Customer Reviews

Zork Nemesis

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although Zork: Nemesis lacked the humor of the Zork games (In fact this could have easily been an independant game if the designers tweaked a thing or two) it still is an excellent adventure game and will keep you entertained time and time again.

The game is about four alchemists who were trying to find the secret to immortality but were murdered by someone that they refer to as 'the nemesis'. Their spirits plead with you to restore their symbols and elements and bring them back to life so that they can complete their work and create the secret to immortality.

But things are not as they seem. As you travel through the realms of each of the alchemists you start to learn about their secrets and the true tale of how they met their fates. Its a story of love, a story of manipulation, a story of betrayal, and a story of perserverence. In my book, THAT is the kind of story that makes for a wonderful adventure.

True, its much darker than one expects from the Zork genre. There are no jokes about the Magician's guild, no throck spells or hunguses to turn inside-out, but it is still an amazingly deep and unique adventure game. If you get a chance to play this, please do! You won't regret it.

This is not your typical Zork game. The traditional Infocom Zork adventure is amusing and thought-provoking, and geek culture has certainly absorbed a fair bit of the fictional world of the Great Underground Empire. Zork is renowned as some of the most wonderful fluff ever coded.

Nemesis, however, is much more than an amusement. It provides a serious storyline with well acted movie clips; graphics that were stunning when the game was released, and are still not half bad a few years later; puzzles that will tie your brain in knots, and have you giggling maniacally once you see that the solution was staring you in the face; a gorgeous soundtrack; and stereo environmental sound, so that if you dim the lights and wear headphones, you feel truly immersed in this fictional world.

As a bonus, the creators have done serious research into their source materials. The "alchemy" presented in the game is entirely based on real, historical sources. Most of the artwork and diagrams on walls and in books throughout the game are scans of real-world documents. If you're an esoterica history buff like me, this will add greatly to your enjoyment of the game. If you like Umberto Eco, especially _Foucault's Pendulum_, then this game is for you. (And if you haven't read Umberto Eco... what's wrong with you?! You're at Amazon! Go look him up!)

Enough talk. Go play it already!

When I read other reviewer's comments about the humorlessness of this game relative to other Zork games, it made me feel like a real stick in the mud. I loved this game and never got through any of the other Zork games because of their obnoxious silliness.

This game is more in the style of Myst, Riven, Exile etc. You are tasked with solving puzzles to get to the end of this game. All are very tied in the overall theme of the "elements".

The graphics are wonderful and the story line is well contructed. The music is haunting. My teenager's found it scary.

This struck me as a well constructed game, well worth the time and effort and entertaining to boot.

If you liked Myst, Riven and Exile, or X-files Journeyman's projects, The Beast within or Blackstone's Chronicles you should enjoy this game.

Zork Nemesis is an absorbing adventure game in the tradition of Myst. You are immersed by music and beautiful graphics. In the game, a dark lord has risen and you are to stop this Nemesis. The puzzles are challenging and the sound effects and music are top notch and very atmospheric. Compared to other Zork games, this one is virtually humorless. The story is dark and depressing, but it doesn't keep it from being an unpleasant game. Zork Grand Inquisitor is much better, but this one is worth playing.

First of all, I have not played any of the other Zork games, so I cannot compare them to this one, like some other reviewers have done. That said, I think this game is great - really intricate with both it's story and design. This is a game you can play more than once, gaining more insight into the plot every time.
The game is set in five very different environments in which you try to free the four alchemists who are trapped under the control of the Nemesis, who seeks to use their power to his own ends. As you travel through these long-abandoned worlds you gain clues through letters and diaries, pictures, notes and flash-back sequences to the terrible events that followed, learning the tragic story of Lucien and Alexandria, two young people who fell in love when they shouldn't have.
The environments are perfectly rendered and the atmosphere of the entire game is spooky when you play it at night, and is topped off by it's subtle, but beautiful soundtrack.
On the whole it's a really well put-together game, with lots of mystery, intrigue and a big surprise ending.

This game is an amazing improvement over the less-than-stellar first attempt at a graphic-based Zork game, Return To Zork. The graphics remind me of a slightly-revamped Myst, and the acting is superb, although the video is rather low quality. It's also the first exploration game that I ever played which allows a 360 degree panoramic view, something I thought Riven should have used, and which Myst: Exile eventually perfected into a totally spherical view. The puzzles are very intruging, I especially like the music-based ones. The environments, music and atmosphere are genuinely evocative, and in some cases, extremely creepy. You will not sleep well after chopping heads off of dead bodies in the Gray Mountains Assylum while listening to the disembodied cries of the insane.

The plot involves several twists and turns, as you start out to help four alchemists and uncover some very dark pasts.

The only problem I find with this game is that, besides references to previous Zork games such as a portrait of Dimwit Flathead and the various place names, there's very little connecting it to the whole Zork universe. There isn't even an old brass lantern! It's a very serious game, similar to Myst, and not a fun, witty adventure through a fantasy land like Zork Zero. Never the less, I would really recommend it to anybody who's a fan of exploration games, this one will keep you occupied for good while.

If you have recently purchased the game or maybe it has been sitting around the house for a couple years and you never cared to play it till now like me then I highly recomend you play it now. This game is extremely fun and will challenge you. I think this game was better than return to zork and I have just purchased the Grand Iquisidor title. If you feel you are up to taking on the complex puzzles then I suggest you buy and play this game.

I loved this game so much, it is truly a classic, the graphics are wonderful, music amazing, and gameplay is fantastic, I wish that a sequel was made for this Zork game. I would get it if you can find this game anywhere. I highly recommend this game.

Continuing in the steps of the great adventure series of Myst comes this black sheep of the Zork series. First of all, I have never played a Zork game other than this, and I hear from others that the game is so tenuously linked to the Zork universe to not really be a member of the series. So there is no scoring on how "Zorkish" this game is. That said...

Graphics: For an older game with low requirements (my 486-100 ran it as good as my PII-350), they really are stunning. All the graphics are clear, emotionally stirring, and important to the game. There are some puzzles that can't *be* solved without examining a picture in detail so make sure you at least meet the minimum specs (which, again, aren't high).

Sound: I was a high school Junior playing this game in a well lit study, and the sound, story, and graphics combined to give me the worst feeling of dread I have ever had in my life. The sound brings out the chilling mystery of the game, and Alexandria's theme should be awarded a Grammy, IMHO.

Plot: The strongest point of the game. You'll first visit a masoleum where Alexandria pleads with you to help her. Then you'll enter the temple, where you'll find four people lying in their graves, being tormented by a being named the Nemesis. Your goal: figure out what happened. You must use the clues that you gather while trying to aid the alchemists to construct a picture of what has gone on in the Temple of Agrippa. My award for Best Plot Twist goes to Micheal Douglas's "The Game," but ZN takes a close second.

Gameplay: The 360 view gives you trouble when trying to look for information, but other than that, real smooth. Puzzles are inspired, and depend on logic, sight, and sound. be ready to keep a journal for the more important symbols (you're gonna learn a bit of alchemy here.).

Overall: This game still stands out from the crowd even so long after its release. Although the ending is weak, it really does provide for a good story and a GREAT time (even if you die!) I recommend you find and buy it, because no matter how much you pay, it is worth it.

this game rules I love it graphics are fantastic music fantastic, I love this one