Wrath of the Gods

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Introduction

By Kim Goeller

What is an Interactive Adventure Game?

Adventure games have a few things in common. There

is usually a quest or ultimate mystery to unravel, and the

person on the quest is often the character controlled by the

player. Generally there are obstacles, challenges, and puzzles

that the player must contend with in order to fulfill his or

her quest. Wrath of the Gods combines many of the features

of an adventure game with stories from Greek mythology.

Players take the role of a prince who is on a quest to regain

his birthright. In the course of playing Wrath of the Gods you

will:
steal the Golden Fleece from a fire-breathing dragon, fly

like Icarus with wings of wax and feathers, charm Cerberus,

outsmart the Cyclops, and encounter many other challenges

and puzzles from the Greek myths.

As is typical with interactive games, in Wrath of the

Gods the player will be collecting objects and gathering clues

along the way—nothing should be ignored. Each screen is

a different cinematic scene. Wrath of the Gods is non-linear,

meaning you are free to go through rooms and solve puzzles

in any order you want (within reason; some puzzles require

that others be solved first). As you acquire appropriate

inventory, you will roam the ancient terrain, interact with

mythical characters, and try to solve a multitude of puzzles

and dilemmas.

Who is “Our Hero”?

In addition to reading about the heroic exploits of

Hercules, Jason, Perseus, and others, you relive these

adventures in Wrath of the Gods. Instead of playing a specific

Greek hero, you play the role of an aspiring hero-to-be.

“Our Hero” is a composite of many of the heroes of Greek

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mythology, and you will face a combination of the various

challenges they faced.

How Do You “Win”?

The player begins Wrath of the Gods with 100 points, and

additional points are awarded when puzzles and challenges

are solved. Players who solve every puzzle and successfully

meet each challenge (without consulting the Oracle for hints)

will finish the game with 500 points. Although there is a

point system, Wrath of the Gods was designed to encourage

experimentation and risk. Trial and error will solve a lot

of puzzles and ultimately provide a context for the stories

themselves. In contrast to many other graphic adventure

games, death is not the end of the road in Wrath of the Gods.

Instead, you will end up in Hades or on Mount Olympus

when you make a “mistake.” Your adventure will continue

in the Underworld or atop Olympus as you interact with

mythological characters who offer you clues to solve the

particular puzzles that resulted in your demise.

Our Hero

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Basic Story Line of Wrath of the Gods

The introduction (accessed from the start-up screen)

depicts Our Hero’s early childhood and sets up the narrative

framework for the program. Like many of the Greek heroes,

Our Hero was abandoned at birth as the result of an oracle’s

prophecy, but he was taken in and cared for by a centaur who

raised him to manhood. Later in the game, Our Hero will meet

up with his grandfather and eventually rescue his mother from

evil King Minos. She then sends him on to find his true father.

The narrative does not get in the way of the player’s freedom

to decide what action to take at any moment in the game, and

many adventures are unrelated to the quest. The narrative

serves primarily to draw the player through the game.

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