The Quest For The Worst Adventure Game Puzzles - The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime

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Edited By ZombiePie  Staff

Author's Note: Here are links to previous episodes of this series:

Additionally, this episode was commissioned by @jeffrud

Preamble

And now it is time for something different!
And now it is time for something different!

Well, it was bound to happen. I knew there would come a day when I would play an FMV game as part of this series. However, I thought maybe The 7th Guest, The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery, or Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria would kick things off instead of The Journeyman Project. Yet, here we are, and I don't know if I am that bummed about it! The Journeyman Project has an exciting and wild story that spans multiple games and is more interested in showcasing thrilling action-based set-pieces than a cavalcade of brain teasers for MIT graduates. It also has a bit of an intriguing backstory worth reviewing before assessing its puzzles. The rendition I played, and the most readily available version on the internet, is The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime. This game is a remake of the original "The Journeyman Project" and features new puzzles and real-time actors from The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time. The original game is more of an FMV experience like Sewer Shark or Night Trap, where the player inputs simple commands to change the cinematic video they are watching. The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime is an FMV adventure game with many of the same set-pieces as the original but improved graphics and additional puzzles to make it play more like The 7th Guest or The Beast Within.

The differences between the original and its remake are not cosmetic. However, both games were significant technical achievements in graphical and audio fidelity upon their releases. The rise and fall of Presto Studios, the developer behind The Journeyman Project series, also mimics that of Sierra Online, Cyan, and Cryo Interactive Entertainment. They rode the adventure game "Golden Age" to meteoric heights with each game they produced. And when the PC market for adventure games bottomed out, the studio closed its doors after an ill-fated attempt at console game development. Some studio heads still run the company but do so on a limited basis, and all the company does nowadays is port classic titles to modern platforms and mobile devices. When I get to The Journeyman Project 3, I plan to discuss the franchise's largely incomplete nature and unaddressed storylines. Regardless, it is one of the more "accessible" FMV adventure games from the 90s, and its heady aspirations make for a unique experience I cannot dismiss as flippantly as something like Night Trap.

If you want some FMV goodness in your life, look no further!
If you want some FMV goodness in your life, look no further!

However, I have to admit that the structure of The Journeyman Project is a bit on the wonky side. The game only has seven locations, with some taking as little as ten to fifteen minutes to complete. I rather sloppily played the game for a charity stream and was able to see its credits after about seven hours. I probably could have finished the game in five if it had not been for my exhaustion and total misunderstanding about a specific puzzle we will discuss shortly. The game gets its "mileage" by requiring you to hop back and forth between locations to progress the story. However, as is usually the case with FMV adventure games like this one, the signposting on what you need to do or pick up is absolute dogshit. In one notorious case, you will go to a symposium where there's a chest with a lock on it but will only be able to open it if you remember to pick up a crowbar at a different location. In another case, you need to teleport to a new area to pick up an oxygen tank, and that's all you can do there for three to five hours. Again, for those unaccustomed to 90s-era FMV adventure games, it's not for the faint of heart, but Pegasus Prime is undoubtedly not alone in how it plays. With all of that in mind, let's talk about some puzzles!

Caldoria Part 1

There's also a Turbo version of this game which updated the graphics but left the original macromedia-style gameplay intact.
There's also a Turbo version of this game which updated the graphics but left the original macromedia-style gameplay intact.

Getting Ready For Work - 4/10 - Things in The Journeyman Project start interestingly enough. Your player character wakes up to a claxon alarm and listens to a message from a co-worker that they are late to work. A delegation of aliens has arrived, and all of the officers of the Temporal Security Agency (i.e., TSA) are on an away mission, and your character is needed ASAP. However, before players make a beeline to their workplace, they first need to gather up an assortment of curiosities in their apartment if they hope to complete the game. The necessary interactions players need to have in the apartment include:

  1. Fiddling with a drawer to get a keyring to their workplace.
  2. Using a food replicator to spawn a glass of orange juice and keeping the glass after gulping down the beverage.
  3. Operating a device in their apartment called the Environ System to watch a required cutscene summarizing the significance of the alien delegation.

