Adventure Quest Brings 80s Gaming To The Stage
This summer The Brick Theater in Brooklyn, New York will debut Adventure Quest – a play built around PC adventure gaming of the 80s and early 90s.
The production projects vintage game graphics onto the stage, uses 8-bit era music and an EGA colour palette theme for set pieces and costumes. The story is about a generic Hero type who goes out to fight the dreaded Octopus Cult and win the love of a Peasant Girl.
“King’s Quest is definitely the primary influence and like the Sierra games in general, like Space Quest and Quest for Glory – all the ones where you had a guy like walk around and you type some commands,” co-producer Chris Chappell told us by phone today.
Like Homestar Runner’s Peasant Quest spoof game, Adventure Quest uses common conventions and pitfalls from PC adventure gaming to move the plot forward. Chappell described a scene in which the Hero finds himself in a cemetery with no idea what to do. In desperation, he randomly starts combining things in his inventory and trying to give them to a man he meets. Finally, and for no apparent reason, the man accepts a tea set, makes Cemetery Tea and the hero is allowed to continue on.
Adventure Quest isn’t just about being nostalgic and funny, however. “It has some interesting things to say,” said Chappell. He explained that the play’s debut is part of a series of plays in The Brick’s Antidepressant Festival that all explore happiness and adjustment in the face of difficult or depressing situations.
“[The Hero] gradually becomes self aware as the game goes on […] and he starts killing people,” said Chappell, “It actually gets pretty dark.”
But without giving away the play’s ending, he said, there is hope for the Hero. “Even in a world like that you can find your way.”
Adventure Quest hits The Brick June 2 for the Antidepressant Festival and will keep running from July 2 through July 25 as part of the Game Play theatre showcase, which features three different plays that take place within or are built around video games. You can check out a cute text adventure the play’s producers have put together here and get a walkthrough for it on the play’s Facebook page.
First step, off-Broadway theatre, next mainstream musicals and then… the world!
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@ArrestedDeveloper:
Set himem.sys, use EXPANDED MEMORY mode and boot it on a floppy disk.
....those were the days...
@ArrestedDeveloper: haha
dumanue
@492b2 3b5t5k4mk3 3ñx39: Was it worth it? Did you really enjoy it more?
MonsterKingRen
For some reason I can't directly reply to Weirdwolf, but you, sir, are amazing. I don't think too many people will appreciate your playful comment, but you have my respect.
...Your score is now 105 out of 500.
@Calvin:
I used to play it when i was 14 ;_;
I actually became a guardian, had to convince my mom about it :D
492b2 3b5t5k4mk3 3ñx39
@Mit: Haha. My god, do we EVER need an edit button here.
@DMC-Man: perhaps YOU SUCK. How's that haps, brah?!
@Enthused_But_Fired: Perhaps you copy, pasted, and submitted in the wrong window?
DMC-Man
640k required?!? Too rich for my blood.
WOW I can just imagine the reviews!
Inventory
You are currently holding a rotten tomato,a small chicken, a piece of lead pipe and a ticket.
Use ticket
You use the ticket and enter the theatre.
E
You cannot go that way
W
You cannot go that way.
N
You enter a large room, it is full of seats at the front of the room is a large seat.
Take seat
A large man in a dinner jacket and bow tie watches you suspiciously, you can't take a seat.
Sit down.
You sit down.
The lights go out
Watch Play
You watch the play, you would rather be eaten by a grue than suffer through the anymore.
Throw tomato.
You throw the tomato, it hits an actor but has no effect.
Insult actor
You tell the actor that he acts like a cow. The man in the bow tie and dinner jacket picks you up and throws you out of the theatre.
Play again y/n?
Man...when are we gonna see some revived KQ love? I know Roberta Williams was fired for KQ8, maybe rightly so, but still...at least a remake of VI (regarded as the absolute pinnacle of the entire series, not counting Tierra's remakes) or something!!!! I miss those days...ah..the first command in KQ 1...open door. Good times...good times.
roninalchemist
After reading the description I am wondering why something like this hasn't been done before. It sounds like my kind of humor!
@Enthused_But_Fired: wat
@Enthused_But_Fired: Er... you seem to be a little confused.
@Mit: knew* would've been a better word choice there actually.
Edit grumbles.
@Calvin: I thought I heard that name somewhere before.
[$OA]dyelawn owns resistance 2. that is all.
actually, no it's not. []N[], your whole clan sucks. totally sucks. super sucks. i'm teabagging you right now, even though i'm not online. but i will be in four seconds, and then i will be teabagging you more, because i will actuall be there.
Wish I lived in the area, this sounds entertaining.
AQ..
I hope to god it's better that god-awful online RPG under the same name.
Sweet. Love the homage to the old box art, as well.
No inspiration from the original Leisure Suit Larry I take it?
yutaro
I can't believe I live in a world where this is possible!
THANK YOU, WORLD!
Inzoum
@Weirdwolf is SPEEEEDIINNNG!: swing lead pipe
orielbean
@Enthused_But_Fired: Tim? Is that you?
@orielbean:
You swing the lead pipe but haven't a clue who you hit or where they are.