Commander Keen in Keen Dreams
The lost episode of the Commander Keen series.
Commander Keen in Keen Dreams is a side-scrolling platform video game developed by id Software and published by Softdisk in 1991 for DOS. It is the fourth episode of the Commander Keen series, following the titular eight-year-old child genius as he journeys through a vegetable kingdom in his dreams to defeat the evil potato king Boobus Tuber and free enslaved children from the Dream machine. The game is notable for being the first Commander Keen game developed by id Software after the team left Softdisk, and for introducing gameplay changes that would be used in later entries, including the removal of the pogo stick and the replacement of the raygun with flower power pellets that temporarily turn enemies into flowers.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Commander Keen in Keen Dreams
- Developer
- id Software
- Publisher
- Softdisk Publishing
- Series
- Commander Keen
- Released
- MS-DOSNA · 1991AndroidWW · June 10, 2013Windows, LinuxWW · September 28, 2015OS XWW · April 19, 2016Nintendo SwitchWW · February 7, 2019Wii UEU · December 24, 2020
- Platforms
- Android, Linux, Windows, MS-DOS, OS X, Nintendo Switch, Wii U
- Designer
- Tom Hall
- Programmer
- John Carmack · John Romero
- Artist
- Adrian Carmack
- Genre
- Side-scrolling platformer
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Commander Keen in Keen Dreams was developed as part of a settlement after the team behind Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons—including programmers John Carmack and John Romero, designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack—left their jobs at Softdisk to found id Software. As part of a settlement for using company resources to make their own game, the group agreed to make several games for Softdisk's Gamer's Edge subscription service. Keen Dreams was created as a prototype to develop ideas for their next major Keen game, Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy, including gameplay changes, graphical enhancements, and artistic improvements. The game was not as widely played or noted as other Keen games, and because it was owned by Softdisk, it was included in only one of several compilation releases, earning it the reputation as the 'lost episode' of the series.
Reader's Guide
Commander Keen in Keen Dreams holds significance as a transitional title in the Commander Keen series, serving as a prototype for the next major release, Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy. It introduced several changes from the prior trilogy, including the removal of the pogo stick for higher jumping and the replacement of the raygun with flower power pellets that temporarily turn enemies into flowers. The game also featured graphical enhancements such as parallax scrolling and a pseudo-3D view, as well as support for sound cards. Despite its role in the series' evolution, Keen Dreams was not widely played or noted, and its ownership by Softdisk limited its inclusion in compilation releases, leading to its status as the 'lost episode.' In later years, the game saw ports to Android, Nintendo Switch, and Windows, and a crowdfunding campaign in 2014 led to the release of the source code and a Definitive Edition in 2020 and 2021 with additional levels and new music.
Did You Know?
- Keen Dreams was developed as part of a settlement after the team used Softdisk resources to create Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons.
- Unlike the prior three episodes, Keen does not use a pogo stick to jump higher and throws flower power pellets instead of shooting a raygun.
- The game was known as the 'lost episode' because it was owned by Softdisk and included in only one of several compilation releases.
- A 2014 Indiegogo campaign led to the original source code being published and a release on Steam in 2015.
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