None of these items are marked, and the game is more than happy to let you progress without them in your possession which can lead to weird mid and late-game fail states. You can have other "fun" ancillary interactions in the apartment that are not required to complete the game, like reviewing phone messages from your girlfriend and using the game's idea of virtual reality.

I love me some 90s-era notions of futuristic VR!
I love me some 90s-era notions of futuristic VR!

This sort of design "breaks" 90s-era adventure games for many. Now, I am a bit of an apologist for adventure games of this ilk, but there's no denying that reaching a mid-game checkpoint and not being able to progress any further because you forgot to pick up a trinket twenty screens ago sucks shit. Nonetheless, the apologist in me kicks into gear a bit because checking every screen for goodies and clicking everything visible was something you just did. If this site allows people to defend "Tank Controls" in Resident Evil 4 or any PS2 Japanese horror game, then I don't want to eat crow over this point. It's something you did whenever you played an adventure game on the PC. So, I'm giving this an average score at best.

Unfortunately, you cannot go to any of the locations besides your work.
Unfortunately, you cannot go to any of the locations besides your work.

Finding The Transporter To The TSA Office - 3/10 - Once outside your apartment, you need to find a teleportation pod that can immediately take you to the TSA office. You can find this transporter in the apartment lobby, which you get to by using a poorly marked elevator. However, the transporter requires the keyring from your drawer, so you will not progress to the next level if you lack it. Again, your mileage here will depend on how much you enjoy first-person PC adventure game exploration circa Myst. The transporter is tucked away in an alcove, but the in-game map and signposting are miles better than what you usually see in a game of this type. The only "tough" part of this sequence involves finding the key in your apartment in a non-descript drawer and knowing to use it on the transporter. Luckily, the transporter tells you EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE MISSING when it refuses to send you to your office. That alone makes me incredibly hesitant to get too critical here. On top of that, the game cordons off most of the city. Suppose you decide to get off script and explore the apartment complex. You are rewarded with exciting worldbuilding and context clues about the visiting alien delegation, but you can't get too off track. Trust me, parts of this game are worth excoriating, but this isn't one of them.

TSA Part 1

Re-Educating Yourself On The TSA Procedures - 4.5/10 - Fun fact: you die if you stay in the transporter for more than five minutes. The game warns you about this every time you use it, and I find it hilarious that the game is not joking. Nonetheless, when you enter the TSA headquarters, your co-worker accosts you for being late, a state you cannot prevent even if you play the game hyper efficiently. You are allowed to wander the building to learn more about what the TSA does. I strongly recommend consulting the "Hall of Suspects" for some fun worldbuilding. Eventually, your boss gets ahold of you, chastizes you for your frequent tardiness, and revokes your status as a time cop. To get your privileges back, you need to find your office and use a monitor to review the bureau's protocols. This task might not sound like much, but exploring the hallways of the TSA HQ sucks. The building has tons of dead ends, and most hallways look identical. It is worth noting that if you fail to remember any of the tutorial's information about the procedures for time travel, you could be in a bit of a bind. For example, you get a "Game Over" if you fail to jump-start a mission within ten minutes.

The inventory system in this game is weird. There are two different inventory screens. One for items and one for biochips.
The inventory system in this game is weird. There are two different inventory screens. One for items and one for biochips.

Preparing Your First Time Leap - 5/10 - Oh, did I forget to mention you are a time cop that corrects imperfections in the space-time continuum? I probably should have started with that in my introduction. Regardless, as is par for the course, the minute you begin to assume your duties, a time corruption is detected, and you are assigned to repair it. Before starting this task, you must first collect a handful of trinkets that will allow you to operate all of the machines at your disposal. I never said The Journeyman Project was the most ambitious game of its type. The time limit during this sequence results in a jump in difficulty compared to previous fetch quests. As mentioned in the last section, you lose if you fail to gather all necessary items and initiate the mission within ten minutes.

