The Space Bar

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The Space Bar
Developer(s)	Rocket Science Games, Boffo Games
Publisher(s)	SegaSoft
Release date(s)	1997
Genre(s)	Adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Windows

The Space Bar is part of the Graphical Adventure genre for personal computers co-developed by Rocket Science Games and Boffo Games in 1997. The game featured a 3-D environment which allowed the player to rotate (as opposed to Rocket Science's earlier production Obsidian in which the camera was usually fixed), and a humorous cast of aliens in the framework of a mystery. The player fills the role of a detective, interacting with characters and objects via a first-person interface. The name itself is a pun, as the game takes place in a bar in outer space--literally a "space bar" rather than the space bar found on a computer's keyboard.

Created at the end of the mainstream lifespan of the Adventure Game genre it received critical reviews but enjoyed lackluster sales and proved to be the last game produced by either the Rocket Science or Boffo Games studios. Famous more for being the death knell of two once promising game developers than its innovative gameplay and outstanding graphics, it has garnered little in the way of a following over the years. This is due mostly to the difficulty of its gameplay and several annoying bugs that crept into the final version of the game.

When the game was released, The Sci Fi Channel held a giveaway on its website. By finding and clicking on certain banners scattered throughout the site, the visitor was able to enter the drawing. One of the prizes was a copy of the newly-released game.