Hello!

After looking through some classic PlayStation 1 games I remembered a rather weird and quirky game from the 90s that got thoroughly trashed by the reviews I read back then. I didn't recall the title immediately but found it quickly thanks to some google-searching. The game is called Sentient and was released on DOS/Win95 and PS1 by Psygnosis.
It's a sci-fi adventure with 12(!) different endings, an extensive but convoluted dialog interface and AI characters that remember your choices/interactions. Pretty interesting but it was overshadowed by technical problems (on PC) and unwieldy gameplay. I haven't played it until now, though I'm thinking about grabbing a copy from ebay because it still seems like an intriguing game, particularly after reading this article.

So while some people enjoyed it, the game was mostly trashed and also forgotten. Can you think of similar games, especially from this time period (mid to late 90s)? When you look for "forgotten" or "obscure" games on Google you will surely find a few that fit the description but most of these games are regarded as good games that flew under the radar. While Sentient also has a few merits it surely doesn't fall into that category by most accounts.

*curiosity bump*

Vangers, Dreams to Reality and The Tone Rebellion come to mind. Weird but good games. Only Vangers is on GOG currently.

The Tone Rebellion and its predecessor Ascendancy look really interesting. Thanks for bringing them to my attention! :)

Blupi games.

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/planet_blupi_has_been_made_open_source

Burn: Cycle

I always thought Black and White was weird but it's not "forgotten".

I remember Catz. Our real cats liked sitting there watching whatever it did.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petz

Burn:Cycle... nice one, Leucius!

There were a bunch of quirky and/or entertaining FMV games that were overlooked or critically panned for various reasons that I still very much enjoyed. I mean, not all of them were great, but they were fun (sometimes in a similar way to watching a b-movie). Not sure if every one of these games would fit your criteria, Wurzelkraft, though they weren't your average games either.

To name a few: Angel Devoid, Dark Side of the Moon, Temüjin, Byzantine, Mode, Midnight Stranger, Terror TRAX, Riana Rouge, Quantum Gate 1+2, The Daedalus Encounter, I'm Your Man, Santa Fe Mysteries (Elk Moon Murder & Sacred Ground), The X-Files, Star Trek: Klingon & ST: Borg, Dracula Unleashed, Frankenstein, Black Dahlia, Ripper, Johnny Mnemonic, Adventures of the Smart Patrol, Virtual Nightclub, etc.

As well as a few that are on GOG: Harvester, 7th Guest & 11th Hour, Gabriel Knight 2, Journeyman Project 3, Phantasmagoria 1+2, the Zork graphic adventure games, Wing Commander 3-5, Realms of the Haunting, Spycraft, Bad Mojo, and the Tex Murphy series.

The few FMV games that gained notoriety in 90s were unfortunately really bad (arguably much worse than most of what's listed in the previous paragraphs), so understandably people didn't want to spend their hard-earned money on games in the genre. It would be great to see more of them show up at GOG so more people can come to appreciate some of these lost gems.

Thanks for starting this thread, Wurzelkraft. Always looking out for weird and quirky games myself. :)

Sentient looks like a very curious game. Probably more of a technical achievement than a fun game (I don't know if the player can appreciate the complexity of the game).
I would like to read your thoughts if you get to play it.

They're odd little gems and worth getting if you can find them. The Tone Rebellion I think you can still get on Amazon.

Sentient - is that the game where you are on a space station and have a limited time to solve the mystery onboard before the base blows up? If so, I could NEVER figure out that game, or even make it very far. Tough game (this was before walkthroughs, or at least before I knew to use internet for it - forget which), but I bet it is satisfying to beat.


To add a few more that I would buy in a heartbeat if on GOG:

(all were on C64)

Spiderman
The Incredible Hulk
Fantastic Four

They might have had more in the game titles, it's been years. Basically, they were text adventures but with a picture screen interface that shows the different places - think Zork, but when you "go west" the picture gives you clues on what to do next, rather than a long text description. Loved them as a kid, could never beat them, though I made it pretty close in Spiderman - I think.

Maybe not weird and quirky, but definitely forgotten.

Wolf and Lion. Wild life simulation games from the early 90s.

Life and Death - surgery simulator.

I can top you all with MAABUS!