There are other design quibbles to mention as well. First, you need to navigate to the opposite end of the corridor and find a room with no intelligible markings. While there, you need to pick up a mission chip from a panel, and it, too, is tricky to see the first time. If you fail to pick up this biochip, the time machine will fail to boot up the correct temporal anomaly. Second, you need to generate a bio-suit to survive the time travel process. The two panels to acquire this item look the same and require you to approach them in a particular direction and angle. When an elevator plops you near the time travel machine, it takes six clicks to reach its door and three clicks to enter the pilot's chair. It's clunky, and the game still has a timer running while you struggle with some of these mechanics. Fiddling around with the time machine counts towards your timer as well, and the UI for plotting a course isn't great, either. Overall, it's some 90s-era adventure gaming bullshit!

Prehistoric Island

Yeah, this Stargate is totally something the dinosaurs invented.
Yeah, this Stargate is totally something the dinosaurs invented.

Finding The Prehistory Anomaly - 3/10 -HOT DAMN, I wish more of The Journeyman Project involved exploring exotic locations like the Triassic Period. Someone or something has planted alien technology on Earth during the time of the dinosaurs. This level was my favorite in the game, and it is a damn shame it only lasts about ten minutes, and that's being generous. First, you need to find a power generator in a cave and flick a switch on it to power up a nearby bridge. After activating the bridge, you follow a cliff to cross a chasm. Once on the other side, you need to use your "Journeyman Key" from earlier to unlock a box that contains a disc. After gathering this cache, you must select your "Pegasus Chip" and click "Recall" to return to the TSA HQ.

There are only a handful of levels to explore, but the game provides you with two hours to exhaust all of your options. The environment is structured almost like a corn maze, but with the bonus of instant-death-causing hazards. For example, you can investigate a cave that turns out to be a T-Rex nest, and the mother of the hatchlings is NOT HAPPY to see you. For these sorts of environmental hazards, the game warns you that something might be up if you don't leave. There are sillier and crueler death scenarios worth reporting as well. When you reach the edge of a cliff, the game allows you to click forward, resulting in your character falling to their death. Beyond these traps, the only other difficulty worth remarking upon involves identifying and collecting things and warping back to home base. It takes some practice to know what the items in your inventory do, especially the bio-chips. The steps involved with jumping back to the TSA HQ are equally obtuse and confusing. Nonetheless, it's a fun level with a sense of urgency without feeling overbearing.

TSA Part 2

Dealing With The Security Droids - 3/10 - SURPRISE! Your boss is a part of a secret cabal to sabotage humanity's attempts to reach out to aliens because he's an anti-alien space racist. As a result, he shuts down your efforts to correct any other temporal quirks. Luckily for all involved, the game's version of Cortana chimes in and overrides his orders. However, to thwart you from making any further progress, he sends a couple of droids to guard the door out of your current room. If you attempt to exit to use the time machine, you will be shot dead. Using your AI companion, you can hack the TSA's security system and order the droids to cover a different room. This sequence got me, but not for the reasons you might think. I knew the robots were guarding the door, but your AI lady-friend says, "I have assumed control of the security system," and I thought that meant the coast was clear. Lo and behold, you need to open up your inventory, access the world map, and click on the part of the map away from the time machine to send the drones there. I will never know why this extra step was added to the game. Nevertheless, after fucking up once, I completed the puzzle in less than three minutes.

This story really ramps up to 11 in less than 90 minutes.
This story really ramps up to 11 in less than 90 minutes.

Identifying And Calibrating The Three Major Temporal Destinations - 3/10 (possibly higher) - I enjoy the storytelling here more than anything else. When using a terminal, you can compare the altered and unaltered timelines and learn more about what is at stake. Likewise, the game does a decent job of front-loading your upcoming levels. Nonetheless, there is one odd quibble I need to raise. While the process of queuing up your resources and plotting a course are fiddly and more involved than they should be, the fundamental problem that makes or breaks this game begins here. Despite all the hand-waving and suggestions that this game has an "open world," the opposite is true. There is a correct order in which you tackle NORAD, the Morimoto Colony, and the WSC.

