''Uninvited'' is a horror-themed
point-and-click
Point and click are the actions of a computer user moving a pointer to a certain location on a screen (''pointing'') and then pressing a button on a mouse, usually the left button (''click''), or other pointing device. An example of point and ...
adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
developed originally for the
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
by
ICOM Simulations
ICOM Simulations, Inc. (later known as Rabid Entertainment) was a software company based in Wheeling, Illinois. It is best known for creating the MacVenture series of adventure games including ''Shadowgate''.
Following the foundation in 1981 a ...
released in 1986 by
Mindscape.
The game uses the
MacVenture
The MacVenture games comprise a series of four adventure games introducing a characteristic menu-based point-and-click interface. They were originally developed for the Apple Macintosh by ICOM Simulations:
#''Déjà Vu'' (1985)
#'' Uninvited'' ( ...
engine that was introduced in ICOM's prior game, ''
Deja Vu: a Nightmare Comes True''.
Plot
The unnamed hero must find the way through an abandoned house in order to rescue a sibling. The quest involves magic and solving
logic puzzle
A logic puzzle is a puzzle deriving from the mathematics, mathematical field of deductive reasoning, deduction.
History
The logic puzzle was first produced by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who is better known under his pen name Lewis Carroll, the au ...
s while discovering sinister secrets of the house's former inhabitants.
The player regains consciousness from a car crash in front of a large, old mansion. The player's sibling (a younger brother in the PC versions but an older sister in the NES version) is gone, and the car is soon lost, as it bursts into flames. The only option is to enter the mansion looking for the lost sibling. It is not long before the player is greeted by the first undead dweller.
It gradually becomes evident that the house once belonged to a sorcerer with a number of apprentices. Dracan, the most talented apprentice, became corrupt and killed the other inhabitants with his magic, resulting in the house becoming haunted.
Gameplay
The main house consists of two floors and a tower, most parts being in early 20th century style. Some rooms (e.g. the servant's bedroom) have newer decor. No help is to be found, as there is not a single living person inhabiting the house.
Aside from the house, there are three backyard buildings to explore: the observatory, where some of the final events take place; the greenhouse, which is not as infertile as it first seems; and the chapel, which leads into a cemetery maze. Several places are guarded by magical creatures, including apparitions, hellhounds, and zombies, as well as some more unconventional entities; one is a tiny demon that flies by periodically, holding a key.
There is also an art gallery room hidden in the house. To access the room, the player has to collect two lamps from a fireplace, and click on an odd dot on a painting in a study room. The player will then be teleported to a room containing paintings and sculptures. A door in the art gallery room brings the player to the hall of the observatory. Accessing the art gallery is possible in all versions of ''Uninvited'' except those on the Commodore 64 and NES.
The quest to rescue the player's sibling is mostly a matter of gaining access to the locked or guarded parts of the estate. As in the other MacVenture games, there is a time limit. But unlike a regular time limit that is based on seconds or minutes, the time limit in ''Uninvited'' is based on moves (a move is defined as either speaking to a character, entering a room, observing an object, or using an item). If the player runs out of moves, the evil presence of the mansion takes control, and the player eventually ends up as a zombie. This element is partially absent from the NES version, as it is instead caused by a useless item that may be avoided. Since the story largely revolves around magic, many of the game's puzzles seem illogical. Hints for these and bits of the background story are unraveled in the various diaries and scrolls found within the grounds. Still, because the gameplay is very non-linear, the ending is somewhat abrupt.
NES version
As with the other
NES MacVenture games, ''Uninvited'', known in Japan as , added music, and elements of the written narration and storyline were altered, including:
* In the NES version, if the player uses the
phonograph
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
in the Game room (Rec room in original versions), a broken-record version of the main theme from ''
Shadowgate
''Shadowgate'' is a black-and-white 1987 point-and-click adventure video game originally for the Apple Macintosh in the MacVenture series. The game is named for its setting, Castle Shadowgate, residence of the evil Warlock Lord. The player, as t ...
'', another NES-
ported
In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desi ...
game in the
MacVenture
The MacVenture games comprise a series of four adventure games introducing a characteristic menu-based point-and-click interface. They were originally developed for the Apple Macintosh by ICOM Simulations:
#''Déjà Vu'' (1985)
#'' Uninvited'' ( ...
series, will play. (A similar gag appears in another point-and-click game, ''
Maniac Mansion
''Maniac Mansion'' is a 1987 graphic adventure video game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games. It follows teenage protagonist Dave Miller as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend Sandy Pantz from a mad scientist, whose mind has been ensla ...
'').
* The sibling trapped in the mansion is changed from a younger brother to an older sister in the NES version.
* The NES version has no time limit unless the player picks up the ruby in one of the bedrooms. Even then, the player can drop the ruby to terminate the time limit.
* As with the other NES ports, the game texts were severely simplified, in some cases also adding hints or elucidations for the gameplay. As an example, a hallway picture reads as follows in the NES version: "It's a small, painting of a young fellow."
* In the original game, the address was, "Master Crowley,
666
666 may refer to:
* 666 (number)
* 666 BC, a year
* AD 666, a year
* The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament
Places
* 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt
* U.S. Route 666, an America ...
Blackwell Road, Loch Ness, Scotland". However, at the time the game was released,
Nintendo of America
is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards. ...
had stringent policy necessitating the removal of any remotely offensive material. Rather than create a new address, it was simply shortened to "Master Crowley". This is likely a reference to
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
ist
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
, but Nintendo (perhaps unknowingly) allowed the name to remain in the game. Other changes that may relate to censorship issues are pentagrams turned into stars (or, in one case, a ruby) and a cross into a chalice (while another cross that only served as decoration was removed altogether).
* Beyond the game texts being simplified for the NES port, some of the death texts were edited or altered due to their rather graphic descriptions.
* When performing magic, instead of the typing magic words on a keyboard, the player simply has to scroll through his/her inventory before selecting the words.
The NES version was released for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
in a package called "8-Bit Adventure Anthology".
Reception
German magazine ''Data Welt'' praised the Amiga version's user-friendliness, good graphics and particularly the atmospheric sound, calling the game (translated): "excellent" and "even better than ''Deja Vu''". ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' found the game to be enjoyable and innovative, praising the game's use of graphics and almost exclusive use of the mouse as a way of eliminating frustration. As such, the game was described as "much easier to work with than pure text or text and graphic adventure games."
''
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' complimented the game, calling it "a truly horrifying adventure game and mystery that’ll leave you shivering in the dark".
''
Compute!
''Compute!'' (), often stylized as ''COMPUTE!'', was an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's ''PET Gazette'', one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET c ...
'' liked ''Uninvited''s "fluid interface, solid logical puzzles, and something's-around-the-corner feel".
''Video Games: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine'' gave the Windows version 8 out of 10.
Trivia
*Blackwell Road is an existing road in the Scottish village
Culloden and approximately from
Loch Ness
Loch Ness (; gd, Loch Nis ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for clai ...
.
Google maps: Travel instructions between Culloden and Loch Ness
/ref>
See also
*'' The Legacy: Realm of Terror''
References
External links
*
*
Uninvited
' a
Interactive Fiction Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uninvited (Video Game)
1986 video games
1980s horror video games
Amiga games
Apple IIGS games
Atari ST games
Commodore 64 games
DOS games
First-person adventure games
ICOM Simulations games
Classic Mac OS games
Nintendo Entertainment System games
Point-and-click adventure games
Video games developed in the United States
Windows games
PlayStation 4 games
Xbox One games
Single-player video games
Works set in country houses
Mindscape games
Video games set in Scotland