Zork Nemesis

Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands
Cover art
Developer(s)	Zombie LLC
Publisher(s)	Activision
Engine	Z-Vision
Platform(s)	Windows 95, MS-DOS, Macintosh
Release	Windows, DOS NA: February 29, 1996 EU: 1996 Macintosh 1996
Genre(s)	Graphic adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands is a 1996 graphic adventure game, developed by Zombie LLC and published by Activision. It is the eleventh game in the Zork series, and the first such title not to appear under the Infocom label. It features a darker, less comical story within the Zork setting.^[1] The story focuses on players investigating the sudden disappearance of four prominent figures and their children to the hands of a mysterious being known as the "Nemesis", and uncovering a sinister plot during their investigations that they must thwart. The game was released for Windows 95, and ported to MS-DOS and Macintosh by Quicksilver Software. The DOS version has since been released by GOG on their website, who made it compatible for use with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Gameplay

Players operate from a first-person perspective and use the mouse to control movement between locations, examining locations and interaction with objects, whether to use an item (i.e. a lift) or pick up something. Each location, ranging from corridors, small rooms, and vast halls, can be viewed in panoramic 360-degree to find objects to examine and interact with, with a still screen used when zooming in to examine an object in more detail. The mouse cursor changes when there is something to do – if an arrow, the player can either move to a new spot in the location or another location, or pan horizontally/vertically and change between the two; if a gold arrow, the player can interact with it, such as a book for example; if a hand, the player can pick up an item, or use an item being carried. Items can be picked up, and multiple items can be cycled through with the right mouse button.

Story

Setting

The game takes place in the fantasy world of Zork, with players initially solving puzzles and exploring the Temple of Agrippa, a large complex situated in a mountainous region within the Forbidden Lands. Later the player has the ability to travel and explore the following locations: Frigid River Branch Conservatory - a musical school and performance hall near to Flood Control Dam #3; Steppinthrax Monastery – an abandoned monastery in disrepair; Grey Mountains Asylum – a mental institution in the frigid, frozen peaks of the Grey Mountains; Castle Irondune - a military fort with private museum of battles, situated in the Irondune desert.

Characters

• Madame Sophia Hamilton (portrayed by Lauren Koslow) - The head of the Frigid River Branch Conservatory, which taught young girls music, including Alexandria. Upon meeting with Kaine, she became infatuated with him to the point that she sought to find a way to be with him forever, which eventually culminated in her agreeing to help Sartorius with his experiments. Her work in alchemy allowed her to master Water, while seeking to purify Copper.^[2]
• Bishop Francois Malveaux (portrayed by W. Morgan Sheppard) - A religious man who ran the Steppinthrax Monastery, and the father of Alexandria, Malveaux discovered that he was suffering from an disease that was incurable and would eventually lead to his death. Seeking to avoid this, he agreed to assist Sartorius with his alchemical experiments in order to overcome his condition, eventually mastering Fire while seeking to purify Lead.^[2]
• Doctor Erasmus Sartorius (portrayed by Allan Kolman) - Head of the Grey Mountains Asylum, he specialised in trying to understand much of the world and the universe, developing an interest in alchemy like his father before him. Seeking to find the means of mastering it, but requiring help, Sartorius sought out aid and recruited assistance from Malveaux, Kaine and Sophia, in his experiments. Through his own work, he learned how to master Air while seeking to purify Tin.^[2]
• General Thaddeus Kaine (portrayed by Stephen Macht) - A decorated and disciplined soldier, and the father of his only son, Lucien, Kaine was the commanding officer of Castle Irondune, running his operations from it while designing the fort as a museum to cater for his love of battles with the inclusion of armour and weapons from previous ages. Upon meeting Sophia, he grew fond of her, enjoying her company while distancing himself from his son, showing no love for him. Eventually he became persuaded into assisting with Sartorius' efforts into alchemy, learning to master Earth while seeking to purify Iron.^[2]
• Lucien Kaine (portrayed by Paul Anthony Stewart) - The son of Kaine, Lucien was raised to be a soldier, but grew hateful and suspicious of the activities of his father and those he soon became associated with. These suspicions grew when he met with and fell in love with Alexandria during one of her concerts. He eventually sought marriage with her, but on the day the two were to be wed at the Steppinthrax Monastery, Lucien was promptly arrested for desertion of his draft posting. His fate after this became a mystery.^[2]
• Alexandria Wolfe (portrayed by Merle Kennedy) - Born to a woman being held in the Grey Mountains Asylum, Alexandria was raised by her father Malveaux at the monastery he ran, unaware of who her mother was. Eventually she was moved to the Frigid River Branch Conservatory to be taught by Sophia, where she demonstrated a talent for producing wonderful music, but also fell in love with Kaine's son until he was arrested on their wedding day. She mysteriously died at the hands of an unknown figure in the Temple of Agrippa, although her soul contacts the player for help when they arrive at the temple.^[2]
• "Nemesis" (voiced by Bruce Nozick; portrayed by Paul Anthony Stewart) - A mysterious entity that took over the Temple of Agrippa, torturing Sophia, Malveaux, Sartorius and Kaine after entrapping them. The Nemesis seeks to find the fifth element so that it can grant it what it desires, and sees the player as nothing more than a problem.^[2]
• The Player - A nameless adventurer, charged by Vice Regent Syovar the Strong to enter the Forbidden Lands and investigate the disappearance of four prominent citizens. Additionally, they also have to investigate the rumour of a curse put on the Forbidden Lands by a being known only as "Nemesis," taking over from their predecessor, Agent Karlok Bivotar (whose diary, included with the original release as a feelie, provides additional back-story, a few clues and a numerical solution that allows the player to bypass a particularly gruesome puzzle). The player character in Zork Nemesis is never identified, but the hint book provided in the game refers to the character as "she".

