Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Auf Deutsch wäre echt gut , wenn es ein Update geben würde

Back to 80´s !!!! One of the best game ever!

TLDR: If it wasn’t one you grew up with, you probably won’t enjoy it without substantial assistance. [b][u]General Thoughts/Overview:[/u][/b] Zak McKracken (ZMK) is an ancient point and click, a direct ancestor to the Lucas Arts greats that followed it. Tech was evolving rapidly at the time, and this game sits at a moment of evolution. For all its charm, it was quickly surpassed and seems to have largely been forgotten or ignored, I suspect largely due to the run ending soft-locking flaws preventing progress. Initially, we are Zak (but later the cast expands), and we’re a reporter for a trashy tabloid setting out to make our living. Little do we know we’re about to stumble into the greatest adventure of our life. But before we get abducted, let’s dig down and have a closer look at this ancient artefact. [b][u]Pros:[/u][/b] [list][*] Even a game as old as this has multiple ways to solve a bunch of the puzzles… It puts a lot of modern games to shame with the sheer variety, and also the consequences, of different actions to achieve the same goal. [*] A lot of the humour and quirk of Lucas Arts games can still be seen here. The point and click genre really did have its day, and it’s sad that the storytelling and genre seems to be less beloved today. [*] No real handholding. You’re given basically nothing to go on at all. Nothing. And the game is better for it, dreams are important, scenes sometimes have meaning, and you’ll need an actual pen and paper to write some stuff down, or you’re stuffed later. [/list] [b][u]Cons:[/u][/b] [list][*] Right, the soft-locks are insane. I’m REALLY lucky I tried to explore everywhere I could before I properly settled into the problem solving, because it meant I saw before I’d properly begun, that it was possible to get soft-locked by travel costs. [*] The number of times I saw different things I could do, and then found out later which ones I needed to do, was very frustrating. It felt designed purely to eat up cash in order to soft-lock you. [*] The maze puzzles weren’t fun in the 90’s, they’re not fun now. I don’t mind a maze designed to halt progression until you have found a key to the path…. But ones designed purely to frustrate, relying on you to get lucky or be painfully methodical? Those aren’t good. [/list] [b][u]Suggested improvements:[/u][/b] [list][*] A skip button for the mazes, or a map somewhere you can copy. [*] A journal to store all the stuff you normally have to write by hand. [*] just make money infinite, so you don’t have to balance the resource. [/list] [b][u]Overall Recommendation:[/u][/b] Overall I don’t recommend ZMK. I think I’d feel differently if I’d grown up with it, I can see how it has all the hallmarks of a game I’d love… But I didn’t grow up with it, I found it in 2026, and frankly the modernisation of games has come so far mechanically that the game just feels bad to play. This isn’t a game for people who hate oldschool point and clicks. It isn’t for people who get frustrated easily, and it isn’t for people who need to be told explicitly what they need to do. This is a game designed for yesteryear, it’s from when respecting a players time wasn’t even a consideration. This is a game for the oldies, people who want to solve puzzles the hard way. This is a game for people who want to dig in and uncover the plot, with little to nothing to go on. This is a game for people who have time to mill through, and don’t mind restarting to optimise. And in 2026? I don’t think I recommend it in general, just if you fall into that golden oldie bracket. If you’re still interested, and new, and DO want to play, I recommend getting a guide for the maze sections as they’re extremely frustrating. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44852412/]My curator page[/url] with reviews by genre. In case you want to find more games, or even reviews, like this one.

