EN ROUTE TO THE CARIBBEAN · SINCE 1999
Lucasfilm Games / LucasArts · 1988
Before we begin
Zak writes for a tabloid newspaper, but the mystery he encounters surpasses all his inventions: someone wants to make humanity stupider. A journey through real places, fantastic archeology and four protagonists.
Adventure materials
- Italian solution · PDF ↗ [In Italian]
- Saves · ZIP
Saves and patches refer to the editions indicated in the names or descriptions. They are not copies of the full game.
Information, images and materials from the collection
The complete text can anticipate events in history. The compatibility information and requirements refer to the editions described.
© 1988 Lucas Film LTD
La seconda avventura grafica della Lucas. Una storia fantastica per un gioco indimenticabile, tassello essenziale della storia dei videogames.
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a graphic adventure published in 1988 by LucasArts (at the time known as Lucasfilm Games). It was the second game to use the SCUMM engine, after Maniac Mansion.
Originally published for the Commodore 64, it was later converted for the Amiga, Atari ST and PC, using EGA graphics. A further version was later developed for the Japanese FM Towns system with VGA graphics and CD music. The project was directed by David Fox with Matthew Kane as co-designer and programmer.
The game is evidently inspired by widespread theories about aliens, ancient astronauts and mysterious civilizations. The locations in which the game is set are favorites of this type of literature, such as the Egyptian pyramids, Lima, Stonehenge, Atlantis, a space cadillac with Elvis and even the Face of Mars. The New Age atmosphere of the game is quite evident: you meet a guru and a shaman, who hold the knowledge necessary to save the Earth. This choice is not accidental: David Fox, the creator and lead programmer, intended to create a more serious game and for this reason, during the design of the game, he spent a few days with David Spangler, a famous new age writer. Later in development, Ron Gilbert persuaded Fox to make it a little more comedic.
In the absence of an official sequel (with very low hope for this to happen in the future), numerous fans have attempted to create their own. The first attempt was The New Adventures of Zak McKracken by "LucasFan Games", containing the 256-color graphics from the Japanese version FM Towns, wallpapers from King of Fighters and some original art. The original version was notable for a perverse ending (concerning the protagonist and group sex). However this ending was soon changed. That sequel was quite short and limited, compared to the other two sequels (in production): Zak McKracken Between Time And Space, which will be released in late 2005, and Zak McKracken and the Alien Rockstars, in 2007.
- 640kb required
- 256 color VGA/MCGA
- adlib, soundblaster, internal speaker
- 3.5" disks
Project management:
David Fox
Subject and design:
David Fox, Matthew Kane, David Spangler, Ron Gilbert
Texts and programming:
David Fox & Matthew Kane
SCUMM Story System:
Ron Gilbert
Backdrops:
Martin Cameron
Character graphics and animations:
Gary Winnick
Music:
Matthew Kane
Sound:
Matthew Kane, Chris Grigg, David Warhol
Lead Tester:
Kris Kahn
Testers:
Judith Lucero, Leslie Edwards, Tim Partenfelder,
Packaging:
Steve Purcell (packaging and National Inquisitor illustrator), Paul Curtin (packaging design), Victor Cross (National Inquisitor writer)
