| Uninvited | |
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Box art |
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| Developer(s) | ICOM Simulations Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Mindscape
Kemco (NES version) |
| Engine | MacVenture |
| Platform(s) | Apple IIGS, Macintosh; Atari ST; Commodore 64, Amiga; NES, Famicom; PC (DOS, Windows); Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) |
| Release date(s) | 1986 (Mac) 1987 (DOS) 1989 (Famicom) 1991 (NES) 1993 (Windows) |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media/distribution | Floppy disk(s) Cartridge |
Uninvited is a haunted house "point-and-click" adventure video game originally for the Apple Macintosh, released in 1986 by ICOM Simulations. The unnamed hero must find the way through an abandoned house in order to rescue a sibling. The quest involves magic and solving logic puzzles while discovering sinister secrets of the house's former inhabitants.
The game uses the MacVenture engine that was introduced in ICOM's prior game, Deja Vu: a Nightmare Comes True. It is notable as the only MacVenture that takes place in the present day.
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A number of ports were made, including a version for DOS in 1987, and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. Two years later, a full rewrite for Windows was released. For some time it was rumored there would be a sequel on the NES, but it never materialized. Employees at Infinite Ventures (maintainers of the MacVenture game series) indicate that no such game was ever planned.
The player regains consciousness from a car crash in front of a large, old mansion. The player's sibling (a younger brother in the computer version but an older sister in the NES version) is gone, and the car is soon lost, as it bursts into flames. The only option is to enter the mansion looking for your sibling, and for help.
The main house consists of two floors and a tower, most parts being in early 20th century style. Some rooms (e.g. the servant's bedroom) have newer decoration, suggesting that a younger person lived in that particular place. No help is to be found, as there is not a single living soul inhabiting the house. It is not long before the player is greeted by the first undead dweller, however.
It gradually becomes evident that the house once belonged to a sorcerer with a number of apprentices. Dracan, the most talented apprentice, became corrupt and killed the other inhabitants with his magic, resulting in the house becoming haunted.
Aside from the house, there are three backyard buildings to explore: the observatory, where some of the final events take place; the greenhouse, which is not as infertile as it first seems; and the chapel, which leads into a cemetery maze. Several places are guarded by magical creatures, including apparitions, hellhounds, and zombies, as well as some more unconventional entities; one is a tiny demon that flies by periodically, holding a key.
The quest to rescue the player's sibling is mostly a matter of gaining access to the locked-up or guarded parts of the estate. As in the other MacVenture games, there is a time limit; in this case, the evil presence of the mansion gradually takes control, and the player may eventually end up as a zombie. This element is partially absent from the NES version, as it is instead caused by a useless item that may be avoided. Since the story largely revolves around magic, many of the game's puzzles seem illogical. Hints for these and bits of the background story are unraveled in the various diaries and scrolls found within the grounds. Still, because the gameplay is very non-linear, the ending is somewhat abrupt.
As with the other NES MacVenture games, Uninvited now had music and elements of the written narration and storyline were altered, including these:
German magazine Data Welt praised the Amiga version's user-friendliness, good graphics and particularly the atmospheric sound, calling the game (translated:) "excellent" and "even better than Deja Vu". (No score was given.)[3] Computer Gaming World found the game to be enjoyable and innovative, praising the game's use of graphics and almost exclusive use of the mouse as a way of eliminating frustration. As such, the game was described as "much easier to work with than pure text or text and graphic adventure games."[4] Game reviewers Hartley and Pattie Lesser complimented the game in their "The Role of Computers" column in Dragon #116 (1986), calling it "a truly horrifying adventure game and mystery that’ll leave you shivering in the dark".[5]
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