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders foi o segundo Adventure point-and-click lançado pela LucasArts, ainda quando era chamada Lucasfilm Games, logo após Maniac Mansion. Admitidamente, esse é o jogo que eu menos tinha interesse de todo o catálogo deles, tendo iniciado ele e desistido ao longo dos anos. Dessa vez eu finalmente peguei a vibe do jogo e terminei ele, e por mais que tenha me divertido bastante, isso foi com algumas ressalvas que acho que vale a pena destacar. Primeiramente, esse jogo ainda segue a filosofia de design da empresa utilizada em Maniac Mansion, que permitia que o jogador não só morresse, mas também pudesse descartar objetos importantes ou fazer escolhas erradas e simplesmente ser impedido de terminar o jogo, os "softlocks" como são chamados hoje. Essa era uma prática comum em jogos Adventure antigos e jogos como um todo, e que foi aos poucos descontinuada, até mesmo por jogos futuros da empresa, mas que ainda está presente aqui, o que significa que ao jogar este jogo é fundamental ir salvando seu progresso em saves diferentes para voltar caso necessário. Dito isso, eu achei esse jogo bem menos punitivo do que Maniac Mansion, e não tive tantos problemas: a maior parte das ações erradas me pareceu óbvia, e uma vez que você sabe o que tem que fazer o jogo é rápido, eu achei o processo de experimentação e descoberta divertido. Em muitos aspectos esse jogo parece procurar evoluir as mecânicas apresentadas em Maniac Mansion, inclusive possuindo [spoiler]vários personagens jogáveis[/spoiler] também. O jogo também permite que o jogador viaje pelo mundo todo, inclusive tendo dinheiro e tendo que pagar pelas passagens de avião, parece um projeto bem ambicioso pra época. Os aspectos mais datados do jogo foram outros que eu não estava esperando, e que também são enraizados no game design do passado. O primeiro é que na época, o pacote do jogo vinha com um jornal escrito pelo personagem principal com diversas notícias absurdas, mas que na verdade funcionavam como "pistas" do que o jogador tem que fazer em diversos pontos do jogo. Na prática, esses puzzles são praticamente impossíveis e impensáveis se você não leu este jornal, então caso queiram jogar, se façam um favor e leiam ele, o PDF se encontra na pasta do jogo. Eu por sorte li e me achei, mas se não tivesse lido com certeza ia ficar frustrado e preso por horas. Mas o pior aspecto do jogo, mais chato do que qualquer outra coisa, são os vários labirintos nos diferentes locais, que apenas servem para aumentar artificialmente o tempo de jogo. A maior parte é inofensiva, mas alguns possuem mais de uma sala que você precisa acessar sem nenhum indicativo disso, o que me deixou preso por um tempo. Assim como o jornal, o jogo possui um PDF do livro de dicas na pasta do jogo, e dentro dele existem mapas desses labirintos. Eu recomendo bastante que usem eles, pois "resolver" os labirintos não é nem um pouco divertido e eles não contribuem muito para a experiência. No final, eu acabei gostando muito mais de Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders do que eu esperava: é uma história boba, leve e criativa, com diversos locais a serem explorados e com algumas mecânicas bem inventivas que eu não estava esperando. Ele é um produto datado, mas para quem não tiver problemas com isso, ou quem quiser jogar o catálogo completo da LucasArts assim como eu, eu com certeza recomendo ele. (Joguei fora da Steam então não aparece o tempo, mas eu levei entre um e dois dias para terminar ele, pode ser jogado em um final de semana tranquilamente.)

25 years later I unfortunately still remember the solutions to most riddles, so playing wasn't really a challenge. The game doesn't really come with a straightfoward quest progression. It won't tell you what to do next or what to do at all except for your very first assignment. In other point and click adventure like Maniac Mansion this isn't that much of a problem because you can explore the mansion without repercussion but in Zak McKraken you will run of money to buy plane tickets quickly. Here's some tips though, if you never play Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders: [list] [*]save often and don't overwrite your files (some dead ends you might only find out about later) [*]make sure to bring the chainsaw to mars [*]keep your Karma clean [/list]

Recommended because it's a sweet old game, but this release is pretty lazy. English only, even though the game was initialized translated to many languages. No Commodore 64 version, even though it was the original version. No 1988 PC version either.

