Nile: An Ancient Egyptian Quest
| Industry | Video game development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Nile: An Ancient Egyptian Quest is an educational point-and-click adventure game released in 1997 by the American developer Stone House Productions and published for Windows 95 (also compatible with Windows 98) through Simon & Schuster Interactive. The gameplay involves players undertaking a mission to revive the ka—the vital essence—of three pharaohs representing the Old, Middle, and New Kingdom periods, while exploring the rich culture of ancient Egypt. In the United Kingdom, Zablac Entertainment handled its publication. The title is currently unavailable.
Seventeen Egyptian relics from the collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum were licensed for use in the game, with Simon & Schuster providing a licensing fee plus royalties based on sales. Among its distinctive features is a digital adaptation of the ancient board game senet, modeled after an artifact housed in the museum.
Anubis, depicted as a jackal, serves as the player's guide and is voiced by Connecticut-based actor Alexander Kulcsar. The game incorporates 15 narrated video scrolls presented by actress Kelly McGillis, which include depictions and narratives such as:
- Pharaohs: Imhotep, Pepi II, Mentuhotep II, Hatshepsut, and Amenhotep III
- The duties and significance of scribes
- Mythological accounts: creation stories, Osiris, Horus, and the wedjat eye
- Funerary statuettes attributed to Meketre
- Stories including the Shipwrecked Sailor, Sinuhe, and the magician-scribe Djadjaemankh
- The dream of the Sphinx experienced by Thutmose IV (from the Dream Stele)
The atmospheric soundtrack was created by English musician Brian Eno, featuring compositions from his 1996 television series Neverwhere soundtrack as well as selections from his album Generative Music 1. Additional musical pieces remain unreleased.