Plot

Following the demise of Agent L. Bivotar, Vice Regent Syovar the Strong assigns the player with the task of continuing their investigations within the region known as the Forbidden Lands, in which Bivotar had been instructed to discover what had happened to four prominent figures of the Empire who went missing – Doctor Erasmus Sartorius, General Thaddeus Kaine, Bishop Francois Malveaux, and Madame Sophia Hamilton - while determining if rumours of a mysterious curse that had emerged from within the region were substantiated, and investigate possible illegal magic being conducted. Travelling to the Temple of Agrippa, an ancient temple within the Eastlands that Bivotar had learnt about during their investigations, the player uncovers a message left behind by the spirit of Alexandria Wolfe, a young woman who seeks help to deal with a great evil that resides within the temple.

Entering the main building of the temple, the player finds that Sartorius, Kaine, Malveaux and Sophia had become Alchemists and were seeking to uncover the fifth element of alchemy - the Quintessence - only to be struck down by a mysterious entity known as the Nemesis. All four were subsequently killed before being held in a state of eternal torture within coffins in the main chamber of the temple, in order for the Nemesis to uncover their own work and utilise it for themselves. Helping the Alchemists by purifying their respective elements in special laboratories, the player learns from all four that the Nemesis not only subjected them to considerable torment, but also took the lives of two children - Kaine's son Lucien and Malveaux's daughter Alexandria. After subduing the Nemesis before they can stop the player, the Alchemists task the player with using a special magical planetarium and travelling to each of their private dwellings – Steppinthrax Monastery, Castle Irondune, Grey Mountains Asylum, and Frigid River Branch Conservatory – in order to find their personal laboratories and retrieve pure samples of their elemental metals, in order to recover them.

Whilst in each of these locations, the player slowly uncovers the truth regarding the Alchemists' work and the so-called "Nemesis" that haunts them, through visions, and various letters by them, Kaine, and Alexandria. It slowly transpires that all four Alchemists came together at the request of Sartorius, who sought to complete his father's work and acquire the fifth element of alchemy. Attempting to do so, Sartorius learnt that he could not master all four elements - Air, Fire, Earth and Water - by himself, along with purifying their corresponding metals, and so needed help. Malveaux, seeking to avoid death from an incurable disease, was the first to join and later helped to recruit Kaine, who sought greater power in an unstable world, and Sophia, who sought eternal life so she could be forever young with Kaine, to assist with acquiring the Quintessence. The group soon learned that they needed to create a child, who had to be born during a special celestial event when an alignment of planets, corresponding to each Alchemical element, occurred at the same time of a solar eclipse. The mother of this child was chosen from the Asylum, and soon gave birth to what they needed – Alexandria. Taught music and the song "Harmony of the Spheres", she was raised by her father, Malveaux, at his Monastery, before being educated in Sophia's Conservatory. However, the group did not anticipate Lucien falling in love with her when he attended one of her concerts, and so were forced to stop him when he desired to marry her. With another eclipse coming at the time they were due to harvest the fifth element, the group met at the temple to begin the process of sacrificing Alexandria, but were interrupted by Lucien before completing their task, who upon learning of what they did, murdered the group and soon sought to use their work to revive his love, becoming the "Nemesis" as a result.

With the Alchemists freed by the player's actions, the group immediately resume their plans, leaving Lucien to beseech the player to stop them finding Alexandria's body and completing their work, passing on a gold ring. Entering a hidden chamber below the temple, the player creates a special Alchemy symbol, representing Infinity, from both Lucien's and Alexandria's rings, and quickly uses it to stop the Alchemists, killing the group, reviving Alexandria, and destroying the temple, thus ending the curse in the Forbidden Lands and allowing Lucien and Alexandria to live in peace.

Production

Zork Nemesis employed technology Activision dubbed "Z-Vision Surround Technology," which gives users a simulated 360-degree view of each location visited. It was one of the first games to employ such technology, though Zork Nemesis only allows panning in either horizontal or vertical where both panning options are available, unlike in later games such as The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time or Myst III: Exile. Furthermore, details were far more difficult to make out in the panoramic scenes than in the still screens; the sequel, Zork: Grand Inquisitor, made significant improvements to the Z-Vision system. Like other adventure games of its time, Zork Nemesis made use of live actors. The game features a significant amount of screen-time for the actors, thanks to its use of flashbacks at key locations (or objects) and the use of monologues in which characters address the player explaining and justifying their actions.

The game's plot was written by Cecilia Barajas, Nick Sagan and Adam Simon and is a departure from the series usual comedic treatment in its games, by featuring a much darker and less humorous story than previous games. Production of Zork Nemesis included the use of live-action scenes, bringing total costs to around USD$3.5 million.^[3]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score GameRankings 82%[4] Review scores Publication Score Adventure Gamers [5] CGW [6] Game Revolution B+[7] GameSpot 7.9/10[8] GameZone (positive)[9] PC Gamer (US) 89%[10] PC Zone 65%[11] Entertainment Weekly B+[12] Next Generation [13]

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.^[4] A Next Generation critic lambasted the puzzles, remarking that since the player's actions produce results which are illogical even in the context of a magical world, it is impossible to solve the puzzles by following any normal, rational train of thought. He also was critical of the lack of stylistic or continuity-based links to the rest of the Zork series, but was very impressed with the innovative sound and graphics technology demonstrated by the game engine.^[13]

Zork Nemesis was nominated as Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1996 adventure game of the year, although it lost to The Neverhood.^[14]

References

External links

• Zork Nemesis at MobyGames
• Zork Nemesis review at Adventure Classic Gaming