If you do not follow this unspoken optimal path, you will quickly bump into dead ends. On top of that, each location will require at least TWO visits as actions in the other two areas will open up barriers, roadblocks, doors, or walls ten to twenty levels removed from one another. This structure wouldn't be as big of a deal-breaker for some if hopping between areas and getting to where you need to go weren't a laborious process. But it is, and that's why I have a hard time recommending this game even if I overall had a more than worthwhile time with it. On top of that, we haven't scratched the surface of what FMV adventure game bullshit it has in store for you.

WSC Part 1

Do you remember this part of high school chemistry class?
Do you remember this part of high school chemistry class?

Creating An Antidote - 7/10 - An android that is part of the conspiracy to keep humanity isolated shoots you with a dart that happens to be filled with a lethal neurotoxin. Unbeknownst to them, you have warped into a medical lab with all the materials needed to create an antidote. The first step involves taking the dart and analyzing it using a medical device in the room. After identifying the toxin, you need to operate a different device to create the molecules needed to synthesize the antidote. What plays out is a game of memory wherein the game shows a synthetic compound on the screen, and you need to select three base molecules to mimic what is on the terminal. The base pairs are randomized between playthroughs, and the game requires you to complete this task three times, with each subsequent molecule being more complex than the last. It's not an impossible task, but it is made ten times harder due to a time limit. Likewise, the android shooting you every time you enter this specific location is silly. I appreciate that the antidote is a permanent fixture in your inventory, and you don't need to continue remaking it. Regardless, it's a definite jump in difficulty that comes out of nowhere.

Getting To Dr. Sinclair's Office - 5/10 - After dealing with the alien neurotoxin, you need to whisk your time cop to the office of Dr. Sinclair, the "father of time travel." The problem here is the same one found in other time travel stories: you cannot allow people in the past to see you. As a result, if you manage to cross paths with any scientists at the laboratory, it results in an instant "Game Over." To make matters worse, the hallway you navigate is a maze with poorly marked repeating green doors that are all but impossible to tell apart. The game throws you one bone in that your AI companion warns you if there's an incoming person. When you reach Sinclair's office, you need to use the correct keycard to enter and collect information that incriminates Sinclair with the evil cabal. Like your apartment, the "puzzle" here involves exploring a room and clicking everything until you find the right items or audio logs to continue the story. The one kicker here is an assault rifle that explicitly connects Sinclair to the conspiracy, but it turns out to be a red herring, and if you attempt to leave with it, you get arrested. It's a dick move when the game has a constant AI companion bark at you to "collect any and all evidence of illegal activities."

You should fail at this sequence because the costumes for the actors are AMAZING!
You should fail at this sequence because the costumes for the actors are AMAZING!

Identifying The Physical Anomaly - 4/10 - With enough information on Dr. Sinclair, it's time to find the first physical anomaly. This mission involves leaving Sinclair's office, navigating the same repeating and looping office building, and locating a bomb on a random statue. The first complication is that the occurrence of random normies that can catch you is even higher than before. While the sculpture is only a few screens away, you need to wait ten to twenty seconds for the coast to be clear, making it last far longer. Speaking of which, the statue is predictably poorly marked and difficult to find. Your usually helpful AI companion will chime that there are three or four statues in the entire complex but will not provide any further clarification as to where to look for the bomb or if you are getting closer to it. It's a pain to find, and worse, this is the first example of a roadblock that you cannot progress until AFTER you pick up a separate item in a different area. To call this puzzle frustrating is more than apt.

Mars Colony Part 1

Finding The Morimoto Access Card - 3/10 -Welcome to Mars! To be more specific, the "Morimoto Martian Colony" because do you remember in the 1990s when the United States thought that Japan was the most significant economic threat to its place in the global theater? YUP! A Japanese Zaibatsu managed to develop a Martian colony before any other nation, but it is currently at the mercy of an android named Ares. You'll even cross this android at least once at the Martian colony, but, for whatever reason, it doesn't murder you on the spot though it will identify you as a TSA agent. Plot convenience? It sure looks like it! Regardless, when it comes to your first go at Mars, your mission is to pick up three essential items: an access card, a Power Crowbar, and an oxygen mask. You pick up the first of these by finding a non-descript receptionist desk and pilfering a coffer. The only tricky part involves the handful of instant death-delivering traps. Every room in the Mars colony, including where you pick up the access card, has at least one door leading to security guards that immediately waste you. Other than these traps, which your AI companion does warn you about, getting the access card is a simple pixel hunt.

