| Zero Critical | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Istvan Pely Productions |
| Publisher(s) | Bethesda Softworks |
| Designer(s) | Istvan Pely |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows and Mac OS |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | science fiction, adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
System requirements
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Zero Critical is a 1999 science-fiction computer game for Windows 95 and Windows 98. It is a traditional third-person and fully 3D graphic adventure with a heavy emphasis on story and characters. Zero Critical is notable for its scientific realism.
The game's original title was Satin Rift, but it was released with the title Zero Critical by Bethesda Softworks in 1999. Zero Critical's story and plotline was written by Istvan Pely and Sherban Young.
Zero Critical originally was intended as a direct sequel to Majestic (a game developed and released by Istvan Pely while he was still in college), and also an indirect sequel to the adventure game Symbiocom. Despite the fact that there are many references to the previous games, Zero Critical is very different than both Majestic and Symbiocom.
Contents |
Chatt Rhuller is an Interstellar Transportation Commission filed agent on assignment to Rheom 1. A research facility has been established there, currently engaged on the SATIN Project. Dr. Victoria Fayn, the head of the project, has killed a fellow scientist, Geopp, allegedly in self defence. The incident results in old rumours about the planet causing people to go mad to resurface. As an agent, Chatt is there to investigate the incident. Chatt's supposed quick investigation runs into a snag, however, when his shuttle is delayed and he has to stay on base for a few more days. As the madness spreads, he uncovers the secret mission of the base, and even more secret motives behind the mission...
S.S. Majestic was Earth’s finest pleasure cruiser and a crowning achievement in space travel. On her maiden voyage she set sail from earth’s harbor and never returned. The crew and ship were lost 27 November.
Two decades after the disappearance of Majestic, Zero Critical takes place in Rheom 1, a small terrestrial planet of eternal daylight.
Rheom 1 is an extrasolar planet that is located in the Rheom System; a planetary system composed of many planets along with billions of small bodies, including asteroids, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust. Rheom 1 is primarily composed of silicate rocks. A2B trucks are used for traversing this rock strewn surface. Rheom has plenty of oxygen and it is believed that there would have to be some areas that had water.
The Thundercloud Project chose to build their outpost on Rheom 1 because of its proximity to the Pleiades cluster.
Zero Critical features dozens of interactive characters, they include;
The following are the minor characters that are responsible for some of the exotic technologies that have been employed in Zero Critical, but did not actually appear in the game.
The gameplay takes place over a four day period and the player is required to complete specific tasks and puzzles before proceeding to the next day. Zero Critical uses the point-and-click approach to move around, find and use inventory objects, examine items and communicate with other characters. Conversations take place through a dialog box with pre-programmed questions and responses to progress in the game when talking to other characters.
There is no voice acting in the game, however there are lots of conversations but they are all done in plain text. Conversations are initiated by clicking on a character or showing them an object. It is possible to choose various paths for the conversations. Asking questions normally generates new ones that are added to your list of possible queries. The player's PDA automatically stores dialog transcripts, this allows the player to go back and check on a comment he may have missed.
The musical score and sound FX to Zero Critical was composed by Seth W. Jones.
