Posted on: July 26, 2011
mgiuca
Verified ownerGames: 326 Reviews: 6
Amazing and funny way to end the series
Activision nailed the perfect Zork game. Destined to be the last true Zork game, it's very different in tone to the previous ones. They always had a quirky sense of humour, but this is the only one that's truly a comedy. While it certainly has parody elements, I would call it a comedy, not a parody. If you've played Zork Nemesis, this is nothing like that. If you haven't played a Zork game before, don't worry -- it works well as a stand-alone game. Zork Grand Inquisitor is also a very well-designed adventure game. The story is well thought-out and well told, and in my opinion, the game gets better as it goes along. Unlike many (most?) adventure games, the ending doesn't disappoint -- it keeps it up right until the last moment. Gameplay is pretty standard first-person adventuring: solve puzzles, unlock new places, find items, and use them in the right places. No getting stuck, but there are quite a few ways to die (which usually results in a humorous text screen explaining your death -- it is highly worthwhile to try and die as many ways as you can!) The real trick with this game is spells. Early in the game, you are given a spellbook, and you spend the rest of the game collecting fifteen magic spells. Once you have a spell, you can use it as many times as you like, and a lot of the puzzles are about using the right spells in the right places. The spells are often hilarious: spells include "create a bridge over a body of water," "untie knots," "make caster more attractive to other creatures," and "turn purple things invisible." They also produce some hilarious results: in one scene, you encounter a six-armed invisible bridge guard, and if you try to cast "turn purple things invisible" on him, he proclaims, "how do you think I got this way in the first place?" Gameplay gets really interesting later on, when you have the opportunity to play as three different characters for a short part of the game. The characters are also fun. The game has lots of characters, some played by actors, some computer generated. The Grand Inquisitor (Erick Avari) and Antharia Jack (Dirk Benedict) play up the humour. There's also your constant companion, the Dungeon Master (a spirit trapped in a magic lamp), played by Michael McKean of Spinal Tap fame. You carry him around the whole game, and he constantly gives you hints and makes jokes. This makes the game feel less lonely, but it can get annoying having him constantly try to crack jokes which are often not very funny. That's the one weak part of the game. Other classic characters include a quarter-witted brogmoid who eats rocks, a mythical goatfish, a bickering torch, and a walking castle. A brilliant comedy adventure game that is genuinely funny (mostly), and extremely well-designed, this is absolutely the best game in the series.
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