Drowned God

Drowned God: A Mysterious Journey Through Time

Imagine a world where history is not just what you read in textbooks but a complex web of secrets and lies, all orchestrated by extraterrestrial beings. That’s the premise behind Drowned God: Conspiracy of the Ages, a 1996 science fiction adventure game that takes players on an epic journey through time and space.

The Game’s Concept

Developed by Epic Multimedia Group and published by Inscape, this game proposes that human history has been manipulated to cover up the truth about alien intervention. Players must uncover this hidden truth by traveling to various worlds, interacting with historical and fictional characters, and solving intricate puzzles.

The Great Flood and the Knights Templar

According to the game’s narrative, an ancient civilization was lost in a great flood, and only the Knights Templar preserved forbidden knowledge before its destruction. The Philadelphia Experiment opened a gateway into another dimension, freeing aliens known as “the Legion.” This setup creates a thrilling backdrop for players to explore.

The Bequest Globe

Players inherit a device called the Bequest Globe, which displays past lives and provides information about the next task. The game requires you to enter four worlds named after sefirot on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life to recover lost artifacts. Each world offers unique challenges and puzzles that must be solved to progress.

Using Tarot Cards

The game uses Tarot cards to unlock new areas and gain information about the true history of the world. After recovering three lost artifacts, including the Ark of the Covenant (which takes the form of a nuclear warhead), players choose one of three endings based on their actions in the Bequest Globe’s chambers.

Gameplay Mechanics

The game features a point-and-click interface and first-person perspective. Puzzles range from memory games, mazes, and competitions against computer-controlled opponents to more complex tasks that require careful thought and exploration of the game world.

Navigating the Game World

Players must navigate and interact with different parts of the screen using various mouse cursors depending on the action. Cutscenes provide background information and advance the storyline, making each moment count in this intricate adventure.

The Development Behind Drowned God

The development of Drowned God began in 1994 when Harry Horse conceived an ancient planet-wide conspiracy story. Initially, the manuscript was passed off as genuine but was later discovered to be a hoax. Horse held onto his ideas for over a decade before deciding to use them to create a point-and-click adventure game inspired by Myst.

Collaboration and Production

Horse worked with Inigo Orduna and Anthony McGaw for six months designing the game, then collaborated with artists and modelers until completion. Producer Algy Williams hired puzzle expert Chris Maslanka, sculptor Greg Boulton, and music duo Miasma to create the game. The game was released on October 31, 1996, for Windows 95 and sold 34,000 copies in its first two weeks.

Reception and Legacy

Drowned God received mixed reviews, with some praising its ideas and imagery while criticizing audio, puzzles, and execution. The game’s visuals, graphics, and references to various subjects like Egyptian mythology and The Man in the Iron Mask were well-received, but dialogue was difficult to hear, and the soundtrack was overused and not impressive.

Broady thought the navigation was confusing and required revisiting locations multiple times. GameSpot considered it a disappointment, calling it a “mediocre Myst clone.” Entertainment Weekly said it tried to be too many things, while Deseret News had mixed feelings, calling it both “clever and deep” and “frustrating and difficult.”

Despite its flaws, Drowned God managed to intrigue players with its complex narrative and challenging puzzles. Its legacy lives on as a unique entry in the adventure game genre, offering a blend of mystery, history, and science fiction that continues to captivate fans.