James Clavell's Shōgun

Infobox VG| title = James Clavell's Shogun


developer = Infocom
publisher = Infocom
designer = Dave Lebling
engine = ZIL
released = Macintosh: March 14, 1989

Amiga: March 21, 1989

Apple II: May 10, 1989

DOS: July 6, 1989
genre = Interactive fiction
modes = Single player
ratings = n/a
platforms = Amiga, Apple II, DOS, Macintosh
media = 3½" or 5¼" disk
requirements = No special requirements
input = Keyboard

"James Clavell's Shōgun" is an interactive fiction computer game written by Dave Lebling and released by Infocom in 1989. Like most of Infocom's games, it was released for several popular computer platforms of the time, such as the Apple II and PC. As the title indicates, the game is based on the book "Shōgun" by James Clavell. It is Infocom's thirty-third game.

Plot

The game reproduces many of the novel's "scenes", few of which are interconnected in any way. The player assumes the role of John Blackthorne, Pilot-Major of the Dutch trading ship "Erasmus". During a voyage in the Pacific Ocean in the year 1600, the "Erasmus" is shipwrecked in Japan. Blackthorne must survive in a land where every custom is as unfamiliar to him as the language. After learning some of the society's ways, he is drawn into a political struggle between warlords and falls in love with a Japanese woman. Eventually he embraces Japanese life and is honored as a samurai.

Feelies

Infocom continued its tradition of feelies, or extra items included in the game package. The feelies included with "Shogun" were:
*a map representing John Blackthorne's "known world" of 1600
*"The Soul of the Samurai", describing the history and significance of the swords of the samurai

Notes

By 1989, Infocom no longer categorized its games according to estimated difficulty level. "Shogun" could be said to fall anywhere from Infocom's former "Standard" level to "Expert". Players who are intimately familiar with the novel, of course, may find the game to be much easier than those who have not read the book.

"Shogun" features several illustrations in the style of Japanese Ukiyo-e woodcuts. While graphics of any kind were disdained in Infocom's early years, many of their final games included at least incidental illustrations and images.

In sharp contrast to Douglas Adams' close work with Steve Meretzky on Infocom's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" game, James Clavell contributed little to the design of the game, although he and Dave Lebling met several times. He treated the game as a traditional licensing agreement rather than a collaboration. [http://waxy.org/2008/04/milliways_infocoms_unreleased_sequel_to_hitchhikers_guide_to_the_galax/#comment-1650044] Consequently, the game contains many scenes from the novel presented or made thinly interactive.

Dave Lebling has said that he considers "Shogun" the worst game he was ever responsible for overall, although he is proud of several of the "timing" puzzles. [http://www.infocom-if.org/games/shogun/shogunspecs.html]

External links

*moby game|id=/james-clavells-shogun|name="Shōgun"
* [http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/shogun.html "Shogun" information and overview]
* [http://gallery.guetech.org/shogun/shogun.html Scans of "Shogun" package, documentation, and feelies]
* [http://www.infocom-if.org/games/shogun/shogun.html Infocom-if.org's entry for "Shogun"]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/graemecree/infobugs/shogun.htm The Infocom Bugs List entry for "Shogun"]