Once and Future

Once and Future is a video game in the adventure genre developed by Cascade Mountain Publishing and published by Cascade Mountain Publishing originally released in 1998. It is currently playable on DOS.

Undisputed winner of the 'longest development time' award for an IF title, Once and Future is a top-notch game by Gary Kevin 'Whizzard' Wilson (GKW).

First announced as Avalon in 1993, the author put the development time at 'two months'. Five years later, in 1998, the game was released as shareware by Cascade Mountain Publishing (CMP) to critical acclaim from the IF community, although some felt that the game did not exactly live up to its five years of hype.

Possibly the last commercially sold interactive fiction game, Once and Future will remain memorable for several reasons. A gripping story that combines Arthurian myth and current events, GKW's sophisticated prose, puzzles that are enjoyable for both novice adventurers and diehard IF fans, and a good dose of humor are the hallmarks of this game.

The story begins with you as a soldier and your companions waiting for an ambush in your tent, somewhere in Vietnam. As terrifying as this situation is, you will soon discover that you have much more to worry about than mere survival. During your adventure you'll visit beautifully detailed locations, meet heroes of legend, and get busy becoming one yourself. Saving two worlds and getting involved in the story of Arthur, Merlin and the Holy Grail is certainly a time-consuming task, so expect to spend a good amount of time in this game.

Nice little touches, such as replacing the usual point system with military ranks, and some informative notes not directly related to the story add a lot to the gameplay. Whatever you're looking for in an adventure game, you're likely to find it here: an epic story, a huge game world, interesting puzzles, realistic NPCs, and multiple endings, all to please a wide variety of players. The treatment of NPCs in Once and Future deserves special mention. Simply put, the NPCs have the most varied conversation topic lists and behaviors I've seen in any IF game to date.

The writing also deserves high praise for being very evocative and atmospheric. The Crossroads of Dreams scene, in particular, is breathtaking. There is no doubt that GKW knows a lot about the Arthurian myths, and knows how to recreate them under different aspects, whether faithful or adaptable, to suit their game.

Besides being a great game in general, Once and Future also has a unique historical value for having been developed during the 'Dark Ages' of IF, when games were very scarce and many believed the genre was extinct. The recent re-release of the title as freeware (following the demise of its publisher) is certainly a happy occasion for anyone mildly interested in text adventures.

Here's your chance to immerse yourself in a truly inspired piece of IF that deftly juxtaposes history with myth. Highly recommended.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.