Adam 98
Release type: Freeware
Release date: November 17, 1998
Levels: 2
Author: Alan Caudel
Website: DummyDuck.com
Related games: Adam's Birthday Game, The Adam's Birthday Saga Continues, Adam's B-Day 3: The Saga Continues, Adam 97, Adam 99, Adam 2000,
At two short horizontal levels, Adam 98 is the simplest Adam's Birthday game since the 1992 original, and it is also one of the most successful. What this fifth game lacks in scale, it makes up for in confidence, style, and general sense of fun.
The first level is typical Adam's Birthday fare, with a battle against random household objects and in-jokes. A few nuances here: the entire level is undercut with a flame-laced dungeon, into which the occasional pit will yawn; Adam's single attack is facilitated through squawks from an accordion, provided at the start; much of the menace that Adam faces is from several weapon installations mounted throughout the level: a jar of Slim Jims, a pencil sharpener, a loudspeaker, and a row of fire-breathing chickens.
This all is sort of interesting, and is made more so through the game's heavily stylized geometry and limited use of color. As in Dummy Duck 3 (produced two years earlier) there are few straight lines; and the level is drawn almost entirely in shades of yellow and blue, with a few earth-tone and green accents. As with Adam '97 but more so, Adam 98 clearly establishes and holds to its own style, that exists regardless of the engine driving the game. It's a small touch, but the splash screen leading into the level, with its own title ("Bereft") and a matching color scheme, really helps to sell the tone.
With Level two, Adam moves to the back of a very small Battle Cat and heads off to stop a chibi Skeletor at the gates of Castle Grayskull. Here the accordion notes are swapped for endless copies of He-Man's sword, and the confused club venue (?) of the first level is replaced with a gray wasteland and a shadowy, unclear backdrop of war. Broken rubble and indiscernible objects loom from the mist, as the nearby shadows melt into the twilight sky. It's a highly effective backdrop, drawn in a technique that could easily be applied elsewhere -- which makes it all the more fascinating for its singularity, as far as Game-Maker goes. It's simple and it works, so why aren't we seeing it all over?
Both levels are very straightforward, both in their structure and their challenge: you just go to the right, for about five screens, and touch the exit. Along the way, avoid being killed by stuff. There isn't much in the way of clever enemy placement or strategic navigation. Just, don't get killed by the stuff flying at you. Shoot it or avoid it. If you fail, try again. There have been more sophisticated games. But, there's little ambiguity here -- which is part of the charm.
The challenge is balanced pretty well, as Game-Maker games go, and unlike many games there is never really a point where you're unsure what the game wants from you. Even the game's few pieces of adventure narrative just sort of happen organically: you pick up the five-dollar bill as you pass; you hand it to the usher as you pass, who hands you a key; you open the locked door as you approach it. If you miss a step, you might have to go back and fiddle -- but in theory it should be pretty seamless.
When you have good command of your tools, you don't necessarily have to spend all your energy trying to be clever; sometimes all you need to do is act, and let your sensibility guide your way. That seems to be what happened here; Alan Caudel had a deadline, he tossed something together without thinking about it too much, and the vague notions he had in his head filled in the cracks, resulting in Adam 98. You can't rely on instinct all the time, but it certainly has its place in the creative process.
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|---|---|---|
| Adam '97 | Adam '98 | Adam '99 |
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Contents
Story[edit]
Level 1: Bereft
You're in a demented land where Bereft songs come to life! Fight off Burritos, Non-Stick Cookware, Big Plastic Chickens, Pet Monkeys, and more.
Level 2: He-Man
You are He-Man! Ride around on Battle Cat, and fight off Skeletor's evil henchmen, and hundreds of those robots from She-Ra. Then, Get to Castle Greyskull where Skeletor is waiting! Egad!
Instructions[edit]
Level 1: Bereft
Pick up the accordion (your weapon)
You can pick up the can of Beef Jerky, and the Pencil Sharpener to make them stop firing at you.
Grab the 5 dollars, but be careful not to waste it at the 1.95 Buffet. You'll need the money to pay off the Mystical Valet.
Level 2: He-Man
Don't get killed
Other than that, the controls are just like all the other games.
Credits[edit]
By Alan Caudel
Title picture: They Might Be Giants on Conan O'Brien
Background[edit]
Alan Caudel:
Bereft was a band that Adam and I formed along with Adam's friend Dave.
Level one of the game has a bunch of references to Bereft song titles, including:
- "Beef Jerky"
- "Pencil Sharpener"
- "$1.95 Buffet"
- "Mystical Valet"
- "Subwoofa"
- "Buffy"
- "Big Plastic Chicken"
- "Pet Monkey"
- "Zucchini"
And probably some others I can't remember.
Availability[edit]
This game is not known to have been distributed in any form, prior to its addition to the Archive.
Archive History[edit]
On October 20, 2010, Caudel posted a comment to a YouTube video of Peach the Lobster, under the name dummyduckrulz; following up the conversation, on June 29, 2011 he provided a link to a collection of games recently uncovered by Adam Tyner. This initial archive included:
Links[edit]
Downloads[edit]
- Adam 98 (236 kB)
- Level 1 map (13 kB)
- Level 2 map (15 kB)
