Questprobe featuring The Hulk

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Questprobe featuring The Hulk
Single-player

Questprobe featuring The Hulk is a 1984

Chief Examiner
. The graphics and story outline were created by Marvel artists and writers. Critical reception was generally positive, with much of the praise going to the visuals. Reactions to the gameplay were mixed, especially upon the game's budget re-release, by which time it was considered dated.

Gameplay

An example of a graphic from the Apple II version of Questprobe featuring The Hulk. The player has entered "bite lip", allowing Bruce Banner to transform into the Hulk.

Questprobe featuring The Hulk is a

parser can only register commands up to two words in length, generally in a verb/noun format (for example, "open box").[2] Commands consisting of a single letter may also by entered to expedite gameplay time (for example, "u" or "d" to move up or down).[3] Although lethal scenarios may be encountered, dying merely results in the player being deposited in a limbo-like room, where the player may enter "go down" to descend a flight of stairs and resume gameplay without penalty.[4][5] The game's graphics can be toggled on or off.[3] The player can save their progress by entering "save game" and assigning the current game to one of four code letters (A, B, C, or D), which can be entered to load the game at a later time.[6]

Plot

Bruce Banner awakens to find himself bound to a chair in a mysterious chamber. He bites his lip to transform into the Hulk and free himself, but gas fills the room and permeates his skin, reverting him back to Banner. He explores his surroundings, which consist of three dome-shaped buildings and a grassy field surrounding them; Banner is able to transform into the Hulk outside of the domes. He happens upon an astral projection of

Chief Examiner
, who leaves him with the password "Aria".

Development and release

In 1983, Marvel Comics vice president Joseph Calamari, wishing to introduce the brand to home computers, searched for a licensee for use of the company's characters in a home computer game. He personally approached Adventure International founder and CEO Scott Adams, recognizing him as a leader in the market.[7][8] Adams had been an avid reader of Marvel since his childhood, and saw potential in the venture. The negotiations for their contract lasted six months, with the final version being signed on December 1, 1983.[7] Marvel granted Adventure International a ten-year license for exclusive use of their characters in adventure games. This was Marvel's first long-term license, as most licenses last only one or two years.[9] It was also Adventure's first time using licensed characters, and Adams would reflect fondly in his collaboration with Marvel, considering them one of the friendliest firms he had worked with.[7]

Adams was given unlimited freedom in creating the Questprobe games, though Marvel would maintain the right of final approval, and some ideas would be rejected due to their similarity to upcoming Marvel storylines. Examples of these were the basic plot of Secret Wars and the concept of an insane Watcher.[7] To aid in Adams's endeavor, Marvel supplied him with a pre-release copy of the Marvel Universe Encyclopedia, a complete compendium of Marvel characters.[8] The series' title was conceived over a couple of nights in which Adams attempted to formulate a title that would indicate the player's involvement in a search. Adams and Marvel writer John Byrne spent an afternoon coordinating a rough overview of the series, and Bob Budiansky would oversee the entire project. Adams also cited Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter as a source of input.[7] The Hulk was selected as the first Questprobe game's star because he was recognizable by both comic fans and general audiences, and Adams felt that the character's two forms – one weak and one superhuman – made him an interesting subject for an adventure game.[7] The title would be the Hulk's first appearance in a video game.[10]

To attract new players, Adams deliberately designed the game on a beginner's level by simplifying the puzzles, leading Adams to admit that "anybody who has played a lot will finish the game in a day".

Chief Examiner's appearance was modeled after Adams,[11] and the passwords he gives in each of the Questprobe games are names of Adams' own children.[5] The game is dedicated to Hulk creator Stan Lee, Adams' wife Alexis, and CompuServe CB Simulator users.[7]

The collaboration between Marvel and Adventure was revealed in February 1984 by Adams at the LET International Trade Show in

wholesalers had no provisions for distributing comics, and so were not able to supply retailers with it. Because of this, Adventure International decided to reduce the size of subsequent issues in order to package the comics along with the games.[11]

The game was intended to be the first entry in a series consisting of twelve or thirteen installments.[7] However, due to the Adventure International's bankruptcy in 1986,[15] the Questprobe series was cancelled after three games.[5] That same year, the Hulk installment was re-released by U.S. Gold under its "Americana" budget line.[16]

Reception

Reception of the original release of Questprobe featuring The Hulk was generally positive, with the visuals receiving particular acclaim. The White Wizard of

Computer Gamer singled out the transformations between Banner and the Hulk as their favorite images.[17][19]

The White Wizard, while observing that the game design was primitive, considered it to be "furiously addictive" nonetheless.

inCider said: "Based on the fun I've had and the fun yet to come, I recommend you take a look at the Hulk episode of Questprobe".[20]

The budget re-release's reception was more mixed. Hetherington acknowledged the high difficulty, but proclaimed The Hulk to be the best Questprobe entry due to the character's simple set of powers.[19] The White Wizard, writing for Zzap!64, remarked that the game's design had become antiquated since its original release, citing its two-word input, limited vocabulary, and illogical puzzles.[18] A reviewer for ZX Computing Monthly lambasted the game's design and programming as poor, and remarked that the visuals have not aged entirely well. The reviewer added that while a few of the puzzles were fun, they were made harder by the aforementioned faults.[16]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Adams 1984, p. 3.
  2. ^ Adams 1984, p. 4.
  3. ^ a b Adams 1984, p. 6.
  4. ^ a b c Gould, Steve (August 1984). "The Software Reviews: Quest Probe – The Hulk". Page 6. No. 10. pp. 37–38.
  5. ^ a b c d Kalata, Kurt (July 14, 2019). "Questprobe Featuring The Hulk". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Adams 1984, p. 7.
  7. ^
    ISSN 0739-8018
    .
  8. ^ a b c Hardisty, Mark James (2019). "Great Scott". The Classic Adventurer. No. 5. p. 30.
  9. ^ Gould, Steve (August 1984). "Scott Adams Interview". Page 6. No. 10. p. 19.
  10. CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e Williams, Noel (September 1984). "Adventure International: The Incredible Hulk". Micro Adventurer. No. 11. Sunshine Books. pp. 8–9.
  12. ^ Adventure International (May 1, 1984). Questprobe featuring The Hulk (Multiplatform). Level/area: Opening credits.
  13. ^ "Questprobe featuring The Hulk advertisement". Page 6. No. 10. August 1984. p. 18.
  14. ^
    IDG Communications
    . p. 14.
  15. Newspapers.com
    .
  16. ^ a b "Software Reviews: The Incredible Hulk". ZX Computing Monthly. Argus Specialist Publications. October 1986. p. 88.
  17. ^ a b c d Brewster, Derek (September 1984). "Adventure Trail: The Hulk". Crash. No. 8. Newsfield. pp. 72–73.
  18. ^ a b White Wizard (September 1986). "Chronicles of the White Wizard: The Hulk". Zzap!64. No. 17. Newsfield. pp. 73–74.
  19. ^
    Computer Gamer
    . Argus Specialist Publications. p. 45.
  20. ^
    inCider
    . CWC. pp. 113–114.
  21. ^
    Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen
    . p. 90.
  22. Commodore Business Machines
    . pp. 18–19.

Bibliography

External links

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