With the sudden passing of friend and fellow Sierra On-Line fan, Roberta Vaughan, I decided that now might be the best time to revisit The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line. I am in the process of further exploring various memories of Sierra On-Line. Everything from Space Quest to You Don't Know Jack. From Police Quest to 3-D Ultra Pinball. From King's Quest to Quest for Glory. Today, we will be exploring Torin's Passage. Al Lowe's first family friendly game since The Black Cauldron.
The New Treasure of the Sierra On-Line (Torin's Quest 1)
Worlds within await in this charming children's adventure from the dirty mind of Al Lowe.
"I had not as yet ventured to take a glimpse down the horrible abyss into which in a few minutes more I was about to plunge. The fatal moment had, however, at last arrived. I had still the option of refusing or accepting a share in this foolish and audacious enterprise. But I was ashamed to show more fear than the eider-duck hunter. Hans seemed to accept the difficulties of the journey so tranquilly, with such calm indifference, with such perfect recklessness of all danger, that I actually blushed to appear less of a man than he!"
-A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
My thirst for Sierra On-Line adventure games knew no end. Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness certainly kept me busy for awhile. But after exploring seemingly every nook and cranny of Mordavia, I was ready for a new adventure. The selection of Sierra On-Line adventures at my local retailers was becoming fewer and far between. The 1990s were nearing their end, and a whole new generation of games were suddenly taking their place. The fancy new 3D Donkey Kongs, the Half-Lifes, the Tomb Raiders.
As I browsed through the growing selection of games, I happened to glance past a big box computer game with the signature Sierra label at the bottom. I quickly turned around and looked at the box more closely. I initially mistook it for another King's Quest game. The art on the cover was somewhat similar. The title of this game was Torin's Passage. A brand new adventure series from Sierra On-Line. The box cover promised a challenging quest through nested worlds.
Torin's Passage (Front of Box)
Courtesy of The Sierra Chest
On the back of the box, there were more than a few bullet points about this new game. "Travel to 5 unique worlds within worlds, with dozens of outrageous characters and humor," "Amazing multi-plane scrolling backgrounds, plus thousands of cels of hand-drawn animation," "A funny, fascinating story from the mind of Al Lowe, full of comical twists and surprises." I was indeed surprised. Seeing Al Lowe's name attached to what appeared to be a game suitable for children. Al Lowe was the creator of the Leisure Suit Larry series, and they were some of the most raunchy games of their time. I nearly hesitated before making my way to the store checkout. I had another Al Lowe game in my hands, and I felt so dirty inside.
Thankfully, those feelings quickly subsided, and I added Torin's Passage to my growing collection of Sierra On-Line games. As it would turn out, the game was nowhere near as filthy as Leisure Suit Larry, but it did however retain some of Al Lowe's sense of humor. It was just far more subtle. More nuanced. The hand-drawn animation promised on the back of the box was unlike anything I had witnessed in a video game at the time. It was like a living, breathing cartoon. It had a very Disney animation quality to it. I could tell right away that I was in for a charming adventure with Torin and his sidekick Boogle.
Torin's Passage (Game Introduction and Misadventures)
Torin's Passage tells the story of a simple farm boy who leaves home to confront an evil wizard. Wait, that sounds a bit familiar. Torin's parents are sealed inside a magical crystal and held captive in The Lands Below. Torin and Boogle set out on an adventure to uncover a means of travelling to the worlds within their world, with the hope of eventually freeing Torin's parents from their stasis.
Throughout the course of Torin's quest, he encounters a wide range of unusual characters. In one particular instance, he must prepare a rather strange dish for an old man. Slugetti and peatballs. A dish similar to spaghetti and meatballs, but with slugs in place of the noodles and peat moss in place of the meatballs. I am reminded of this dish every time I make spaghetti! In another memorable instance, Torin briefly appears on a black and white sitcom entitled The Bitternuts, complete with a recycled laugh track. Torin must talk to Mrs. Bitternut a few times in order for Boogle to learn a new form. Just be careful clicking on Bobby Bitternut. It might lead to a serious misunderstanding.
The Bitternuts (Live on CD-ROM from beautiful cliffside Escarpa!)
Near the end of Torin's adventure, he needs to navigate the side of a cliff with the help of talking grass. It was one of the more time consuming portions of the game. If the grass said things like "no way," "not here," "somewhere else," while highlighting an area, you would need to move the cursor to an area that was safe. Indicated by something along the lines of "yay," or "okay." I have included the entire sequence in my Torin's Passage video so that everyone can suffer as much as I did!
Having successfully navigated the very vocal cliffs, Torin would next find himself going backstage at a venue with some lively characters. It was another highlight of the game for me. In order to finish his adventure in the lands below, Torin would need to help many of these characters with their upcoming performances.
Backstage in Tenebrous
Torin, having thoroughly explored the worlds above and the worlds below, finally confronts the one responsible for the abduction of his parents. And I could not help but play the bagpipes in front of them instead of the intended solution! This results in a personalized message from Al Lowe himself. It was a classic Sierra On-Line moment.
After a good chuckle, I went back and completed the game as normal. Torin's parents were saved and they returned to their simple life on the farm. Everyone lived happily ever after. It seemed clear that Al Lowe had originally intended for Torin's Passage to become an ongoing series similar to King's Quest. Unfortunately, the game did not sell quite as well as Sierra On-Line had expected. I could imagine Torin's Passage 2 going in the opposite direction and exploring lands far above the clouds. It could have been called Torin's Ascent.
Torin's Passage "Collection"
Ah, well. I suppose Al Lowe would just have to settle for another Leisure Suit Larry game. A Leisure Suit Larry game set on a cruise ship. In time, I would set sail for one last adventure with Larry Laffer. For now, however, I was under orders to stay put. I was about to begin training with an LAPD division SWAT team in Police Quest: SWAT. A non-interactive demo of the game was included on the Torin's Passage CD-ROM. It contained just enough content to pique my curiosity. What I did not realize at the time was that Police Quest: SWAT was not an adventure game. It was more of a tactical simulator. Would I manage to follow police protocol? Only time would tell.
Also included on the Torin's Passage CD-ROM were demos for 3-D Ultra Pinball, Caeser II, Hoyle Classic Games, ImagiNation Network, Shivers, The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery and Trophy Bass. It was a cornucopia of game demos. A virtual treasure trove. Sierra On-Line really knew how to pack their CDs! Trophy Bass and 3-D Ultra Pinball would also eventually make their way into my collection.
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