Space Quest Creators Launch Kickstarter Campaign To Fund New Game
If you’re a child of the Eighties like me, there’s a pretty good chance at some point you played a game created by Sierra Entertainment. For a while there, they were the titans of the booming adventure game industry, and they filled the software shelves with games spanning all manner of genres, but often containing the word “Quest” somewhere in the title. The King’s Quest games. Police Quest. Quest for Glory. And my personal favorites, the Space Quest series: the adventures of an ill-fated space janitor and reluctant hero named Roger Wilco. Over the course of six games and nearly ten years, Roger saved the galaxy from evil aliens, cloned insurance salesmen, space pirates, and more, all through luck, pluck, and the ability to work a mean push-mop.
The Space Quest games were the creation of Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy, and/or their in-game alter egos, “the Two Guys from Andromeda.” After adventure games were by and large supplanted by faster-paced games and first-person shooters, it seemed like we’d seen the last of Roger Wilco. Now, however, we may get the next-best thing: Crowe and Murphy have taken to Kickstarter to drum up funding for a brand-new space adventure. They’ve set a goal of raising $500,000 by June 12th, and they’re only $78,000 into that so far, so if you’re a die-hard Space Quest fan who’s been pining for the days of silly space adventure and/or swearing at that friggin’ slot machine in Ulence Flats, head on over and check it out. Hell, these guys provided my childhood with a huge number of laughs, so I figure I can drop some donations in the tin. Plus, as with all Kickstarter campaigns, the more you donate, the more snazzy stuff you get in return if the project goes forward.
Obviously, the Two Guys aren’t revealing tons of details at this stage, but they have posted a seven-minute video outlining the project.
The game is being developed for multiple platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, iPad, and Android tablets, all of which will be available on the day of release. Space Quest narrator and voice legend Gary Owens is already involved, as are well-known voice actors such as Rob Paulsen (Pinky from Pinky and the Brain) and Ellen McLain (GLaDOS from Portal). The Two Guys have also posted a list of project goals, in handy-dandy bullet-point form, and some concept art that makes the eight-year-old in me squeal with glee.
We fully intend to bring back every element that you guys loved from our original games! You’ve been very clear and concise as to what you enjoyed from our previous efforts. Here’s a short list of things you can expect if our project gets funded:
- A Sci-fi adventure from Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe working happily together as a team once again.
- Hilarious death sequences
- Tons of the fresh (and moldy) pop-culture references
- Fun and unique humor
- Art design and direction by Mark
- Dialog that will make you blow nostril Tang, written by Scott along with Mark
- Narration of all this by Gary Owens and the voice acting of other characters by the above mentioned quality industry voice talent
- Game music that will hopefully give you chills and wedge in your main orb for the rest of your natural Earth life and make you wish you lived inside your computer!
- A game that you will feel comfortable playing with your children, but with some entertainment that will safely appeal only to the adult psyche
Let’s make this happen, people. Give till it hurts! They deserve our money for the usage of the phrase “nostril Tang” alone!
