Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1997)
Genres:Adventure, Point-and-click
Themes:Fantasy, Historical, Science fiction
Game modes:Single player
Story:Callahan's Crosstime Saloon is a puzzle-solving adventure game based on Spider Robinson's series of stories about the unusual patrons of Callahan's bar. The characters in the game are taken from the first book of the series, though their stories are original. The game's world is composed of still screens viewed from first-person perspective. The interaction is point-and-click, with context menus appearing when the player attempts to interact with an object on screen.Show more
I remember borrowing this game from a friend and playing it, and the main thing that struck me about it was the writing. At times, it's silly and loves a groan-inducing pun, but the characters feel oddly grounded (which is saying something when some of them are, for example, vampires and alien cyborgs), and there's so much heart and empathy for them. The puzzles are also challenging enough to keep you engaged as you work through the story and interact with the world, and the graphics, though not crafted to impress, have a handmade style that feels as charming and laid back as a well-executed painting of dogs playing poker. Playing this game has the vibe of hanging out with your friends at your favorite cozy bar during a particularly challenging trivia night.
I bought this game in the 90s in Switzerland from a shop that had all the cool games imported from the US. By cool I mean the ones that had the ridiculous big boxes. I still have a image of that CD-ROM on my pc thirty years later but it would be nice to have a version that I can get to run without having to jump through a dozen hoops.
Uniquely idiosyncratic adventure games based on excellent books are a rare thing, and Callahan's Crosstime Saloon seems to be exactly that. Also, never managed to play this one back in the day. Also, also, everyone seems to agree that this is a great game in and of itself too.
A single Let's Play of this game turned me on to one of the best works of humanist sci-fi I've ever read, and I would love others to have the opportunity to discover this series as well.
Well folks, this is it for me:
The one that got away.
I only managed to play the shareware version of the game, obtained through a local PC Gaming publication's assorted CD (all hail PC Master).
I have never been more influenced in my style of humor, sense of mystery and feel for how a story should be told.
It is episodic in nature loong before it's time, wherein you play a folk singer, beset by personal tragedy, who goes on a set of quests to help other, weird or not-so-weird patrons of the infamous, eponymous CCS.
The writing, the voicework, the puzzles, the storylines, the unique interface on top of the stunning, hand-drawn world, this is indeed, a forgotten masterpiece.
Check out Spider Robinson people, the author on whose work, this game is based upon.
The only reason I havn't yet played on the the DOSBox abandonware versions out there, is that I am hoping still, for the GOG version to come about (possibly including a scanned copy of the included strategy guide, wink-wink).
This dreamlist, for me, is made to ask for CCS.
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