Summary
- Release Year: 1980
- Genres: Adventure
- Platforms: Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore C64/128/MAX, FM-7, PC-8800 Series, PC-9800 Series
- Developers: On-Line Systems
- Publishers: All American Adventures, StarCraft, Inc.
Mission Asteroid: A Classic Text Adventure from Sierra
Mission Asteroid is a text adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1980. It was the third text adventure game with graphical illustrations from Sierra, but due to its easy difficulty level, it was released as number zero in Sierra’s Hi-Res Adventure series.
The game is set in the year 2001, and the player takes on the role of a spaceship pilot who must stop an asteroid from colliding with Earth. The player must travel to the asteroid, land on it, and plant a bomb to destroy it.
The game’s parser only understands simple one- or two-word commands, and the game world is relatively small and easy to navigate. This makes Mission Asteroid a good choice for beginner text adventure gamers.
Despite its simplicity, Mission Asteroid is a well-crafted game with a good story and interesting puzzles. The game’s graphics are also impressive for the time, and they help to create a sense of atmosphere and immersion.
Gameplay
Mission Asteroid is played from a first-person perspective, and the player interacts with the game world by typing commands. The game’s parser is very simple, and it only understands a limited number of commands. However, the game’s world is also relatively small and easy to navigate, so the player can usually figure out how to progress by trial and error.
The game’s objective is to travel to the asteroid, land on it, and plant a bomb to destroy it. The player must first travel to the space station, where they can purchase a spaceship and fuel. The player can then fly to the asteroid, but they must be careful to avoid being hit by space debris.
Once the player has landed on the asteroid, they must find the bomb and plant it. The bomb is located in a cave, and the player must solve a simple puzzle to open the cave door. Once the bomb is planted, the player must return to their spaceship and fly away from the asteroid before it explodes.
Graphics
Mission Asteroid was one of the first text adventure games to feature graphical illustrations. The graphics are simple, but they help to create a sense of atmosphere and immersion. The game’s world is rendered in black and white, and the player can see their spaceship, the asteroid, and the space station.
Reception
Mission Asteroid was a critical and commercial success. It was praised for its simple but fun gameplay, its impressive graphics, and its good story. The game was also a financial success, and it helped to establish Sierra On-Line as a major force in the video game industry.
Mission Asteroid is still enjoyed by gamers today, and it is considered to be one of the classic text adventure games. The game is simple to learn, but it offers a challenging and rewarding experience. If you are a fan of text adventure games, then you should definitely check out Mission Asteroid.
Legacy
Mission Asteroid was one of the first text adventure games to feature graphical illustrations, and it helped to popularize the genre. The game’s simple but fun gameplay and its impressive graphics made it a critical and commercial success. Mission Asteroid is still enjoyed by gamers today, and it is considered to be one of the classic text adventure games.
Mission Asteroid’s legacy can be seen in many modern video games. For example, the game’s simple but effective gameplay has been imitated in many other text adventure games. Additionally, the game’s graphical illustrations have inspired the development of many other graphical adventure games.
Mission Asteroid is a classic text adventure game that helped to popularize the genre. The game’s simple but fun gameplay, its impressive graphics, and its good story have made it a favorite of gamers for over 40 years. If you are a fan of text adventure games, then you should definitely check out Mission Asteroid.
Review Score
7/10
Art
Cover Art
Screenshots
