Alchemist’s Gold
Garry Francis
Inform 6
When I say that Alchemist’s Gold is old-fashioned, I don’t mean it as an insult. After all, I am frequently referred to as “that Infocom guy.” What I do mean is that, textually, descriptions and responses will be brief. Most found objects will have one use, usually playing the role of “key” in a “lock and key puzzle.” Characters encountered in the world often have little to say and less to do.
Such games are often concerned with older technology, too. While I haven’t tried, I would guess that Alchemist’s Gold could be played on a Commodore 64 computer. The story file is approximately the same size as that of, say, Zork I. This is made possible by using Inform 6 and–again, I presume–use of the PunyInform library.
So: Alchemist’s Gold belongs to the category of “retro” text adventure gaming, and it’s an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. The story is not very important. As in so many other games of its ilk, the protagonist must go somewhere that they probably shouldn’t go in order to get the something belonging to somebody else. Along the way, puzzles must be solved, of course. I thought they were all reasonable, solvable puzzles, but people from my generation might have an advantage. The second puzzle (getting the acorn then feeding the squirrel) is more Scott Adams than Steve Meretzky, so getting into the headspace of 80s adventure gaming in a broad sense will help.
The ASCII maze, which was discussed a bit on this forum, is fun to navigate. I do wonder how screen-reader users will experience the alternative. I experimented with navigating via the arrows, but ultimately my imagination can only carry me so far.
Beyond the forest is the home of the titular Alchemist, whom we have come to burgle, untroubled by any moral questions. There was one rough patch, in which an item could be used (successfully) in more than way, but only one usage would lead to victory. The game graciously informs the player if they misuse the item, but it felt rather awkward to me. I think that back in the old days, the game would have just killed the protagonist (see below!).
For me, the game’s great mystery was the case of the large branch and the river. I really wanted to traverse this obstacle. In a game so efficient as Alchemist’s Gold, did the branch really serve no purpose? Giving up, my protagonist headed home—er, the place on a forest trail where the game started—where a lone dangerous encounter occurs. It’s handled with charm, humor, and—as is appropriate for a game’s final problem—solved easily.
Alchemist’s Gold scratches a specific sort of itch. People who enjoy retro text games (on retro hardware, no less) will know what this game is and know very well how to complete it. It is comfort food. What suggestions would I make? Well, it feels like there ought to be more fail states in such a game–easily undone, of course–for period accuracy. This may be an unfashionable thing to say! I think: life was cheap in those days, and if your players don’t need a recent save for recovery, what’s the harm? Death was a key source of humor (and narrative voice) back then, after all.
I think there is an established audience for this sort of game, and I believe that members of that audience will welcome it. I think others might like it, too. Finding out requires only a small investment of time.