Future Wars

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Future Wars
Developer(s)	Delphine Software International
Publisher(s)	Delphine Software International
Designer(s)	Paul Cuisset
Engine	Cinematique evo1 engine
Release date(s)	1989
Genre(s)	Adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	PC (DOS), Amiga, Atari ST
Media	Floppy disk, CD-ROM
Input	Mouse

Future Wars (original name Les voyageurs du temps: la menace, aka Time Travelers: the menace) is an adventure game from Delphine Software International, released in 1989. The game is mainly the work of Paul Cuisset (story and programming) and Eric Chahi (graphics).

The game was supposed to be the first of a series of adventure games revolving around time traveling (the series was supposed to be called Les voyageurs du temps, aka Time Travelers) but later episodes were never made.

The player starts the game as a window cleaner who is in the middle of cleaning the outside of a skyscraper, which is evidently part of a bustling metropolis, however the player can only see the surrounding scenery (a cityscape at sunset) by observing the reflection in the glass windows of the skyscraper. The year is 1989, which when Future Wars was first retailed could be reasonably understood as being present-day.

The window cleaner the player controls is a figure dressed in white overalls who is standing on an electric elevator platform attached to the outside of the building. The game begins with another character referred to simply as 'Edd the boss' opening a window directly above the players character, only to reprimand him for slacking by banging his fist against the window ledge and appearing to be shout a fair amount of verbal abuse with some vigor. (The game is entirely mute throughout apart from some background music and the occasional sound effect).

Future Wars is played by clicking the mouse in that spot once to make the character go there. Right-clicking causes a menu of actions to appear. The actions available are Operate, Examine, Take, Use and Inventory. Use has a subcategory which enables you to drag and select the items in your inventory.

Although compared to many adventure games today, such as Myst, Future Wars might seem very antiquated and crude, it was in fact the forerunner of its day and possessed a standard of graphics that was unprecedented for it time, indeed is still enjoyed today by many for reasons of nostalgia alone.

[edit] Trivia

A PC CD-ROM version of Future Wars was later released and distributed by Sony Electronic Publishing. The CD-ROM had remastered music for each of the themes played at different locations throughout the game.