Mindfighter
Encyclopedia
Mindfighter is a text adventure
game published by Activision
in for the Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64
, Amstrad CPC
, Amstrad PCW
, Atari ST
, MS-DOS
and the Sinclair Spectrum computers.
, which has been devastated by a nuclear war. The last thing he remembers is falling asleep as normal in his room. His family and friends are missing and Britain
has become a fascist state.
In reality, Robin is living in 1987 and this is a vision of the future. Robin has fallen into a trance from which he cannot wake. He must somehow discover the causes of the disaster that will befall the world, and awake to warn his contemporaries of their possible fate.
with basic graphics to set the scene. The package includes a 160-page book, Mindfighter by Anna Popkess, which lays out the background of the story, and provides hints for play.
that at the end of the 20th century there would be a major world war, beginning somewhere in the Middle East
. The game was produced at a time of escalating violence in the Persian Gulf
due to the Iran-Iraq War
.
Interactive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
game published 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...
in for the Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Amstrad PCW
Amstrad PCW
The Amstrad PCW series was a range of personal computers produced by British company Amstrad from 1985 to 1998, and also sold under licence in Europe as the "Joyce" by the German electronics company Schneider in the early years of the series' life. When it was launched, the cost of a PCW system was...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, 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 the Sinclair Spectrum computers.
Plot
The year is 1988 and Robin, an 11-year-old boy with an unusual psychic gift, has awoken from a long sleep among the ruins of his former home in SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, which has been devastated by a nuclear war. The last thing he remembers is falling asleep as normal in his room. His family and friends are missing and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
has become a fascist state.
In reality, Robin is living in 1987 and this is a vision of the future. Robin has fallen into a trance from which he cannot wake. He must somehow discover the causes of the disaster that will befall the world, and awake to warn his contemporaries of their possible fate.
Overview
The game is a text adventureInteractive fiction
Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives and as video games. In common usage, the term refers to text...
with basic graphics to set the scene. The package includes a 160-page book, Mindfighter by Anna Popkess, which lays out the background of the story, and provides hints for play.
Gameplay
The player must guide Robin through the hazardous environment of post-apocalyptic Southampton, surviving famine, desperate mobs, radiation sickness, and the violent agents of the "The System", the dictatorial government which now governs Britain. Robin must survive and somehow prevent the war from happening.Background
The premise of the game is a prophecy by NostradamusNostradamus
Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
that at the end of the 20th century there would be a major world war, beginning somewhere in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. The game was produced at a time of escalating violence in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
due to the Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
.
Reviews
- Your SinclairYour SinclairYour Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
: "It's a golden age for Spectrum adventuring..."
- Sinclair UserSinclair UserSinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
: "An intriguing story. May send shivers down your spine!"
External links
- Mindfighter at Lemon Amiga
- Mindfighter at Lemon 64