Spellbreaker
Developer(s)	Infocom
Publisher(s)	Infocom
Designer(s)	Dave Lebling
Engine	ZIL
Release date(s)	1985
Genre(s)	Text adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS
Media	3½" or 5¼" disk
System requirements	No special requirements
Input	Keyboard

Spellbreaker is an interactive fiction computer game written by Dave Lebling and released by Infocom in 1985, the third and final game in the "Enchanter Trilogy". Like most of Infocom's games, it was released for many of the time's popular computer platforms, such as the Commodore 64, Atari ST and Apple II. Zork, an early work of interactive fiction, running on a modern interpreter Interactive fiction, often abbreviated IF, describes software containing simulated environments in which players use text commands to control characters. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Dave Lebling, ca 1985 Dave Lebling (born 1949) was an interactive fiction game designer, or implementor, at Infocom. ... Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero   Planetfall Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters   Kings   Creatures Timeline   Magic   Calendar... This article is about the year. ... For the hip hop group, see Commodore 64 (band). ... The Atari 520ST Atari 1040STF with SC1224 color monitor The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... The Apple II was one of the most popular personal computers of the 1980s. ...

Plot

Over the course of events in the trilogy's earlier games (Enchanter and Sorcerer), the player's character has progressed from a novice wizard possessing a few weak spells to the leader of the Circle of Enchanters. Now the very foundations of Magic itself seem to be failing, and the leaders of all the Guilds in the land have gathered to demand answers. In the midst of this impassioned meeting, the crowd is suddenly transformed into a group of toads and newts! Everyone present is affected except a shadowy figure who flees the hall. Enchanter is a 1983 interactive fiction computer game written by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling and published by Infocom. ... Zork universe Zork games Zork trilogy Zork I Zork II Zork III Enchanter trilogy Enchanter Sorcerer Spellbreaker Wishbringer Beyond Zork Zork Zero Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis Zork Grand Inquisitor Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Frobozzica Miscellaneous Timeline   Calendar   Magic Double Fanucci Companies Infocom   Activision This article is about the computer game. ... Magic: The Gathering. ... A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits (with a similar skill or craft), formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. ...

In the course of investigating the mystery, the player learns new, powerful spells that must be used in novel ways. But since magic is no longer dependable, each spell has a chance of failing. The only objects that can help to shore up the effectiveness of sorcery are the Cubes of Foundation, each of which can transport the player to a different location and strengthen certain spells. Zork universe Zork games Zork trilogy Zork I Zork II Zork III Enchanter trilogy Enchanter Sorcerer Spellbreaker Wishbringer Beyond Zork Zork Zero Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis Zork Grand Inquisitor Encyclopedia Encyclopedia Frobozzica Miscellaneous Timeline   Calendar   Magic Double Fanucci Companies Infocom   Activision The Cubes of Foundation are powerful items in...

Eventually the player discovers a terrible secret: the shadowy figure responsible for all this chaos is a dark twin. Even with magic, every action has an equal and opposite reaction; and with every spell cast, the player's opposite has grown stronger. Finally, this evil being seizes the magic cubes and uses them to construct a portal which will bestow near-infinite power. The only way to defeat the doppelgänger is to sabotage the portal, an action which also leads to the destruction of all magic. A is the ghostly double of a living person. ... Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction. ...

Feelies

Spellbreaker was no exception to Infocom's long-standing tradition of including extra items in the game package. The feelies for this game included: Feelies is the name Infocom gave extra content they included with the boxed versions of their interactive fiction computer games. ...

• A Frobozz Magic Magic Equipment Catalog, Special Crisis Edition
• An Enchanter's Guild pin
• Six "Enchanter cards", baseball card-like items each containing a picture and information about legendary wizards

In keeping with another Infocom tradition, these feelies also provided a measure of protection against software piracy. At one point in the game, Belboz would ask a question whose answer could be found on one of the Enchanter cards. Topps Baseball cards from the 50s, 60s and 70s A baseball card is a small card printed on heavy paper stock, featuring one or more baseball players. ... The copyright infringement of software is often called software piracy by those seeking to reduce its incidence. ...

Notes

As the final game of a series, Spellbreaker was intended to be very difficult. Labeled as an "Expert"-level game, it is widely regarded as one of Infocom's toughest releases. Some players even criticized it as an effort to boost sales of the InvisiClues hint system. Perhaps due to its legendary difficulty, Spellbreaker was never as popular as either of its predecessors in the Enchanter trilogy, despite a fair deal of critical acclaim. InvisiClues were clue and hint booklets that were a marketing adjunct that became available to help people get through some of challenging puzzles of Infocom text adventure computer games. ...

One of the game's innovations among Infocom's works was the ability to "name" objects. As the player collects twelve "featureless white cubes", it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate between them. The game, however, provides a burin with which the player can "write" a word or phrase on a cube, and thereafter refer to the cube by that inscription. In lithic reduction, a burin is a special type of lithic flake with a chisel-like edge which prehistoric humans may have used for engraving or for carving wood or bone. ...

During development, Spellbreaker's working title was Mage. This article is about the term working title. ...

External links

• MobyGames' entry on Spellbreaker
• Spellbreaker overview and information
• Scans of the Spellbreaker package, documentation and feelies
• The Infocom Bugs List entry for Spellbreaker