Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom
| Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Learn Technologies Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Time Warner Electronic Publishing |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Windows, Macintosh |
| Release |
1995 (MS-DOS) 1997 (Windows) |
| Genre(s) | Graphic Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom is a Myst-like graphic adventure computer game developed by Learn Technologies Interactive published by Time Warner Interactive and released for MS-DOS, Windows, and Macintosh systems.
Development
The game was revealed at the 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo; their booth was "filled with green foliage and running water stocked with free refreshments", described as an "attractive place to rest and relax in the midst of chaos".[1]
Plot
The game takes place in the year 2010, where the international conglomerate "Mega Media," headed by Hal Davis, funds a government-approved excavation of the Qin burial mound. The player takes on the role of a researcher assigned to this project. (In reality, the chamber of the terracotta army is the farthest any archaeological team has progressed.) One night, as the researcher is exploring alone, a sudden earthquake opens up the ground underneath, and the researcher tumbles into a deeper part of the tomb. While exploring the tomb, which is immense, he is privy to the observations of the ghost of a Chinese scholar, who was aware of the brutal nature of the emperor and a witness to this brutality.
The game eventually leads to a goal the emperor sought in life—an elixir that can confer immortality. Possessing this, the player has a choice: give it to the dead-but-not-quite-gone Qin, who will revive; deliver it to Hal Davis; or pour it into a scale model of the planet. Each has its own result—the renewed emperor will re-take control of China, Hal Davis becomes immortal in a decaying world, or kick-start the renewal of the planet itself, respectively.
Reviews
Many of the reviews of the time compared the game to Myst. MSNBC claimed that "In a world full of "Myst"-imitators, Qin: Tomb of the Middle Kingdom stands out as a product with a purpose."[2] PC Gamer said that the game is "rendered with a meticulous eye for detail" [3] while Bernard Yee of PC World regarded it as "a better Myst than Myst itself."[4]
References
- ↑ "QIN: Tomb Of The Middle Kingdom". www.thecomputershow.com. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
- ↑ MSNBC December 1996 Review http://www.viewbyview.com (accessed 21 August 2006)
- ↑ PC Gamer October 1996 Review http://www.viewbyview.com (accessed 21 August 2006)
- ↑ PC World August 1996 Review http://www.viewbyview.com (accessed 21 August 2006)