Spellcasting Collection Reviews

It's Larry Potter.

hmm way too 90s for me to understand any of it, but it was fun,

The Spellcasting Collection is a trilogy of classic text adventure titles, designed by Steve Meretzky during his run at Legend Entertainment. The games follow the antics of our plucky, nerdy protagonist Ernie Eaglebeak during his first three years at Sorcerer University. Meretzky actually had a fourth game (and beyond) planned, but market forces had other ideas, and text adventures succumbed to the combined might of more accessible point-and-click games and the Id Software juggernaut that would change PC gaming forever. Regardless, all three games are bona fide classics, full of clever puzzles and satirical wit. Despite predating Hogwarts by several years, the games are usually described as 'Harry Potter in his wild college years,' and that's fairly apt. The tone is more Terry Pratchett than J.K. Rowling, however, with Meretzky using an effective blend of classic fantasy elements and real-world satire. Peloria is a realm which features both mighty sea serpents and relatively modern cities, and much like Discworld, the combination works really well. The other frequent comparison point is the Leisure Suit Larry series. There's some inherent logic to that, as both games feature deliberately dorky protagonists carousing with women way out of their league. There are some notable differences, though, largely in tone. The quest for sex is the entire point of the Larry games, while in the Spellcasting games, it's more incidental. It's controversial sizzle, presumably added to make an aging format more marketable, and the sex scenes themselves are relatively tame. In fact, you have to turn on the 'naughty' mode in each game if you want to see most of that content at all. Many will likely prefer to keep the games in their default 'nice' mode, where the sex scenes are replaced with deliberately tongue-in-cheek, PG-rated activities. When I first played these games as a teenager, I of course turned on 'naughty' mode within seconds. But as a jaded adult, I find it funnier to help Ocarina finish a crossword puzzle instead of giving in to our baser urges. In a world where anyone can access high-definition streaming smut within seconds, it's unlikely anyone will be buying these games for the promise of VGA nudity. Spellcasting 101 is the most traditional fantasy epic of the three, and a terrific entry into the world of Peloria. While the game features some quality time at Sorcerer University, it eventually expands into an island-hopping adventure across a vast ocean. Most islands revolve around a unique theme or gameplay gimmick, be it a land where time runs backwards or, most infamously, trying to escape an army of lonely Amazons who aren't about to let the only man in town just waltz on out of there. The puzzle variety is terrific and helps keep the game fresh as you go along. My personal favorite is the Island Of Lost Soles, based on a curse where the 80 residents were transformed into objects representative of their real names. It's the perfect setting for getting a few people around the keyboard to help each other figure out every last name. ("Okay, so it's a bunch of logs lined up end to end... Timber, no, that's not a common name... uh, Loggy? Lumbro? Wood.... WOODROW! GAH, FINALLY!") It also has a terrific endgame, featuring multiple 'brick jokes' that land beautifully and a delightfully silly showdown. 201 is my favorite of the three games, although much of that is for personal reasons. (Due to circumstances I can't even begin to remember, it's the only game of the three I didn't play when it first came out, so I ended up playing it several years later when I was actually IN college and it resonated more as a result.) Most of the game takes place on the Sorcerer University campus, giving it a much more intimate atmosphere than 101 had. The game is also much more structured, with each day centered around Ernie trying to complete (and survive) an increasingly absurd hazing ritual in his quest to join the Hu Delta Phart fraternity. (Alas, as the series ended prematurely, we never did find out who dealt said phart. It shall forever remain a tantalizing mystery that confounds our finest academics.) The plot ends up thickening, as you might expect, and Ernie must use both his wits and the mysterious Sorcerer's Appliance to save the day. An Appliance that, incidentally, allows you to eventually design and create your own dream woman that does just about anything you tell her to. Named Eve. *Awkward cough.* Some people may take issue with this, so I figured I should include this aspect of the game as fair warning. While Meretzky periodically flirts with bad taste (and occasionally open-mouth kisses it), I don't think his intent was to offend. Still, if Eve vexes you for religious or political reasons, I totally get it. '301' is the sleekest entry of the three, largely sidelining the fantasy elements of the series to deliver what is essentially a text adventure take on those 'beer and babes' comedies that helped fill out Cinemax's programming schedule back in the nineties. The Pharts show up to Spring Break for a good time, but wouldn't you know it, they run afoul of the big lugs of a rival school. Then, in record 'excuse plot' time, a lady appears and instantly sets up a series of contests between the two fraternities, which everyone readily accepts because let's just get this game's core premise going already. What follows is delightful nerd vs. jock shenanigans, with a backdrop of skewering Spring Break culture and the tacky resort trappings that go along with it. Many will likely gravitate to '301' out of the three games, as the bright and colorful setting is instantly appealing, and it's the only game in the series with a full (and largely terrific) soundtrack. And when you leave the 24-hour party of the resort area and explore the fringes of Fort Naughtytail, the melancholy music and largely abandoned locations provide a lovely mood contrast that makes for a wonderful overall experience. While it's a shame that the series ended early, '301' is a great swan song. Heck, is the series REALLY over? This is the crowd-funding era, where nothing truly dies so long as people have both nostalgia and disposable income. Someone turn on the Meretzky Signal! It's obvious that I love this series; the more pressing question is whether YOU will. First, you obviously have to enjoy the text adventure game genre. The series spruces up the format with quality artwork and some nice musical flourishes, but many will find it hard to go from playing games where you fight gloriously rendered alien warriors in intense 60 FPS combat, to having to retype a command because you misspelled 'pomegranate.' Granted, the indie market and the success of deliberately retro video games have probably made the world slightly safer for more old-fashioned design. The trickier bit might be the copy protection involved in all three games. You see, before there was DRM, game publishers used more archaic measures to try and ward off piracy, usually based around hard-copy printed material included in the game box which contained information you'd need at key points of the game to progress. The Spellcasting games are no different, and there's no way to "fix" this, as the copy protection elements are woven (often quite elegantly) into the structure of the game. This collection DOES come with quality scans of all of the essential goodies, but I had to dig through the file directories on my PC to unearth them. But I think it's worth the effort. For $6, I say give it a shot. And try to avoid the temptation of the included hint books as long as you can. (But read them eventually; they're great!) As long as we understand what it is, I think nostalgia is a lovely thing indeed.