AWWWWWWWWWWW YEAH! LET'S PARTY LIKE WE HAVE A SEGA CD!
AWWWWWWWWWWW YEAH! LET'S PARTY LIKE WE HAVE A SEGA CD!

Using The Maintenance Transport - 4/10 - Now we have what I would hazard to call the game's first "real" puzzle. After picking up the access card, you need to mosey your way down to a nearby shuttle dock. However, before you turn on the transportation system, you should observe a nearby map that indicates which turns and forks are under construction and which ones are safe to navigate. It's far from the most complex puzzle, considering you simply need to jot down if you need to turn left or right, but it's finally something more than navigating to a location and clicking everything until you pick up an item. Oh, and using the shuttle is some good old-fashioned FMV goodness! The entire sequence plays EXACTLY LIKE every other FMV vehicle sequence (i.e., Sewer Shark, Wirehead, Fox Hunt, etc.), where the fast-moving action boils down to simple mouse clicks. Much like those examples I listed, if you are off by even a second during this sequence, you will die and need to restart. Otherwise, it's one of those puzzles that once you write down the answer or play it once, it's never a problem ever again.

Remembering To Pick Up The Oxygen Mask - 5/10 - I struggle to call this a puzzle, but this one item is so essential to progressing the story that I felt I needed to include it. Similarly, you need to pick up a Power Crowbar in the shuttle if you wish to deal with that bomb from earlier. The third and final item you need to locate is an oxygen mask. As you approach it, you need to be careful not to run into Ares; otherwise, he'll kill you this time. Luckily for you, your AI friend yells at you not to proceed until they give you the okay to keep moving. Once the coast is clear, you'll notice an empty oxygen tank. You need to pick this up, but you will have to fill it at a different location. Doing so is incredibly important, as the next room will immediately kill you unless you have a steady oxygen supply. The issue with this design decision on the part of Presto is that you have no idea where the appropriate filling station might exist. Unless you have been swapping between levels willy-nilly, it is easy to lose track of where the filling station exists (i.e., NORAD). As a result, I'll rate this a bit higher than some of the other fetch quests in the game, but not much more.

Norad Part 1

You have to deal with these asshole robots a whole bunch.
You have to deal with these asshole robots a whole bunch.

Filling Your Canisters - 2/10 - Remember when I warned you that the sequencing in this game is all over the place? Well, your first folly at NORAD is a perfect example. You can "technically" progress further if you want, but unless you tie up things at the WSC symposium, you'll subject yourself to another harsh vehicle sequence with nothing to show for it. Accordingly, during your first visit to NORAD, all you need to do is fill your nitrogen, oxygen, and argon canisters. You have to be quick as an android uses a terminal to begin pumping poison into the air using the ventilation system. There is a way for you to stop the sleeping gas from being pumped through the ventilation system, but I don't bother until my second visit. However, the good news is that dealing with this is a simple flick of the switch. If you attempt to do more of this environment, you will be greeted with a brick wall that will not budge until you complete at least one other level. Overall, other than my grousing about the story's structure, this "puzzle" is benign.

The WSC Part 2

Using The Power Crowbar On the Temporal Anachronism - 1/10 - First off, the fact you need to continue using the antidote whenever you enter the WSC is silly. Otherwise, all you need to do is get to the temporal anachronism that you couldn't resolve earlier and use the Power Crowbar on it to open the door to the next part of the level. The corridor leading up to the anomaly still has scientists that can result in a Game Over if they catch you, but other than that, this is a "Gear Check" puzzle and nothing else. You either have the required item to progress further, or you don't.

You really want to get this Map Biochip before doing any of the later levels.
You really want to get this Map Biochip before doing any of the later levels.

