Wrath of the Gods

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Introduction

By Kim Goeller

What is an Interactive Adventure Game?

Adventure games have a few things in common. There

is usually a quest or ultimate mystery to unravel, and the

person on the quest is often the character controlled by the

player. Generally there are obstacles, challenges, and puzzles

that the player must contend with in order to fulfill his or

her quest. Wrath of the Gods combines many of the features

of an adventure game with stories from Greek mythology.

Players take the role of a prince who is on a quest to regain

his birthright. In the course of playing Wrath of the Gods you

will:
steal the Golden Fleece from a fire-breathing dragon, fly

like Icarus with wings of wax and feathers, charm Cerberus,

outsmart the Cyclops, and encounter many other challenges

and puzzles from the Greek myths.

As is typical with interactive games, in Wrath of the

Gods the player will be collecting objects and gathering clues

along the way—nothing should be ignored. Each screen is

a different cinematic scene. Wrath of the Gods is non-linear,

meaning you are free to go through rooms and solve puzzles

in any order you want (within reason; some puzzles require

that others be solved first). As you acquire appropriate

inventory, you will roam the ancient terrain, interact with

mythical characters, and try to solve a multitude of puzzles

and dilemmas.

Who is “Our Hero”?

In addition to reading about the heroic exploits of

Hercules, Jason, Perseus, and others, you relive these

adventures in Wrath of the Gods. Instead of playing a specific

Greek hero, you play the role of an aspiring hero-to-be.

“Our Hero” is a composite of many of the heroes of Greek

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mythology, and you will face a combination of the various

challenges they faced.

How Do You “Win”?

The player begins Wrath of the Gods with 100 points, and

additional points are awarded when puzzles and challenges

are solved. Players who solve every puzzle and successfully

meet each challenge (without consulting the Oracle for hints)

will finish the game with 500 points. Although there is a

point system, Wrath of the Gods was designed to encourage

experimentation and risk. Trial and error will solve a lot

of puzzles and ultimately provide a context for the stories

themselves. In contrast to many other graphic adventure

games, death is not the end of the road in Wrath of the Gods.

Instead, you will end up in Hades or on Mount Olympus

when you make a “mistake.” Your adventure will continue

in the Underworld or atop Olympus as you interact with

mythological characters who offer you clues to solve the

particular puzzles that resulted in your demise.

Our Hero

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Basic Story Line of Wrath of the Gods

The introduction (accessed from the start-up screen)

depicts Our Hero’s early childhood and sets up the narrative

framework for the program. Like many of the Greek heroes,

Our Hero was abandoned at birth as the result of an oracle’s

prophecy, but he was taken in and cared for by a centaur who

raised him to manhood. Later in the game, Our Hero will meet

up with his grandfather and eventually rescue his mother from

evil King Minos. She then sends him on to find his true father.

The narrative does not get in the way of the player’s freedom

to decide what action to take at any moment in the game, and

many adventures are unrelated to the quest. The narrative

serves primarily to draw the player through the game.

At the start of the adventure, Our Hero is about to

embark on a quest to discover his identity and reclaim his

birthright. From this point, you will guide Our Hero through

ancient Greece.

About This Guide

On the following pages, you will find a version of the

shooting script that was used to create Wrath of the Gods. To

make the characters of Greek mythology come alive, the

co-designers Jeff Cretcher and Joel Skidmore videotaped

costumed actors on an empty stage and then digitally

composited in backgrounds from photographs taken in Greece.

They used the original version of this script as their guide for

the video shoot and also for the computer programming of

the game itself. Later, when Marty Beckers was updating the

program so that it would run on the latest computers, he made

sure that the script exactly matches the experience of the game.

And we've added some of the background information written

by Joel that is available in the “Info Space” during gameplay.

Therefore this guide serves as a handy tool for learning about

the Greek myths while tracking your progress through the

game—with something like the omniscient perspective of a

god of Greek mythology!

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Introductory Movie

THE STORMY HEIGHTS OF MOUNT OLYMPUS serve as

the backdrop for the opening narration. Olympus (oh-LIMpus)

is an actual mountain in northern Greece, rising to

multiple peaks of over 9000 feet. In mythology, it was the

home of the supreme gods, who lived there in a beautiful

castle and were known as the Olympians. The narration

refers to the Greek Dark Age, which followed the prehistoric

Heroic Age and lasted from about 1200 BC to 800 BC. “Winedark

sea” is a phrase from Homer, traditionally a blind

minstrel who composed the first two great works of Western

literature, the epic poems known as The Iliad and The

Odyssey.

NARRATOR:

Back before the Age of Darkness, when the gods

of Olympus held sway upon the earth and ruled

the wine-dark sea; when the deities involved

themselves in the affairs of humankind and a

mortal might aspire to be larger than life…

THE SCENE SHIFTS TO MYCENAE (my-SEE-nee), a kingdom

of the Heroic Age.

NARRATOR:

(continues)

…a child was born to the Princess of Mycenae.

FADE UP on a bedroom: a young mother, Dione (dye-OH-nee),

leans over her infant’s cradle. The King enters and kneels.

He extends his finger toward the Baby.

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KING:

And how is my grandson today?

The Baby grabs the King’s finger.

KING:

Growing stronger I perceive. Surely the father

is some great hero. Why won’t you tell me his

name, my daughter?

Dione silently averts her gaze.

KING:

Be that as it may, the time has come to consult the

Oracle of Delphi. It’s not every day that a child is

born into the royal house.

FADE OUT:

FADE UP ON THE SANCTUARY OF DELPHI (DEL-fye). The

Oracle addresses the King, who stands with Dione and the

Baby. Oracles were spokespersons for the divine, who often

answered questions in riddles. The greatest was at Delphi.

ORACLE:

Within your lifetime, oh High King of Mycenae,

this child shall rule in your place.

KING:

Rule in my place? Never!

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