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Phantasmagoria (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Phantasmagoria was a notable outing for designer Roberta Williams
, best known for her family games like the King's Quest
series. Featuring graphic gore, violence, and a rape
scene, the game stirred controversy over age restrictions and target audiences in the maturing game industry. It was banned in Australia, while CompUSA
and other major retailers simply refused to carry it. The game was never banned in Germany but had an 18-Rating. Phantasmagoria was Sierra's best-selling game in 1995 and one of the best-selling PC games of the year.
The game was met with mixed reviews upon release. Reviewer Arinn Dembo
writing for Computer Gaming World
gave the game 4 and a half (out of 5) stars, and the game received an Editor's Choice Award; Computer Game Review
(now defunct) applauded Phantasmagoria with its Golden Triad Award. Jeff Sengstack of GameSpot
, however, gave Phantasmagoria a 6.0 "Fair" rating and commented that "experienced adventurers will find Phantasmagoria generally unchallenging, the characters weak, the violence over-the-top, and the script just lame."
Phantasmagoria was also ported to the Sega Saturn
. This version, exclusively targeted at Japan, was developed and released by Outrigger Corporation in 1997. Renamed Phantasm, it featured eight CDs and was fully translated and dubbed into Japanese. A boxed set of both Phantasmagoria games was released in 1999, called Phantasmagoria Stagefright.
.
In a 2006 interview, Roberta Williams cited Phantasmagoria as the game most representative of her game design career.
On 11 February 2010, Good Old Games re-released Phantasmagoria for sale by digital download
.
Roberta Williams
Roberta Williams is an American video game designer. She is most famous for her pioneering work in graphical adventure games, particularly the King's Quest series.-Career:...
, best known for her family games like the King's Quest
King's Quest
King's Quest is an adventure game series created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following the success of its first installment, the series was primarily responsible for building the reputation...
series. Featuring graphic gore, violence, and a rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
scene, the game stirred controversy over age restrictions and target audiences in the maturing game industry. It was banned in Australia, while CompUSA
CompUSA
CompUSA is a retailer and reseller of consumer electronics, technology products and computer services. Its headquarters are in Miami, Florida.Until its reorganization, CompUSA, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Commercial Corp S.A.B...
and other major retailers simply refused to carry it. The game was never banned in Germany but had an 18-Rating. Phantasmagoria was Sierra's best-selling game in 1995 and one of the best-selling PC games of the year.
The game was met with mixed reviews upon release. Reviewer Arinn Dembo
Arinn Dembo
Arinn Dembo, born , is an American author currently living and writing in British Columbia, Canada. Dembo is best known for her work with Vancouver-based Kerberos Productions, where she is Lead Writer and has worked on the background fiction for the Sword of the Stars series and Fort Zombie...
writing for Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
gave the game 4 and a half (out of 5) stars, and the game received an Editor's Choice Award; Computer Game Review
Computer Game Review
Computer Game Review was a print magazine covering both computer gaming, and at the time upper end video gaming. Also known as Computer Game Review and 16-Bit Entertainment, and then later as Computer Game Review and CD-Rom Entertainment.Reviews typically consisted of a short, impartial synopsis of...
(now defunct) applauded Phantasmagoria with its Golden Triad Award. Jeff Sengstack of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, however, gave Phantasmagoria a 6.0 "Fair" rating and commented that "experienced adventurers will find Phantasmagoria generally unchallenging, the characters weak, the violence over-the-top, and the script just lame."
Phantasmagoria was also ported to the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
. This version, exclusively targeted at Japan, was developed and released by Outrigger Corporation in 1997. Renamed Phantasm, it featured eight CDs and was fully translated and dubbed into Japanese. A boxed set of both Phantasmagoria games was released in 1999, called Phantasmagoria Stagefright.
Legacy
Although Roberta Williams was asked by Sierra to produce a third game in the series, no further titles were produced after the next game, Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of FleshPhantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, also known as Phantasmagoria 2 and released as Phantasmagoria II: Fatal Obsessions in some European countries, is a full motion video based game released in 1996 by Sierra Entertainment...
.
In a 2006 interview, Roberta Williams cited Phantasmagoria as the game most representative of her game design career.
On 11 February 2010, Good Old Games re-released Phantasmagoria for sale by digital download
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
.
External links
- Interview with Roberta Williams, Adventure Classic Gaming
- Review of Phantasmagoria
- Interview with Stan Liu of Kronos Digital, at GameCritics.com
- Interview with Lorelei Shannon, at La Aventura es la Aventura