Return of the Phantom

Last updated
Return of the Phantom
Return of the Phantom cover.png
Developer(s) MPS Labs
Publisher(s) MicroProse
Producer(s) Matt Gruson
Designer(s) Raymond Benson
Programmer(s) Brian Reynolds
Artist(s) Kenn Nishiuye
Writer(s) Raymond Benson
Composer(s) Michael Bross
Platform(s) MS-DOS
Release1993
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Return of the Phantom is a point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by MicroProse in 1993. It was produced by Matt Gruson and designed/written by future James Bond novelist Raymond Benson. It is based on the 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.

Contents

The game was the second graphical adventure game developed by MicroProse, following Rex Nebular and preceding Dragonsphere . It was developed using the MicroProse Adventure Development system, and made use of 256-colour graphics. A CD version featuring full voices for the characters was also released.

Plot

The Palais Garnier is in the midst of the world premiere of Don Juan Triumphant when the enormous chandelier adorning the domed ceiling of the auditorium plunges into the middle of the stalls and kills several members of the audience. The player takes the role of Raoul Montand, a detective from the Sûreté and patron of the Opera. The manager, Monsieur Brie, suspects the Phantom may be the cause and has Raoul investigate. Raoul encounters the leading actress of the show, Christine Florent, who has received a note from the Phantom which threatens her. Some time later, Christine is found strangled by the Phantom. Raoul goes to the catwalk where the Phantom appears and pushes him off the edge. Then, he awakens to find himself transported back in time to the year 1881 where he is mistaken for the Viscount Raoul de Chagny.

During a production, Erik captures Christine Daaé. After a great deal of work and exploring, Raoul enters the Phantom's lair and rescues Christine, but the Phantom appears once more and re-captures Christine. Raoul climbs to the chandelier and does battle with the Phantom, eventually causing the chandelier to fall and kill both men. Raoul awakens back in his own time, where none of the events related to the Phantom seem to have taken place, but before the credits begin the Phantom's shadow is seen behind him.

Characters

Reception

QuestBusters called Return of the Phantom "a high quality game with few bugs" and praised the game for having used professional actors, a designer with real-world experience in Broadway theatre, and an original "Bach inspired" score. The magazine wrote that "Micro Prose uses their own unique adaptation of the classical animation overlaying process, producing a very life-like final animation video. Numerous digitized sound effects round off the experience." [1]

Computer Gaming World in October 1993 called the game's plot "gripping" and "intriguing". While criticizing the slow movement speed and lack of keyboard shortcuts, and the game "offering only 12 to 18 hours of gaming for the average player" given the US$69.95(equivalent to $131.21 in 2021) price, it praised the rotoscoped animation—"as fluid and lifelike as that of any computer product to date"—and "rich and full" music. The magazine concluded that Phantom was best suited for those who preferred story over puzzles, especially at a lower price. It criticized the CD-ROM version as "a disappointment" for "unspiring vocals and slow [CD] access". [2] In April 1994 the magazine said that the CD version "needed more rehearsals prior to release". While preferable to the floppy version "the vocal talent leaves much to be desired", and with no added lip movement animation the game resembled "a poorly subtitled foreign film". [3] Power Unlimited gave the game a score of 70% writing: "Return of the Phantom is a great adventure for beginners. It also looks good, so it can easily keep your attention. It is a pity that the story and the sound are not much." [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> 1909 novel by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, and by an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz. It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1986 musical) 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (2004 film) 2004 film

The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 musical romantic drama film based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1910 French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber and directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Gerard Butler in the title role, with Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver, and Jennifer Ellison in supporting roles.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1925 film) 1925 American silent horror film

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney in the title role of the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star. The film remains most famous for Chaney's ghastly, self-devised make-up, which was kept a studio secret until the film's premiere. The picture also features Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland, John St. Polis and Snitz Edwards. The last surviving cast member was Carla Laemmle, niece of producer Carl Laemmle, who played a small role as a "prima ballerina" in the film when she was about 15 years old. The film was released on September 6, 1925, premiering at the Astor Theatre in New York. The film's final budget was $632,357.

