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{{Wikipedia}} {{GameInfobox |developer = Sierra On-Line |publisher = Sierra On-Line |media = CD-ROM,Download |engines = SCI Engine v2 |platforms = DOS,Microsoft Windows,macOS,Linux,SEGA Saturn |dplatforms = SteamWindows,SteamOSX,SteamLinux |na_rel = {{Release|1995|August|24|NA|DOS,Microsoft Windows}} |eu_rel = {{Release|1995|||EU|DOS,Microsoft Windows}} |jp_rel = {{Release|1997|August|8|JP|SEGA Saturn}} |genre = Adventure,Graphic Adventure,Interactive Fiction,Horror |features = Single-player |ratings = ESRB-M,BBFC-18,USK-18 }} '''''Phantasmagoria''''' is a [[CD-ROM]] [[Horror video games|horror]]-themed [[video game]] created by [[Sierra On-line]] for the [[DOS]] and [[Microsoft Windows]] platforms, and later for the [[SEGA Saturn]] in Japan. The game was released in [[1995 in video gaming|1995]] and was followed by a sequel, ''[[Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh]]'' in [[1996 in video gaming|1996]]. Made during the height of the "[[Interactive fiction video games|interactive movie]]" boom in the [[video game industry|computer game industry]], ''Phantasmagoria'' is notable for being one of the first [[adventure game]]s to use a live actor ([[Victoria Morsell]]) as an on-screen avatar. The game was released on seven CDs to accommodate the massive amount of video generated by this process, the creation of which was contracted by Sierra to [[Kronos Digital Entertainment]] (who had previously worked on Sierra's ''[[King's Quest VI]]''). Large portions of data were repeated on each CD, to avoid in-game disk swapping.<ref>[http://anthonylarme.tripod.com/phantas/phintgtp.html] Programmer Greg Tomko-Pavia Interview, 1996]</ref> ==Plot== The story, designed by game developer [[Roberta Williams]], revolves around [[paperback]] writer Adrienne Delaney and her husband Donald Gordon, who have just bought a remote mansion previously owned by a famous 19th-century magician, Zoltan Carnovasch. Adrienne hopes to find inspiration for her next [[novel]] and Don, a photographer, lays plans for a private darkroom. Immediately upon moving in, Adrienne begins having nightmares; early explorations of the estate elicit strange music and ominous messages from the reception hall's fortune-teller [[automaton]]. Unknown to the happy couple, "Carno" the illusionist practiced [[black magic]] and summoned an evil [[demon]] which possessed him, causing him to murder his five wives. During her exploration of the grounds, Adrienne unwittingly releases Carno's demon, and it promptly possesses her husband. Don becomes more aggressive towards Adrienne and, in a controversial scene, even rapes her. She finds help in Harriet, a superstitious vagrant taking refuge in Adrienne's barn. Adrienne researches the Carnovasch estate's history and learns of the deaths of Zoltan's wives and his daughter Sofia. As far as the local townspeople know, the wives' tragic deaths were entirely natural, but as Adrienne explores the house she starts to see visions of the murders. Zoltan killed his wives in grotesque distortions of their customs or habits; Hortencia, who avoided Zoltan's abuse by secluding herself in her greenhouse, is stabbed with gardening tools and suffocated with mulch; Victoria, an alcoholic, is killed when Zoltan impales her left eye with a wine bottle during an argument; an overly-talkative third wife, Leonora, has her mouth gagged and her neck contorted in a torture device; and finally (in another of the game's most controversial film sequences), the food-loving Regina is force-fed animal entrails through a funnel until she chokes to death. Adrienne discovers that Zoltan met his demise when his last wife, Marie, realized he was a murderer. Marie conspired with her lover, Gaston, to kill Zoltan by sabotaging the equipment for his most infamous and dangerous escapology trick: donning a burning hood, Zoltan was to escape from bonds on a throne equipped with an overhead pendulous axe. The lovers' plan is successful only in disfiguring and hospitalizing Carno, and both Marie and Gaston are killed by an enraged Zoltan two weeks later. Zoltan himself is killed at the hands of a mutilated Gaston before the latter dies from his injuries. The sole witness to these deaths was a young magician's assistant by the name of Malcolm. Now nearly 110 years old, Malcolm informs Adrienne of the demon and how she may eradicate it. Meanwhile, Harriet, fearing for her safety, decides to leave as Don becomes more abusive and erratic. After finding the disturbing contents of Don's darkroom, Adrienne is assaulted and then chased through the manor by the now deranged and homicidal Don until her inevitable capture (in an optional scene, Don wears the now-dead Harriet's scalp and hair). Despite being placed in the "Throne of Terror" (last used by Zoltan to kill Marie), Adrienne manages to kill Don and releases the demon from his body. She provokes the villain to a subterranean chamber and performs a ritual that traps the demon before it can kill her. With the enemy defeated and her husband dead, Adrienne escapes the house in stunned silence. ==Production== Actress [[Victoria Morsell]] spent months in front of a bluescreen filming the hundreds of actions players could direct her character to perform.