Alien Logic: A Skyrealms of Jorune Adventure

Lore & Background

Alien Logic is set on the world of Jorune, within the Skyrealms game universe. Andrew Leker, creator of the Skyrealms of Jorune tabletop role-playing game in the 1980s, founded Mind Control Software, whose first project was Alien Logic. Leker had long considered using his tabletop game as the basis for a video game and pitched the idea to Strategic Simulations in the early 1990s. He led the development team, and the game took over three years to create. Unlike SSI's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons products, such as the Gold Box titles, Alien Logic took major liberties with its pen-and-paper source material. The game was part of SSI's push to diversify after losing the Dungeons & Dragons license from TSR.

According to producer Bill Dunn, the team's whole model for the game was based on player choice from the start. While they had no intention of making the game completable without fighting, they sought to de-emphasize combat compared to previous SSI products and allow the player to solve problems in multiple ways. Leker tried to implement three pathways through each situation, including aggressive and conversational options. He also designed the game's events to be nonlinear, so that players could reach the end in different ways. The game's alien races were written to vary in speech and personality, and to act in ways foreign to human customs. Leker was both the design and programming lead, which he later called a colossal undertaking for someone so inexperienced.

Reader's Guide

Alien Logic received mixed reviews upon release. Bernie Yee of PC Gamer US praised its new approach to role-playing, rich alien cultures, and original plot. Barry Brenesal of Electronic Entertainment called it an unusually clever, finely textured game, and the magazine later named it the 1994 Best Role-Playing Game. However, Paul C. Schuytema of Computer Gaming World criticized the plot and writing as an embarrassment, while Scorpia found the dialogue teeth-grinding and the game superficial. James V. Trunzo of White Wolf Inphobia rated it 4 out of 5, calling it a refreshingly different taste. PC Gamer UK's Andy Butcher praised it as fresh, new, and exciting.

Despite these positive notices, the game did not sell well. According to Shannon Appelcline, it was considered original and innovative but too tough to learn, and thus never got much attention. Video game historian Matt Barton noted that it faded into near-total obscurity after release, though he considered it an unfairly obscure game that deserves more attention. Because of poor sales, multiple investors were given part of the rights to Skyrealms of Jorune as a form of payback. The game's legacy is that of a bold but commercially unsuccessful experiment in player-driven role-playing.

Did You Know?

• Alien Logic took over three years to develop.
• Andrew Leker was both the design and programming lead for the game.