Sadly, this article isn't about a Zork remake (not that a text-only game would benefit from bump mapping or bloom lighting) -- I just needed a catchy headline that would attract text adventure enthusiasts. If the phrase "You are likely to be eaten by a grue" doesn't mean much to you, you should do a bit of homework (I would also suggest a personal favorite, Aisle).

If you are a text adventure enthusiast (or even just a "Hey! That's cool!" enthusiast), you'll be delighted to know that the Reign of Grelock (beta) is available as an online Flash game thanks to Chris Marjason. The game can be found in its original glory at a computer terminal in the Hubris Comics' offices in Fallout 3. Reign of Grelock is pretty short, and you won't get any bonuses for playing it (in Fallout 3 or otherwise), but it's a neat homage to ye olde school of text-only parser game design.

Because the game was remade in Flash, options are clickable, Marjason having done away with the text inputs. Nevertheless, he kept the computer terminal border and fixed some of the original's glitches. If you're feeling nostalgic and have ten minutes to kill, click here to give Reign of Grelock (beta) a whirl. 

[Via InsertCredit]

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Lux-Pain overload much? The official Web site for the text-based adventure DS title launched recently, and a new teaser trailer came out with it. That teaser showed some in-game imagery, but didn't do much else but tease... and rock out your PC speakers.

Today a new trailer and images come from Rising Star Games, the publisher bringing this game to the UK. The new trailer shows that if you hate anime ... well, you're going to hate this game. There's some odd zooms and pans of dark corners in it, too. Not sure what that's about.

Most importantly, this trailer and the included screens show how the game is played. You're using the DS stylus to literally uncover secrets by scribbling. That sounds pretty basic, but I think Lux-Pain is more about the story and its presentation.

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Never heard of Lux-Pain? It's a Nintendo DS text-based adventure that was released in Japan in early 2008. After hearing the buzz, I tried to give dark detective/mystery game a spin, but the Japanese text was a bit over my comprehension level. From what I saw, it looked great. Now, thanks to Ignition Entertainment, Marvelous Interactive, and developer Killaware, we will be able to play it next year in English.

Lux-Pain is set in historical Kisaragi City, a town plagued by mysteries from small mishaps to murders - with no logical explanation as to why these events occur. It seems “Silent”, a worm born through hate and sadness, has infected humans and forced them to commit atrocious crimes. The hero's parents are victims of such crimes. To avenge his parents, Atsuki goes through a dangerous operation to acquire Lux-Pain in his left arm, a power so strong that his left eye turns golden when using it to seek and destroy Silent for good.

Murder mysteries, stylus autopsies, and parasitic worms? Awesome!  The press release says that we can expect this title to hit shelves in North America in March of 2009. 

For now, check out the screenshots they sent along in our gallery and the Japanese trailer for this game above.

If you salivated on everything in reach when you got your paws on the free Flash demo for Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice, it may be about to happen again: Japanese Famicom series Jinguuji Saburo is coming to the US. The game originally appeared on the Famicom and has since seen an incarnation on the Sega Saturn. The American title will be Jake Hunter:Detective Chronicles and is said to be much more "grim and serious" than the Phoenix Wright series.

If you're still with me after the grim and serious bit, let me share with you an interesting quote from a member of the American localization team: " (The game is) closer to a straight forward digital novel...you'll still need to search for clues, talk to witnesses, find the right line of questioning to progress in the game." Translation for those of you too lazy to contemplate that: more reading than Phoenix Wright.

The game will feature three different cases and will be priced to sell at $19.99. The developers estimate about 15 hours total play time for the game, but knowing the type of gamer than loves this genre, you can likely complete it even faster than that. Aksys will bring the DS title to North America in Spring 2008. Indie gem or total tripe? We haven't a clue, but updates will come as we find out more about it.

[Via AdventureGamers -- Thanks Jonathan]

I don't know how old this is and frankly I don't care. This Pac-Txt, an idea so stupid it is actually genius. Described as Pac-Man meets Zork, Pac-Txt is, quite simply, an old school text-based adventure that manages to retain all the gameplay of classic Pac-Man. Now you can enjoy the nostalgic fun of moving and eat dots, but in text form!

Check it out, get typing and enjoy the three minutes it will take for the joke to wear thin. Also, let Destructoid know your high score, whether you completed a level and just how long it took you to stop. No, I swear I want to know.

[Tip by Jonathan Ross ... I hope it's THE Jonathan Ross]

Text adventures are not dead, my friends. Thanks to Malinche Entertainment, you can still engage in what they call "interactive fiction" whenever you like at the Malinche Entertainment website. All you'll need is a DS and a copy of Games N' Music for DS, which allows you to move music from your PC to any DS compatible cartridge (not that I am suggesting you obtain an R4, Ladies and Gentlepeeps, because I would never do that!) Even better, the site allows you to test drive the titles before buying, so you can be really sure that you're getting what you want. May I have Leather Goddess of Phobos, please?

 [Via Wired - Thank you, O glorious donut]

A frequent discussion among modern gamers is that while games do contain profanity, violence and sexual situations, true "adult" titles are not available for most systems. The days of Leisure Suit Larry and Leather Goddesses of Phobos are sadly far in the text-based past. In 1981 however, the boundaries of gaming and sex were no more than a blurry hallucination, so today I bring you a game that would never see the light of day in good old 2007: Softporn Adventure for the Apple II.

The game requires the player to take on the role of a party animal that's seen better days, on a rogue quest to obtain items that will allow him to attract the attention of "beautiful women". I'm not sure how beautiful the women of 1981 are by modern standards, but hey, at least they're naked. Sierra Online put out this gem, which actually features owner and future game designer Roberta Williams on the cover.

Wish you could play these old relics? Good news: It has been converted to Z-Code and can be played on a Z-Machine emulator. As old as it is, I don't think Sierra will mind. You might laugh at the concept of a text sex adventure now over your fancy PS3s and next gen graphics, but remember that Softporn Adventure provided many a headband and sweats-clad dude material to gratefully fap to.

[Thanks to Orcist for this awesome find!] 

Are you looking for a second life, but don't quite have the scratch for Second Life? Then, my friends, Alter Ego might just be the digital getaway for you.

If you're old enough to have gamed on a Commodore 64, you might remember Alter Ego, released in 1986. While we're only nowadays going batty over games that pay attention to your choices like Fable and Knights of the Old Republic, Alter Ego was a game that focused solely on your choices.

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