Carlotta (<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>) Character from The Phantom of the Opera

Carlotta is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. She is the leading soprano at the Paris Opera House who is criticised by the narrator and the Phantom for the lack of emotion in her performances.

<i>Phantom of the Opera</i> (Ken Hill musical) 1976 musical by Ken Hill

Phantom of the Opera is a musical with book and lyrics by Ken Hill. It is the first musical adaptation of the 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, about the hideously disfigured Phantom's amorous obsession with the magnificent, naïve singer, Christine. Hill wrote the original English lyrics to the music of Verdi, Gounod, Offenbach, Mozart, Weber, Donizetti, and Boito. It premiered in Lancaster, Lancashire, England, in 1976 and had a West End production in 1991.

<i>Phantom</i> (Kay novel)

Phantom is a 1990 novel by Susan Kay, based on the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel The Phantom of the Opera. It is a biography of the title character Erik.

<i>The Phantom of Manhattan</i>

The Phantom of Manhattan is a 1999 novel by British writer Frederick Forsyth, written as a sequel to the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.

There have been many literary and dramatic works based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera, ranging from stage musicals to films to children's books. Some well known stage and screen adaptations of the novel are the 1925 film and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ; Susan Kay's 1990 Phantom is one of the best known novels and includes in-depth study of the title character's life and experiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madame Giry</span> Fictional character

Madame Giry is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. She is a fairly intermediate character in the novel, although her role is much increased in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Madame Giry is also a character in the 2010 musical Love Never Dies, a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera.

<i>Dragonsphere</i> 1994 video game

Dragonsphere is a point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by MicroProse in 1994. It has graphics which were considered high-quality at the time it was published, considered a novelty. It is still a cult classic for many.

Meg Giry is one of the fictional characters from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera. In the story, she is Madame Giry's oldest daughter.

Erik (<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>) Fictional character

Erik is the title character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, best known to English speakers as The Phantom of the Opera. The character has been adapted to alternative media several times, including in the 1925 film adaptation starring Lon Chaney, the 1943 remake starring Claude Rains and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

"The Phantom of the Opera" is a song from the 1986 stage musical of the same name. It was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics written by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, and additional lyrics by Mike Batt. The song was originally recorded by Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley, which became a UK hit single in 1986, prior to the musical. In its theatrical debut, it was sung by Brightman and Michael Crawford in their roles as Christine Daaé and the Phantom.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1998 film) 1998 Italian film

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1998 Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento, adapted from the 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. However, there are many differences between the book and the film.

The Persian is a major character from the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel The Phantom of the Opera. In the book he is the one who tells most of the background of Erik's history. Erik refers to him as the "daroga" and his memoirs are featured in five chapters of the novel. He is also considered Erik's only friend.

Kimilee Karyn Bryant is an American actress, singer and former Miss South Carolina. Bryant is best known for playing the role of Christine Daaé in the Broadway and other productions of The Phantom of the Opera, and later the role of Carlotta in the same musical. She has sung at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and played many roles in U.S. regional theatres and opera, including at New York City Center with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. She has also performed in cabaret, film and television.

<i>Love Never Dies</i> (musical) 2010 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Love Never Dies is a romantic musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Lloyd Webber, Ben Elton, Frederick Forsyth, and Slater. It is a sequel to the long-running 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera and was loosely adapted from Forsyth's 1999 novel The Phantom of Manhattan.

The Phantom of the Opera, an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Gaston Leroux, is an audio drama created by Big Finish Productions for BBC Radio 7, broadcast in December 2007.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall</i> 2011 British film

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall is a 2011 British concert film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, which in turn was based on the 1910 French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.

References

  1. Giovetti, Al C (September 1993). "Return of the Phantom". QuestBusters. p. 6. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  2. Miller, Chuck (October 1993). "Chasing Down An Organ Donor". Computer Gaming World. p. 20. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. "Invasion Of The Data Stashers". Computer Gaming World. April 1994. pp. 20–42.
  4. "Power Unlimited Game Database". powerweb.nl (in Dutch). November 1994. Archived from the original on September 9, 2003. Retrieved December 4, 2022.