- Making of phantasmagoria game movie#
- Making of phantasmagoria game software#
- Making of phantasmagoria game professional#
The display shows a close-up image that can be turned in multiple directions.
On the right side is a red button with a picture of a closed eye, which displays any inventory item that the user drags to the button. On the left side of the interface is a red skull button, which the user can click to receive hints. A fast-forward button, located above the options button, allows the user to skip past cinematic scenes. A chapter gauge on this screen conveys how much progress remains in a given chapter. In the middle of the inventory slots is a "P" button that brings up an options screen, allowing the player to save or restore games, change the game screen to full- or half-size, control the volume, or switch between a censored version of the game and uncensored one, with more graphic content. Adrienne can only hold eight items at once, and each black slot can contain an image of an item that the user can click on to retrieve or use within the game. The user interface is a screen surrounded by a stone border, with buttons and eight inventory slots along the bottom.
If an object is small enough that it can be easily missed, a pulsing glow occasionally surrounds it to draw attention to it. Objects in the game can be picked up by clicking on them or interacting with them in a film sequence, after which the item automatically goes into the inventory. Once the action has been completed, the cursor will not turn red again.
The cursor turns red when it passes over an area where the user can click to perform an action. The mouse cursor is always an arrow, unlike in most earlier Sierra On-Line games, in which the cursor could be changed to represent different functions (like walk, hand, and eye) by right-clicking. The game includes only four mouse commands: look (which changes to "talk to" when selecting a person), pick up item, use item, and walk. The camera angles and rooms change depending on where the player moves Adrienne. The player can click certain areas of the screen to control her movements or make her explore specific places and objects. In this single-player game, the player controls protagonist Adrienne Delaney, who is always on the screen.
Making of phantasmagoria game movie#
The game was made when interactive movie games were at the peak of their popularity, with the release of such popular computer games as Wing Commander III and Under a Killing Moon. Phantasmagoria is a point-and-click adventure game that features live-action actors and cinematic footage, both during scenes between the gameplay and within the three-dimensional rendered environments of the game itself. A sequel, Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, was released in 1996, although Williams was not involved. CompUSA and other retailers declined to carry it, religious organizations and politicians condemned it, and it was banned altogether in Australia. The game drew controversy, particularly due to a rape scene. It received positive to mixed reviews, earning praise for its graphics and suspenseful tone, but received criticism for its slow pacing and easy puzzles. Released on seven discs after multiple delays, Phantasmagoria was a financial success, grossing $12 million in its opening weekend and becoming one of the best-selling games of 1995. The company willingly submitted it to a ratings system, and included a password-protected censoring option within the game to tone down the graphic content. Sierra stressed it was intended for adult audiences.
Making of phantasmagoria game professional#
A professional Hollywood special effects house worked on the game, and the musical score includes a neo- Gregorian chant performed by a 135-voice choir. While most games at the time featured 80 to 100 backgrounds, Phantasmagoria includes more than 1,000. Though originally budgeted for US$800,000, the game ultimately cost $4.5 million to develop, and it was filmed in a $1.5 million studio Sierra built specifically for the game.ĭirected by Peter Maris, the game features a cast of 25 actors, all performing in front of a blue screen. It took more than two years to develop and four months to film. More than 200 people were involved in the making of Phantasmagoria, which was based on Williams' 550-page script, about four times the length of an average Hollywood screenplay.
Making of phantasmagoria game software#
Williams had long planned to design a horror game, but waited eight years for software technology to improve before doing so.