Wishbringer

Infobox VG
title = Wishbringer


developer = Infocom
publisher = Infocom
designer = Brian Moriarty
engine = ZIL
released = Release 68: May 1 1985
Release 69: September 20, 1985
Solid Gold: July 6 1988
genre = Interactive fiction
modes = Single player
ratings =
platforms = Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS
media = 3½" or 5¼" disk
requirements = No special requirements
input = Keyboard

"Wishbringer: The Magick Stone of Dreams" is an interactive fiction computer game written by Brian Moriarty and published by Infocom in 1985. It was intended to be an easier game to solve than the typical Infocom release, and provide a good introduction to interactive fiction for inexperienced players. It was one of five top-selling titles to be re-released in Solid Gold versions including in-game hints. It is Infocom's sixteenth game.

Plot

The player's character is a postal clerk in the small fishing village of Festeron. The cranky postmaster, Mr. Crisp, orders the player to deliver an important envelope to the proprietor of Ye Olde Magick Shoppe. The proprietor in question, a kindly old lady, then asks the player to rescue her cat from "The Evil One". Stepping out of the store, the player finds that quaint Festeron has mysteriously been transformed into a more sinister town called Witchville. Every aspect of Festeron has been changed to something ominous: for instance, what was once a poodle is now a frightening hellhound. Fortunately, the player soon finds the Wishbringer, a magical stone that can grant seven wishes if a suitable object is used in conjunction. (To see the future, for example, the player must be wearing glasses and holding the stone.)

Wishes

The seven wishes that can be granted by the stone are for "advice", "darkness", "flight", "foresight", "freedom", "luck", and "rain". Each wish can only be used once per game, and requires that the player possess some related object. (These objects and their relations to the wishes are described in the feelies as a form of copy protection.)

A few Infocom games featured puzzles with multiple solutions (for example, the "Echo Room" from "Zork I"). However, "Wishbringer" featured several such puzzles, many of which could be solved either in a straightforward (that is, non-magical) manner or by using one of the stone's wishes. The game can be completely solved without using any wishes.

Feelies

Included in the "Wishbringer" package are several items, which Infocom called feelies:
*A book, "The Legend of Wishbringer", that explains how the magic stone came to be (in the Solid Gold release, an in-game object included in the player's starting inventory instead of the packaging)
*The envelope and letter to be delivered to Ye Olde Magick Shoppe
*A "postal zone map" of Festeron
*A plastic glow-in-the-dark replica of the stone

Notes

In aiming the game at a younger audience, Infocom diffused the game's sense of danger with many humorous elements, such as Mr. Crisp's impatience at the beginning ("Take the stupid envelope and scram, chowderbrain!") and the "Boot Patrol" that enforces the curfew in the town, consisting of disembodied gigantic army boots. Other whimsical touches include a small mailbox that lovingly follows the player around and a fridge found in a grue's lair, where the internal light goes "out" when the door is opened.

The fictional town of Festeron is, according to the game's documentation, in Antharia, a region connected to the Zork series of games. "Wishbringer" can be seen as loosely connected to the Zork series.

Infocom gave "Wishbringer" a difficulty rating of "Introductory".

Craig Shaw Gardner novelized "Wishbringer" in the Infocom Book line.

Taglines

"Through strange, savage zones, your way will be shown by the magical stone called Wishbringer!"

"The legendary stone that makes dreams come true."

External links

*moby game|id=/wishbringer
* [http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/97/ Wishbringer info in Adventure Classic Gaming]
* [http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/wishbringer.html "Wishbringer" information and overview]
* [http://infocom.elsewhere.org/gallery/wishbringer/ "Wishbringer" information from the Infocom Gallery] with photos of the entire contents of the game (manual, feelies, etc.)
* [http://www.infocom-if.org/games/wishbringer/wishbringer.html "Wishbringer" information from Infocom-if.org]
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~pot/infocom/wishbringer.html "Wishbringer" online!]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/graemecree/infobugs/wishbrin.htm The Infocom Bugs List entry for "Wishbringer"]