The Feeble Files

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The Feeble Files
The Feeble Files Coverart.png
Developer(s) Adventure Soft
Publisher(s) Adventure Soft
MacPlay
Director(s) Michael Woodroffe
Producer(s) Michael Woodroffe
Designer(s) Simon Woodroffe
Programmer(s) Alan Bridgman
Writer(s) Simon Woodroffe
Composer(s) David R. Punshon
Graham Crabb
Platform(s) Windows, Mac, Amiga, WarpOS
ReleaseJune 1997 [1]
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

The Feeble Files is an adventure video game about the adventures of an alien called Feeble. The game is a science fiction comedy, with a similar style of British humour to that of Adventure Soft's previous games, the Simon the Sorcerer series.

Contents

It was created and released in the UK in 1997 by Adventure Soft. e.p.i.c. interactive (now RuneSoft) created a Mac version in 2001 and an Amiga version in 2002 that were released in Europe. In 2002 the Mac version was released in the U.S.

The game was made available for DRM-free digital distribution from GOG.com in December 2008.

Gameplay

For interaction the game uses a point-and-click [2] navigation system synonymous with adventure games. The player is in control of the main character, Feeble, and must solve various puzzles to advance through the game and complete his quest. The player later gets the opportunity to use SAM, a robot with a penchant for genocide, to solve certain puzzles in the game. When using SAM the players cursor changes and different options are available to interact with objects in the environment, adding more depth to the gameplay.

At one point during the game the player must win several arcade games in order to advance, but these games use completely different gameplay methods and often proved to be difficult for players. In the end Adventure Soft released a saved game just after the arcade section to allow people to carry on playing.

The story and puzzles within the game are all of a linear nature.

Plot

The Feeble Files is loosely based on elements of the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell [2] which describes a government and society similar to Feeble's and features a protagonist with similar ambitions as Feeble's.

Characters

Institutions

Development

The game is presented in pre-rendered 2D graphics at a much higher resolution than the Simon the Sorcerer games series, but given the five-year gap between its original UK release and the US release there have been several claims that it looks dated. [3]

To bring Feeble's world to life several famous actors were recruited to provide the voices. Feeble was voiced by Robert Llewellyn from the BBC comedy Red Dwarf (after previously having co-star Chris Barrie as Simon the Sorcerer), and Blake's 7's Peter Tuddenham provides the voice for the Oracle.

Reception

In 2011, Adventure Gamers named The Feeble Files the 91st-best adventure game ever released. [8] The game was made compatible with ScummVM in version 0.9.1.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Blueprints - Feeble Files". PC Zone . No. 51. Dennis Publishing. June 1997. p. 71.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bidwell, Chris (30 August 2002). "The Feeble Files".
  3. ↑ "The Feeble Files". IGN.com. 30 August 2002. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  4. ↑ Altman, John (1997). "The Feeble Files". Computer Games Strategy Plus . Archived from the original on February 9, 2005.
  5. ↑ Guise, Tom (November 1997). "Reviews; The Feeble Files". Computer and Video Games (191): 80.
  6. ↑ Ricketts, Ed (November 1997). "Stringer". PC Gamer UK . No. 49. Archived from the original on May 23, 2002.
  7. ↑ Hill, Steve (September 1997). "Reviews; The Feeble Files". PC Zone (54): 90, 91.
  8. ↑ AG Staff (December 30, 2011). "Top 100 All-Time Adventure Games". Adventure Gamers . Archived from the original on June 4, 2012.
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