Analog Computing, #59

~3 minute read

Apr 1988

Panak strikes!

Stationfall

Steve Panak

Stationfall
by Steve Meretzky
INFOCOM
125 Cambridge Park Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
48K Disk $34.95

Infocom has a long history of innovation. Okay, so the company has only been around for about eight years. But in those years, as the first (and foremost) producers of interactive fiction, they have defined and refined this medium to perfection. And they've done so without resorting to sequels. Oh, there were the Zork and Enchanter trilogies, as well as the interactive version of Hitchhiker's Guide, but no true sequels. Until now.

Stationfall is the latest work by Steve Meretzky, whose twisted mind has given us such visions as Leather Goddesses of Phobos and Planetfall. Stationfall continues the adventure begun in the latter, promoting you to the rank of Lieutenant First Class and thrusting you headlong into an exciting life of paperpushing. In fact, your first mission requires you to travel to Space Station Gamma Delta Gamma 777-G 59/59 Sector Alpha-Mu-79 to pick up a load of Request for Stellar Patrol Issue Regulation Black Form Binders Request Form Forms. To lighten up this mission, you find yourself reunited with your old friend Floyd, a robot whose antics have made it one of Infocom's all-time favorite characters.

After solving (and surviving) the first in a series of entertaining and logical puzzles, you leave in a spacecraft with your loyal pal. Upon arriving at your destination -- a space station with a seedy colony attached -- you find the entire place deserted, except for a strange alien spacecraft and the mummified remains of one of its crew members. Upon further exploration, you discover another robot named Plato, and he and Floyd become what will probably be known as the greatest comedy team ever in interactive fiction. After hours of careful exploration and clever problem solving, you will (if you're lucky) discover the secret of the strange saucer.

The prose in this game is up to Infocom's high standards. Detailed descriptions of the various locations bring the story to life, while the interaction of the robots keeps the game lively. Floyd darts in and out of your screen, stealing scenes left and right. Plato is the perfect foil for his mischievous antics. The irrepressible Floyd is scrawling his name on a bulkhead one minute, staring out of the computer screen the next, defying infringement of the copyright notice.

Plato offers up his own brand of wisdom, commenting that the stubbed-toe-induced whimpering of Floyd is "...a reaction [which] will not reduce the level of pain." After tickling Floyd, the mishap is forgotten. But it's unlikely these characters will soon disappear from your memory -- or your computer's.

I found the space station and attached colony great fun to explore. The colony, a strange amalgamation of "Gunsmoke" and Star Wars, contains a large variety of small rooms, with many gadgets and devices. Some of the bad points are the unavailability of the X abbreviation for examine (I've grown accustomed to that abbreviation) and the repetitive nature of a lot of Floyd's activities. These are, of course, due to the limited memory of the machine. While it may seem lame when Floyd plays with his paddle ball for the umpteenth time, you can be sure that he will ultimately entertain you -- and possibly save your life.

The packaging continues the use of Infocom's new book-box. Included within the nested container are a technical manual (containing information on program operation), three forms, a Stellar Patrol Patch and blueprints of the space station. I found this latter packet to be most helpful, as I'm lazy and hate to draw maps. Unfortunately for me, the prints didn't contain a layout of the parasitic colony attached to the station. You'll have to carefully chart out its many dirty and winding alleys and corridors if you want any chance of escaping from them. Finally, a mail-in coupon allows you to experience Planetfall for a special price, if you've not already had the pleasure.

Generally, I don't like sequels. This is because, by their very nature, they cash in on (and ultimately degrade) the good name of their predecessors -- usually without delivering anything new. But Stationfall delivers a lot of "new," in the form of a great plot, setting and chaxacters. The main similarity between the two games is Floyd, your robot helper, and he ends up providing more than his share of entertainment. Fall into Stationfall and you'll have trouble climbing back out.

This article appeared in
Analog Computing
Apr 1988

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