Tachyon Dreams Anthology review: '80s-inspired space questing that channels Sierra's heyday
In the heyday of Sierra's adventure game years, there was a series called Space Quest that featured an intergalactic janitor named Roger Wilco. The series was more satirical than King's Quest, less preachy than Police Quest, and not quite as adult as Leisure Suit Larry. Spearheaded by Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe - a pair of devs who called themselves "Two Guys from Andromeda" - Space Quest was renowned for its humour, and there was a nice sense of progression throughout most of the series, with Roger Wilco leveling up from working class spaceman to the head of his own Star Trek ship.
Tachyon Dreams Anthology, a collection of three short games previously released on Itch.io, is clearly channeling Space Quest. Made by indie dev Cosmic Void, AKA Aviv Salinas, each episode of Tachyon Dreams puts you in the shoes of an intergalactic dishwasher named Dodger, who's almost like an alternate Roger Wilco if you squint. Dodger's just chilling on a spaceship clearing plates when all of the staff around him disappear, which is basically what happened to Roger at the start of Space Quest I. Guided by a sentient computer, Dodge has to travel through time and space, and his quest eventually leads him on the trail of the Margdonians, a mysterious race that once cultivated the galaxy.
The plot, which starts with time travel and ends with Dodger literally contemplating his past while sitting on the porcelain throne, doesn't quite hit the mark set by any of the Space Quests. But the game's visuals are 100% reminiscent of a lost Sierra adventure from 1987 made with the company's then-famous AGI (Adventure Game Interpreter) engine. Even Dodger's walk cycle channels Roger Wilco's, though Dodger is several pixels larger than Roger ever was. I'm not sure if Tachyon Dreams Anthology was made in AGI Studio, gamemaking software that's been widely used amongst Sierra fans, but it certainly looks it. Cosmic Void's expert use of AGI's 16 colours is especially impressive, and I really appreciate the pixelated depictions of the galactic sky, swathed in lovely shades of blue and magenta. (Anyone who wants to see similar visuals in something that resembles a '90s game rather than an '80s one should check out Twilight Oracle, one of Cosmic Void's other projects. Alice B (RPS forever in peace) liked the demo!)