Eines der besten Adventures seiner Zeit. Wer heute noch den Style mag, der hat an Zac McKracken noch immer seinen Spaß. Nach > 30 Jahren war es für mich ein Genuss, mich nochmal daran zu versuchen. Der Lösungsweg konnte ich aus der Erinnerung kramen - und musste mich wundern was ich mir alles behalten hab. Klar ist es es kein Adventure für den man mehre Tage benötigt. Aber allein wegen der Erinnerung war mir es wert.

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a classic point-and-click adventure originally developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by Lucasfilm, now distributed by Disney, and it stands as an important milestone in the early history of narrative-driven computer games. Released during a formative era for the genre, it helped establish many of the conventions that would later define adventure games, particularly those built on the SCUMM engine. While its age is unmistakable, Zak McKracken remains a fascinating blend of ambitious design, eccentric humor, and experimental storytelling that reflects both the creativity and limitations of late-1980s game development. The story follows Zak McKracken, a struggling tabloid journalist plagued by strange headaches and prophetic dreams, who soon discovers that Earth is under threat from a group of aliens attempting to suppress human intelligence. What begins as an absurd premise quickly expands into a globe-spanning conspiracy involving ancient civilizations, psychic powers, and long-standing mysteries drawn from fringe theories and pop culture speculation. The narrative leans heavily into parody, referencing real-world locations such as the pyramids, Stonehenge, and even Mars, while treating them with a tongue-in-cheek sincerity that gives the game its distinctive tone. Rather than unfolding in a tightly scripted manner, the story is discovered through exploration, environmental details, and the gradual piecing together of clues scattered across the world. Gameplay is rooted firmly in the traditional verb-based adventure format, where players issue commands like walking, picking up objects, talking to characters, and combining items to solve puzzles. Zak McKracken offers an unusually large world for its time, allowing players to freely travel between numerous countries and planets once they have the means to do so. This sense of freedom is both one of the game’s greatest strengths and one of its most challenging aspects. The open-ended structure encourages curiosity and experimentation, but it also means that progress can feel opaque, with puzzles that sometimes lack clear logical connections or rely on obscure solutions. Puzzle design in Zak McKracken is highly variable, ranging from clever and satisfying to frustratingly unintuitive. Some challenges reward lateral thinking and careful observation, while others hinge on very specific item usage or timing that can feel arbitrary to modern players. The game does not shy away from letting players fail, occasionally allowing situations where progress becomes impossible without realizing it immediately. This unforgiving approach reflects the era in which it was created, when adventure games often assumed repeated attempts, note-taking, and even external hints as part of the experience. Visually, the game’s pixel art is simple by today’s standards but rich in character. Environments are packed with odd details and visual jokes that reinforce the game’s quirky personality, and character animations, though limited, convey a surprising amount of expression. The color palette and layout of each location help distinguish the many areas players visit, giving the game a sense of scale and variety that was impressive at the time. Audio elements are minimal, but the music and sound effects that are present contribute to the game’s surreal and playful atmosphere. One of Zak McKracken’s defining qualities is its humor, which blends satire, absurdism, and cultural references into nearly every interaction. The jokes are often broad and unapologetically strange, poking fun at conspiracy theories, bureaucracy, and science fiction tropes. While some of this humor has aged better than others, it remains a key part of the game’s identity and charm. The writing reflects a willingness to be weird and experimental, something that later Lucasfilm Games titles would refine into more polished comedic storytelling. Playing Zak McKracken today, especially via modern platforms like Steam, is as much an act of historical appreciation as it is pure entertainment. Its mechanics can feel archaic, its puzzles occasionally exasperating, and its pacing uneven, yet these elements are inseparable from its legacy. The game represents a period when designers were still discovering how interactive storytelling could work, and its ambition often outweighs its flaws. For fans of classic adventure games, retro computing, or the evolution of game design, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders remains a memorable and influential experience that captures a unique moment in gaming history. Rating: 8/10