Planetfall
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| Planetfall | |
| Missing image Planetfall_box_art.jpg Planetfall cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Infocom |
| Publisher(s) | Infocom |
| Release date(s) | 1983 |
| Genre | Interactive fiction |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | n/a |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, TRS-80, TI-99/4A, Macintosh |
Planetfall is a science fiction interactive fiction computer game written by Steve Meretzky and published by Infocom in 1983. Like most Infocom games, because of its portable Z-machine, it was released for several platforms simultaneously. The original release included versions for the PC (as a booter and DOS) and Apple II. The Atari ST and Commodore 64 versions were released in 1985. Although Planetfall was Meretzky's first title, it proved one of his most popular works and a best-seller for Infocom.
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Plot
The game starts with the user assuming the role of a lowly Ensign Seventh Class on the S.P.S. Feinstein, a starship of the Stellar Patrol. Overbearing superior Ensign First Class Blather assigns the player to mop decks: not exactly the glorious adventures promised by the recruiters on Gallium. But a sudden series of explosions aboard the ship sends the player scrambling for an escape pod, which eventually crash-lands on a nearby planet. There are signs of civilization, but curiously no traces of the beings that once lived there.
Eventually encountering a helpful but childlike robot named Floyd, the player must unravel the mysteries of the deserted sole structure on the planet, Resida, and find a way to get back home. As the fate of the planet's former inhabitants becomes clearer, a time limit also imposes itself.
Feelies
Beginning with 1982's Deadline, Infocom included extra novelty items with their packaged games called feelies. Included with Planetfall was:
- A Stellar Patrol "Special Assignment Task Force" ID card (about the size and shape of a credit card)
- 3 interstellar postcards
- A Stellar Patrol recruiting manual, "Today's Stellar Patrol: Boldly Going Where Angels Fear to Tread"
- A short diary kept by the player's character
Notes
Planetfall was designated, in Infocom's rating system, a "Standard" difficulty game.
The concept of a NPC sidekick (Floyd) was new for Infocom games. Floyd would follow the player from location to location and interaction with him was required in order to complete the game.
Reaction to Floyd's in-game death was hailed at the time as a telling sign of the emotional power of Infocom's games. Many players, it was widely reported, wept openly at the scene of Floyd's "death". Apparently, it was previously unthinkable that "a simple game" could move people to such a degree.
The success of this game inspired a novel of the same name and a sequel called Stationfall. The 1987 sequel once again incorporated a revived Floyd, but in a slightly less prominent role. Stationfall was much more grim in tone than Planetfall, and did not sell as well as the more light-hearted original.
External links
- MobyGames entry on Planetfall (http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/gameId,51/)
- Planetfall information from the Infocom Gallery (http://infocom.elsewhere.org/gallery/planetfall/planetfall.html) with photos of the entire contents of the game package (manual, feelies, etc.)
- Planetfall information from Infocom-if.org (http://www.infocom-if.org/games/planetfall/planetfall.html)
- Planetfall overview (http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/planetfall.html)