Home of the Underdogs
About News FAQs Contact HOTU GoogleGroup Music Manuals
Category Applications Action Adventure Education Interactive Fiction Puzzle Role Playing Games Simulation Special Sport Strategy War




Support the EFF
Welcome How you can help
Browse Games
Welcome Random Pick
Welcome By Company
  Welcome By Theme  
Welcome By Alphabet
Welcome By Year
Welcome Title Search
Welcome Company Search
Welcome Designer Search
Recommended
Welcome Freeware Titles
Welcome Collections
Welcome Discord
Welcome Twitter
Welcome Facebook
Welcome File Format Guide
Welcome Help: Non PC Games
Welcome Help: Win Games
Welcome Help: DOS Games
Welcome Recommended Links
Site History Site History
Legacy Legacy
Link to Us Link to Us
Credits Thanks & Credits
Abandonware Ring

Abandoned Places

dungeoncrawlers.org

Creative Commons License


Game #3999
Hall of Belated Fame Inductee  Zork Nemesis    View all Top Dogs in this genreCollection: Zorkian Games
Adventure   Myst-style

Rating: 8.69 (79 votes)

Zork Nemesis box cover

Zork Nemesis screenshot
Zork Nemesis is an excellent and atmospheric "Myst-style" adventure game set in the Zork universe. It is unfortunate that the game is set in Infocom's famous fantasy world that fans associate with a family-friendly, light-hearted sense of humor, because the world of Zork Nemesis is anything but whimsical. It is dark, serious, and full of mature content (e.g. depiction of torture and human sacrifice) that is definitely not suitable for children.

The game is set in the last days of the Great Underground Empire, a time of depression and decline when the land's whimsical atmosphere is all but gone. Four of the Empire's greatest alchemists have disappeared into the Forbidden Lands on the day of the Solar Eclipse while searching for the secret of the Quintessena, the Eternal Life. Bivotar, an imperial spy, was sent to locate them, but he himself has disappeared. Years later, you are tasked with following in Bivotar's footsteps to unravel the mystery.

The first thing you will immediately notice is excellent SVGA graphics and a powerful interface that lets you rotate 360 degrees in every scene. Unlike all previous Zork games, the gameplay of Zork Nemesis is similar to Myst, focusing more on logic puzzles than inventory-based ones. As you explore the detailed gameworld and solve puzzles, you will gradually discover the shocking past through old letters and ghostly flashbacks of the alchemists' lives, presented by FMVs starring real-live actors. Most puzzles are straightforward and logical, requiring only judicious note-taking and attention to clues. The acting deserves mention as some of the best seen - a refreshing change from the usual overacting in FMV adventure games, and make the huge 3-CD size all worthwhile.

Although Zork Nemesis does contain some references to the classic Zork series, they are tangent to the game (e.g. mention of grues in several old books) and otherwise could have been set anywhere else. So anyone looking for the whimsical humor of classic Zork games will be very disappointed with this very dark, mature sequel. But the truly fascinating story makes Nemesis a great game in its own right, and well worth a look by every adventure fan. If you are looking for a graphical Zork game that is faithful to Infocom's legacy, play Zork: Grand Inquisitor instead. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Underdogs
Designer: Unknown
Developer: Activision
Publisher: Activision
Year: 1996
Software Copyright: Activision
Theme: Fantasy, Horror
Multiplayer:  
None that we know of
System Requirements: DOS
Where to get it:   from Xplosiv.net!
Related Links:  
Links:    
If you like this game, try: Zork: Grand Inquisitor, Return to Zork, Zork Zero

© 1998 - 2024 Home of the Underdogs
Portions are copyrighted by their respective owners. All rights reserved. Please read our privacy policy.