Stopping The Sniper - 4/10 - It is worth noting that the "meat and potatoes" of the second half of the WSC is watching a debate between two scientists. It provides some clues as to who the driving forces are in the plot and the game's antagonists. Nonetheless, a scientist sniper shoots you almost immediately after you open the door. This "scientist" is an android sleeper agent and needs to be stopped before they assassinate the scientist who convinces humanity to open up to other galactic civilizations. Finding the assassin is a bit difficult because, as has been the case before, some doors and corridors immediately end your game. Instead, you navigate a few dark rooms before you encounter a green organic door that opens up to the sniper as they are about to pull their trigger. Rather annoyingly, this is a timed sequence, and the game doesn't provide clues as to which items or parts of the environment you can use to stop the assassination attempt. You have about ten seconds to stop the sniper, and clicking on them with nothing in your hands results in them shooting you before they return to their target.

If there is one positive spin I can take with this puzzle, it is that I appreciate how there are two possible solutions. You can freeze the android without killing it using your Argon canister for those who wish to play the game as a pacifist. Conversely, you can also murder them by clicking on a flickering cable to electrocute them. Beyond the time constraint, the only quibble I have involves the inordinate items the game gives you whenever you deal with one of the androids. When the game provides the starting biochips, it does a decent job explaining what they do and how they will assist in your journey. With the newer ones, you pick them up and have to figure out how they impact the game through trial-and-error.

Norad Part 2

Preparing The Submarine - 4/10 - The second part of NORAD is the most extensive individual level in The Journeyman Project. Here, the game also spends the lion's share of its production budget. With an adequately filled oxygen tank, your first task is to deal with the poison being pumped through the ventilation system. You can either use the gas and intake machine or activate a filter on your mask. Next, you need to click on a panel to adjust the pressure in an air-tight room. When it is equal to the pressure in your current space, you can descend to a submarine bay. From here, you enter a control room and interact with a terminal to initiate the launch preparations for a submarine. Nothing here is particularly hard, per se, but you need to do things in an exact sequence or otherwise risk getting stuck. It's also another set-piece where you look at computer terminals more than anything else.

Oh, don't worry. The blurriness of this screencap is because of the quality of the FMV.
Oh, don't worry. The blurriness of this screencap is because of the quality of the FMV.

The Submarine Vehicle Sequence - 5/10 - I know The Journeyman Project predates Star Wars: Rebel Assault and Tomcat Alley by a not-insignificant amount, but HOT DAMN, does this sequence reek of "peak Sega CD energy!" Much like those examples mentioned above, when you begin piloting the submarine, your craft is attacked at pre-determined times, and you need to decide if you want to turn left or right to avoid taking damage. If you take too many hits, it is "Game Over," and you will have to restart the entire sequence. Hilariously enough, the correct answer here is to select "Left" for all but one of the attacks. Even then, your submarine can take a few hits before it explodes. After reading this blog, if you decide to play this game, always pick "Left" when using the submarine. It's a largely asinine vehicle sequence that perfectly embodies a weird tangent the video game industry went towards during the early 90s before it realized it was making a horrible mistake. Otherwise, I'll give it an average score for looking flashy but controlling like trash.

How good is your knowledge of national capitals?
How good is your knowledge of national capitals?

Stopping Nuclear Missiles - 6/10 - After you manage to park the submarine in the next facility, you discover that an evil android named "Poseidon" has hacked NORAD and queued up a salvo of nuclear missiles to destroy the world. To avoid a nuclear holocaust, you must manually track and stop these missiles from calibrating onto their targets. You will accomplish this task by listening to a computer announcing the name of a target nation and then using a 3D hologram of planet Earth to click its capital city. There is a time limit to make matters worse, and you only regain a nominal amount of time whenever you select the correct location. If you struggle with world geography, this "puzzle," if we can call it that, is a real pain in the ass. Beyond that, there are real accessibility issues with this puzzle. The globe you click is light blue, and the nodes you select are not well distinguished from the rest of the map. If you have color blindness, I would guess this puzzle is all but impossible.

