Altered Destiny
A text-parser adventure through a TV screen into an alien world.
Altered Destiny is a graphic adventure game from Accolade, first released for MS-DOS in 1990 and then for the Amiga in 1991. Designed by Michael Berlyn, it uses a text parser interface. It was Accolade's second adventure title and runs on the same engine as their first, *Les Manley in: Search for the King*.
The player controls P.J. Barrett, an ordinary middle-class man. After a mix-up at a repair shop, he brings home a television that actually belongs to a barbarian warrior. When he turns it on, he is pulled through the screen and transported to the planet Daltere. There, he learns that an alien named Helmar has stolen the "jewel of light," plunging the world into danger. Barrett is forced into a mission to free the planet from tyranny and save the galaxy.
Reception was mixed. In *Computer Gaming World*, Scorpia called the graphics merely "okay" and the pathing "ridiculous and frustrating," but still found the game worth playing due to its difficulty, "bizarre and alien" setting, "tough but fair" puzzles, and humor. Allgame compared it to *King's Quest* and *Space Quest* but noted it lacked their charm.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Altered Destiny
- Developer
- Accolade
- Designer
- Michael Berlyn
- Genre
- Graphic adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- MS-DOS, Amiga
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The player assumes the role of a normal middle-class man named P.J. Barrett. After a mixup in a local repair shop, he accidentally brings home a TV set that belongs to a barbarian warrior. When he switches on the TV, he is unexpectedly sucked through the screen into the planet Daltere, where he finds out that an alien named Helmar has stolen 'the jewel of light' and that this world is in danger. Thus he is forced to take on a mission to free it from tyranny and to save the galaxy.
Reader's Guide
Altered Destiny received mixed reactions from critics. Scorpia of Computer Gaming World wrote that the game 'leaves me with mixed feelings,' noting that the graphics were merely 'okay' and the pathing was 'ridiculous and frustrating,' but concluded that it was 'still a game worth playing' because of its difficulty level, 'bizarre and alien' setting, 'tough but fair' puzzles, and humor. Allgame described the game as similar to King's Quest and Space Quest but without the charm. The game is notable as Accolade's second adventure title and for using a text parser interface at a time when many graphic adventures were moving to point-and-click controls. It can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive.
Did You Know?
- Altered Destiny was designed by Michael Berlyn.
- The game uses the same engine as Les Manley in: Search for the King.
- The protagonist, P.J. Barrett, is sucked through a TV screen into the planet Daltere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Altered Destiny?
Altered Destiny is a text-parser graphic adventure published by Accolade in 1990. You play as P.J. Barrett, an ordinary middle-class guy who accidentally gets pulled through a borrowed television into the alien planet Daltere.
Who designed Altered Destiny?
Michael Berlyn was the designer behind the game, which served as Accolade's second adventure title. It runs on the same underlying engine as their earlier release, Les Manley in: Search for the King.
What platforms was Altered Destiny available on?
The original MS-DOS version shipped in 1990, and an Amiga port followed in 1991. Both versions use a typed text-parser command interface rather than a point-and-click scheme.
How does the story of Altered Destiny begin?
P.J. Barrett walks out of a repair shop with the wrong television—one that actually belongs to a barbarian warrior. The moment he switches it on at home, the screen drags him into the world of Daltere and the adventure kicks off.
What sets Altered Destiny apart from other Accolade adventures?
It was the company's second adventure game and notably reuses the exact engine from their debut, Les Manley in: Search for the King. The main difference is the premise: a regular, middle-class protagonist thrust into a fantasy-alien setting through a TV rather than a traditional heroic figure.
More in Adventure Games of the 1990s 1-24
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