Waxworks (1992 video game)
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| Waxworks | |
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| Developer(s) | Horrorsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Accolade |
| Designer(s) | Michael Woodroffe, Alan Bridgman, Simon Woodroffe |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, DOS |
| Release date | 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | Floppy disk |
Waxworks is a 1992 Horrorsoft first-person dungeon crawl style RPG and is only the spiritual sequel to Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus since Elvira is not present in this game. It was originally an Amiga game but was also released for DOS. It is infamous for its still-startling depictions of gore (in 256 colors) and its difficult gameplay.[citation needed] This was Horrorsoft's last game before they became Adventure Soft, a company renowned for their Simon the Sorcerer series.
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[edit] Plot
The player's uncle has died and left them with his waxworks and a crystal ball. In a letter he tells the player that they must rid the family of a curse put upon them by a witch. To do this, the player must use the Waxworks to travel through five time periods and locations: The Pyramids, The Cemetery, London (featuring Jack The Ripper), The Mines (infested with mutants) and the Witch's Lair. If the player can survive the horrors they come across, they will be able to rid the family of its curse for future generations.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay in Waxworks is similar to Might And Magic III: Isles Of Terra and other first-person dungeon crawl style RPG games.
The player mainly moves around a series of tight corridors using a bitmap sprite-based point-and-click interface picking up items, solving puzzles, and engaging in combat with various horrific creatures such as zombies. During combat players can target individual body parts such as head and arms.
The player loses all experience points and weapons once a particular level is completed, which ensures that there is a new challenge for each waxwork.
The game was advertised with a wax candle burning.
[edit] Controversy
Waxworks is extremely violent and gory within the general combat and also in the highly detailed 'death' scenes. Some scenes depict such things as a woman with her throat slit, the main character being torn apart by a plant monster, decapitations, disembowelments and more. Some corpses even have exposed breasts. Waxworks was released with a warning label that stated that you must be 18 or older to play it. Since it was released before RSAC or the ESRB existed, the game does not have an official rating.
[edit] Credits
- Produced By: Mark Wallace, Todd Thorson, Michael Woodroffe, Alan Bridgman, Simon Woodroffe
- Associate Producer: David M. Friedland
- Assistant Producer: Tricia Woodroffe
- Story: Richard Moran
- Designers: Michael Woodroffe, Alan Bridgman, Simon Woodroffe
- Graphics: Paul Drummond, Kevin Preston, Maria Drummond, Jef Wall
- Music: Jezz Woodroffe
- Sound Effects:John Canfield
- Testers: Sylvia Parry, Daniel Carter, Steven Graziano, Harry James
- Special Thanks: Glen Williams, Tammy Williams
[edit] Technology
- This game uses the AGOS engine, which is a modified version of the AberMUD 5 engine.
- By examining the sample names in the extracted Protracker music files, it is revealed that the drum instrument samples were provided by a Kawai R50 drum machine.
