Isle of the Dead (video game)
Isle of the Dead | |
---|---|
Single-player |
Isle of the Dead is a
Originally planned to be a
Gameplay and plot
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5e/Isle_of_the_Dead.png/220px-Isle_of_the_Dead.png)
Isle of the Dead is a first-person shooter and point-and-click adventure game. The plot follows the player character, Jake Dunbar, who is the only survivor of a plane crash on a tropical island filled with zombies that are being controlled by a mad scientist.[1][2] The goal of the game is to escape the island and save the damsel in distress.[3]
After retrieving items from the wreckage, Dunbar explores the beach and moves further inland by hacking at the undergrowth with a machete.
Development and release
Isle of the Dead was developed by Rainmaker Software and published by
Reception
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Dragon | 0/5[1] |
Electronic Games | 84%[2] |
PC Joker | 38%[12] |
Pelit | 13/100[13] |
Previewing the game at the Consumer Electronics Show, Computer Gaming World, while not impressed with it graphically, thought that it made up for this with its "enthusiasm, gore, and the spicy addition of a little gratuitous T&A".[8]
Isle of the Dead received negative reviews upon release. Sandy Petersen, writing for Dragon in their "Eye of the Monitor" column, criticized its tedious difficulty and felt fighting the zombies was dull and too difficult. Petersen gave the game zero out of five stars in the magazine's rating scale, advising readers to avoid playing it.[1] Peter Olafson, of Compute!, while negative towards the graphics, compared the mood of Isle of the Dead to EC Comics horror magazines.[4] Chris Lombardi, writing for Computer Gaming World, argued the game was designed to be campy, but otherwise described it as the worst video game he had seen among adventure games and games with 3D graphics.[5] In their 15th anniversary issue, Computer Gaming World rated Isle of the Dead the 32nd worst game of all time, noting its "crude graphics, weak sound, and a weak 3D engine".[9] Multiple publications compared the game to other first-person shooters such as Wolfenstein 3D, while Sandy Petersen considered it was much less competently made.[1][3][4] Electronic Games, on the other hand, gave a positive review, saying that the game was not intended to be taken seriously.[2]
You don't play this shooter for fun. You play for
penitence.
Retrospective reviews for Isle of the Dead were also negative. Kurt Kalata from Hardcore Gaming 101 said that Rainmaker Software took the worst elements of point-and-click adventures and first-person shooters and turned them into "an overtly shlocky mess", criticizing the lack of feedback when taking damage and the death animations throughout the game. Kalata, however, believed that the developers were going for a "
References
- ^ a b c d e f Petersen, Sandy (June 1994). "Eye of the Monitor" (PDF). Dragon. No. 206. pp. 58–59. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Dillie, Ed (March 1994). "Isle of the Dead: Get Your Ghoulish Giggles Here". Electronic Games. Vol. 2, no. 6. p. 81.
- ^ a b c d Kalata, Kurt (August 28, 2011). "Your Weekly Kusoge: Isle of the Dead". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Olafson, Peter (July 1994). "Isle of the Dead (Software Review)". Compute!. No. 166. p. 115.
- ^ a b Lombardi, Chris (November 1994). "Doom Toos". Computer Gaming World. No. 124. Ziff Davis. pp. 102–114.
- ^ Thumblister, Victor (May 1994). "The Gross, the Rude, and the Ugly". Electronic Entertainment. No. 5. pp. 61-62.
- ^ "Isle of the Dead advertisement". Computer Gaming World. No. 118. May 1994. p. 153.
- ^ a b CGW Staff (September 1993). "CES Report Part II". Computer Gaming World. No. 110. pp. 18-27.
- ^ a b "50 Worst Games of All Time" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 148. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 94. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 11, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ "News - Jaguar Plugs into the CD revolution - Jaguar CD games in development". Edge. No. 20. May 1995. pp. 14–15.
- Imagine Media. June 1995. pp. 18–19.
- ^ Magenauer, Max (February 1995). "Isle of the Dead". PC Joker (in German). No. 29. Joker-Verlag. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ Salminen, Tapio (March 1, 1994). "Isle of The Dead – Aivokuolleiden saari". Pelit (in Finnish). Fokus Media Finland. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ a b Corbett, Richard (March 23, 2013). "Saturday Crapshoot: Isle Of The Dead". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ Corbett, Richard (August 23, 2013). "The weirdest shooters of the '90s". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Gamer Network. Archivedfrom the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ H, Kevin (2018-04-16). "Isle of The Dead (1993) PC Game Review". PopHorror.com. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
See also
External links
- Isle of the Dead can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive
- Isle of the Dead at MobyGames