<ref name="williams1999interview">{{Cite web |title=Roberta Williams interview, 1999 |publisher=adventureclassicgaming.com |url=http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/127 |accessdate=2008-04-05 }}</ref> The game script was about 550 pages long, four times the size of a regular movie script, and an additional 100 pages of storyboards set the style for the over 800 scenes in the game.<ref name="williams1999interview" /> The game required four months of filming alone and over 200 people were involved in the production, not counting the Gregorian choir of 135 people that was used for parts of the music in the game.<ref>[http://www.csoon.com/issue8/phantasm.htm] Coming Soon! Magazine, 1995</ref> The final chase sequence took a week to film.<ref name="williams1999interview" /> ==Reception== ''Phantasmagoria'' was a notable outing for designer [[Roberta Williams]], best known for her family games like the ''[[King's Quest]]'' series. Featuring graphic gore, violence and a rape scene, the game stirred controversy over age restrictions and target audiences in the maturing game industry. It was banned in Australia, while [[CompUSA]] and other major retailers simply refused to carry it. The game was never banned in Germany, but had an 18-Rating. ''Phantasmagoria'' was Sierra's best-selling game in 1995 and one of the best-selling PC games of the year.<ref>[http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-12-16/lifestyle/9512140575_1_ms-dos-cd-rom-gt-interactive] Orlando Sentinel: Best-Selling Titles, 1995</ref> Reviews from the major editorials of the time were positive<ref>[http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,101] Adventure Gamers, Phantasmagoria review, 2009</ref>: ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' gave the game 4 and a half (out of 5) stars, and an Editor's Choice Award;<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/financial-markets-investing/7180085-1.html] Business Wire: Sierra's Phantasmagoria tops charts and rakes in year-end awards, 1995</ref> ''[[PC Gamer]]'' scored it an 88% and also rewarded it with its Editor's Choice distinction.<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/phantasmagoria Metacritic: Phantasmagoria (pc: 1995)]</ref> ''[[Computer Game Review]]'' (now defunct) applauded ''Phantasmagoria'' with its Golden Triad Award.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/banking-finance/financial-markets-investing/7180085-1.html] Business Wire: Sierra's Phantasmagoria tops charts and rakes in year-end awards, 1995</ref> Jeff Sengstack of ''[[GameSpot]]'' however, gave ''Phantasmagoria'' a 6.0 "Fair" rating and commented that "experienced adventurers will find ''Phantasmagoria'' generally unchallenging, the characters weak, the violence over-the-top, and the script just lame."<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/phantasmagoria/review.html ''Phantasmagoria'' review] at GameSpot, May 1, 1996</ref> ''Phantasmagoria'' was also ported to the [[SEGA Saturn]]. This version, exclusively targeted at Japan, was developed and released by Outrigger Corporation in 1997. Renamed '''''Phantasm''''', it featured eight CDs and was fully translated and dubbed into Japanese. ==Legacy== Although Roberta Williams was asked by Sierra to produce a third game in the series,<ref name="williams1999interview" /> no further titles were produced. In a 2006 interview,<ref>{{cite web |title=Roberta Williams interview, 2006 |publisher=adventureclassicgaming.com |url=http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/198/ |accessdate=2008-04-05 }}</ref> Roberta Williams cited ''Phantasmagoria'' as the game most representative of her game design career. A boxed set of both ''Phantasmagoria'' games was released in 1999, called ''Phantasmagoria Stagefright''. On 11 February 2010, [[Good Old Games]] re-released Phantasmagoria for sale by [[Digital distribution|digital download]].<ref>http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/phantasmagoria</ref> ==See also== * ''[[Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh]]'' ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External Links== * {{MobyGames|roberta-williams-phantasmagoria}} * [http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/127 Interview with Roberta Williams], Adventure Classic Gaming * [http://anthonylarme.tripod.com/phantas/phantas.html Review of ''Phantasmagoria''] * [http://www.gamecritics.com/feature/interview/liu/page01.php Interview with Stan Liu of Kronos Digital], at GameCritics.com * [http://la-aventura.net/entrevistas/lorelei-en Interview with Lorelei Shannon], at La Aventura es la Aventura
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