The Black Cauldron (video game)
| Industry | Video game development and publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Ken Williams, Roberta Williams |
| Products | The Black Cauldron (1985), King's Quest series, other adventure games |
| Parent | None |
The Black Cauldron is an adventure game created by Al Lowe under Sierra On-Line and launched in 1985. The game draws inspiration from the Disney movie The Black Cauldron, itself an adaptation of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series. It exhibits design elements reminiscent of Sierra's earlier release, King's Quest. Along with The Dark Crystal, it stands out as one of the limited number of Sierra adventure games based on cinematic works.
Plot
Players assume the role of Taran, a young assistant pig-keeper tasked with thwarting the malevolent Horned King, who is in pursuit of Hen Wen, a mystical pig endowed with prophetic abilities. The Horned King intends to use Hen Wen to discover the Black Cauldron and harness its power to conquer the realm.
At the outset, Taran must escort Hen Wen safely to the Fair Folk while avoiding attacks from the Horned King's dragons. Should Hen Wen be captured, players have the option to penetrate the Horned King's fortress to rescue her. Within this stronghold, Taran encounters Princess Eilonwy and has opportunities to save Fflewddur Fflam and obtain a Magic Sword.
The Black Cauldron itself is guarded by three witches from Morva, who agree to exchange it for the Magic Sword. Following this, a dragon stands watch over the cauldron before Taran faces off against the Horned King.
The narrative incorporates branching paths and multiple conclusions, determined by variables such as Hen Wen’s survival, methods used to destroy the cauldron, and rewards earned thereafter.
Gameplay
To make gameplay more approachable for younger audiences, Sierra replaced its usual text parser interface with function key commands: F3 accesses inventory, F4 activates item use, F6 performs "Use" actions near characters, and F8 triggers "look". This streamlined approach to "Look" and "Use" commands was distinctive among Sierra games at the time but foreshadowed interface designs seen in later point-and-click titles such as King's Quest VII and The Dig. Given its Disney film origin, the game’s visuals offered greater artistic flexibility compared to Sierra’s typically rigid environmental layouts.
Development
During a Game Grumps playthrough of King's Quest I, Roberta Williams revealed that she nearly left Sierra due to conflicts with Disney executives. They opposed her creative liberties that diverged from the film’s storyline, particularly her inclusion of player agency and character mortality—elements absent from the movie. Their limited understanding of video game design prompted Williams to consider abandoning the project until her husband Ken Williams, Sierra’s CEO, intervened.
Reception
In 1987, Antic reviewed the Atari ST edition of The Black Cauldron, criticizing it for not fully exploiting the hardware’s capabilities. The magazine described its graphics as "chunky low-resolution," seemingly adapted from other platforms. Despite this, it acknowledged that enthusiasts of Sierra’s adventure genre would still find it enjoyable.
Reviews
- ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) - August 1986
- Computer and Video Games - August 1986
See also
External links
- Evaluation featured in Info
- Evaluation featured in Page 6
- Articles with short description
- Pages using infobox company with unknown parameters
- 1985 video games
- Adventure games
- Amiga games
- Apple II games
- Apple IIGS games
- Atari ST games
- Disney video games
- DOS games
- Fantasy video games
- ScummVM-supported games
- Sierra Entertainment games
- Single-player video games
- The Chronicles of Prydain
- Video games based on animated films
- Video games based on Celtic mythology
- Video games developed in the United States
- Video games set in castles