themselves. The puzzle consists 42 spaces (6 x 7), and seven pieces are gained with the completion of each of the six levels.
Compatibility
Only one version of Mind Walker was ever released for the Amiga. Nevertheless, this single version continued to run without problem across four generations of operating system, three generations of CPU, and at least three generations of platform hardware, spanning over six years, starting on Amiga 1000. Given that the program was written before production hardware was available, it was an astonishing accomplishment, and was easily among the most forward-compatible software products ever released for the Amiga.External links
- "Mind Walker General Info" EAGER Amiga Commercial Game Database. Basic Information with Screen Shot.
- "MindWalker" Game available to buy and download with the "Classic Amiga Game Player" for the PC from Amiga.com
- "MindWalker Documentation" Online Game documentation from the "Classic Amiga Game Player".
- "MindWalker Review" Review and Description of the MindWalker game.