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Number of Ratings: 213
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3 people found the following review helpful:
GANGSTA, July 22, 2024Zork 1 is straight up GANGSTA, yo! If you can beat this game without hints then you are, without a doubt, one of the smartest people.
Back in 1984 when my folks bought me my first home computer (IBM PCjr) I was 15. Zork was the second PC game that I bought for the new computer. The first was Sir-Tech's <==== W I Z A R D R Y ! ===[--o ... an early computer RPG modeled after Dungeons & Dragons. I was very into D&D and so naturally I wanted to experience adventure on my computer.
Zork is kind of like D&D, in a way. You use a sword to fight monsters. You collect treasure. There are lots of traps and puzzles. Kind of like D&D modules were at the time.
And then it had the humor. The interesting history of the Great Underground Empire. The quirky responses to things. And treasure. Treasure was always fun back in the 80's.
This game has a special nostalgic value for me, of course, but I still feel this game holds up pretty well. Sure, it's absolutely CRUEL and brutal. It is a real challenge. This game isn't going to make you think or ponder life's mysteries or give a happy feel good comedy time. No, it's going to kick you in the private parts. Again. And Again. Until you quit, because you just can't handle it. Or until you smile after hours and hours of careful plodding, restoring, exploring, and eventually, winning!
It took me years but I did eventually beat Zork 1, then 2, and even 3. I did play a bit of Zork Zero and a few of the others in the more graphical parts of the series. Grand Inquisitor is super funny (never beat it). They all have adventuring and quirky flavor that is unique to the GUE setting and related areas. There's a lot to like about the series, overall, so why not start with the first one, the grandaddy of them all, ZORK I.
You know you want to. Go ahead. The house is right there.
- Emm, July 5, 2024
- Max Fog, May 11, 2024
- LoquySSS46 (Longueuil, Québec, Canada), March 27, 2024
- caligula jones, March 24, 2024
- Edo, December 24, 2023
- ENyman78 (Gold Beach, OR), October 30, 2023
- SandwhichMeat, September 9, 2023
- Andrew Schultz (Chicago), September 8, 2023
- Phil Riley, March 24, 2023
- kevlarsen, February 17, 2023
- Alex Leone (Minnesota), January 24, 2023
- Wanderlust, December 17, 2022
- Itsame64 (Mcloud, Oklahoma), December 6, 2022
- aech, November 3, 2022
- RonFromPgh, October 16, 2022
Adventure Classic Gaming
I have replayed this game several times over in order to write this article, and I have found the gameplay to be as absorbing as it is the first time I have played many years ago. While on the whole it is very much a game of "find object and use object in the right place", it does not necessarily mean that it is a doodle. It is not at all! There are some quite tricky puzzles to be solved, and I have been stuck a few times even though that I am playing the game the second time around. Although the treasures in the game are easy to find, getting them back safely to the trophy case can be an entirely different matter. Certain puzzles must be be solved in order, but there is no clue as to what that order is�it is up to you to work it out. In some cases, timing is also important. The text descriptions can either be in "verbose" or "brief" mode. Even in the brief mode, there is still enough to keep pulling you further into the game. For me, the game defines the whole addictive syndrome of "must solve just one more piece of the puzzle" which other imitators never manage to capture.
-- Karen Tyers
- Nightmace, June 10, 2022
- RustyBones, May 4, 2022
- cgasquid (west of house), February 13, 2022
4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
The canonical IF dungeon crawl, February 12, 2022It was the original mainframe Zork from the 1980's which showed me that text adventures could do more than just the two word commands of the Scott Adams adventures. The breadth of the dungeon was astounding and I loved the variety of puzzles. My eighth grade self loved the experience.
Zork I reduced the original Zork into bitesized puzzles. I helped my nephews through this dungeon crawl over the past few months, only giving advice when the puzzle just wasn't well clued and I wanted to save them from trying everything. There is a nice feeling of exploring caves but there is so much that just doesn't make sense. The puzzles surrounding the (Spoiler - click to show)egg were particularly well-made.
Although this is a classic game that deserves all of the praise for inspiring so many to write IF, it just isn't that much fun as a game in 2022. Enchanter & Planetfall do a much better job of giving motivation beyond just gathering treasures.
- Titania Lowe, January 24, 2022
- archcorenth, January 20, 2022
- Lance Campbell (United States), December 24, 2021
- NorkaBoid (Ohio, USA), November 14, 2021
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