Dealing With Or Killing Poseidon - 5/10 - Like the last time you dealt with an alien robot, there are two possible ways you can go about beating them. You can either take the "violent" route, which in this case involves depressurizing the room Poseidon is in, causing him to explode. Or, you can take the non-violent option, which uses a control panel and a claw to trap Poseidon and knock him about until he becomes unconscious. The second of these is the more challenging option as there are multiple inputs you need to select, and if you pick even a single incorrect one, the android will break free and kill you. The easier violent route is hard to figure out because it has been a while since you last used the pressurization system. Either way, you collect a handful of biochips, with the most notable of them being the shield chip which will make the following sequence considerably easier. All in all, it's not impossible, and I appreciate there being two pathways for the player.

Mars Colony Part 2

Oh... this fucking level.
Oh... this fucking level.

The Shield Generator Sequence - 9/10 -Talk about a jump in difficulty! After providing a relatively breezy experience, your second go at the Martian Colony is where The Journeyman Project decides to kick your ass. I will skip over the fact that you need to pay heed to the same traps and shuttle sequence from earlier. Where things ramp-up is when you reach a door you could not open when you were last at Mars. When you unlock this door, you discover that the Shield Generator absorbs your biosuit energy six times faster than average. If you complete the NORAD level before attempting this one, which you should, you can use the Shield Biochip to lower that to three times the standard rate. You will need that extra time because the puzzles you are about to interact with are total bullshit. The first involves using a platform to find a central terminal on the shield generator. There are at least a dozen possible locations to check, and if you don't locate it quickly, you can end up in a fail state because the following two puzzles require a minimum amount of time for you to be able to solve them. When you first locate the right spot, you need to use your nitrogen canister to freeze a lock and then use your Power Crowbar to break the lock. You need to be quick because the nitrogen will wear off after about fifteen seconds, and if that happens, you need to drag your ass back to the canister filling machine in NORAD.

How do you fuck up Mastermind? Well, this game found a way!
How do you fuck up Mastermind? Well, this game found a way!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Once you find the central terminal, you need to use a panel to select "Run Diagnostics" on the generator and then "Analyze" when you detect a bomb. If you attempt to remove the bomb instead of selecting "Attempt Circuit Link," you fucking DIE! When you link the diagnostics system with the detonator, you play a game of Mastermind to defuse the bomb. The only complication is that in this version of Mastermind, the game tells you how many correct inputs you have made but not where those valid inputs are. So, if you plug in four random colors and the game tells you that you have made two correct selections, you have no idea which colors are in the right spot. I fucking hated this shit, especially when the game provides a final five-color version of this puzzle. As expected, if you fail the second or third phases of the Mastermind puzzle, you start back at the entrance of the shield generator.

For most of you reading this entry, you might be wondering why I gave this a nine instead of a ten. Despite its overwhelmingly Byzantine nature on paper, I knew what I needed to do at the shield generator. There were many tricky parts, but it wasn't impossible to figure out what the game wanted me to do. When I started exploring the generator, I knew what I needed to find. When freezing the lock, I immediately guessed that I would need to use the crowbar. When the bomb prompted its version of Mastermind, I knew what that would entail. The issue here IS NOT poor signposting, which I usually reward with a ten. The problem here is that the game has a punishing time constraint and a ton of instant death scenarios. And even then, the game's bullshit is still manageable. Getting to the game's ending at this point isn't impossible; it's just a matter of if you think this sort of gameplay is worth tolerating.

This level just suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
This level just suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.

The Underground Labyrinth - 9/10 - If you have been following this series since its inception, you know I hate maze puzzles in adventure games. The primary reason for my distaste is that they come across as the laziest shit. That's mainly the case here and then some. After thwarting Ares' evil plot, they attempt to make a getaway. The only way to follow them is by navigating an underground maze populated by mining robots. Some of these robots are window-dressing, and others are lethal. The good news about the latter of those is that you can navigate away from them without immediately triggering a "Game Over." When you find the exit, you need to use an elevator and remember to pressurize the next room before jumping into a spaceship to chase Ares.

This maze is particularly annoying for a handful of reasons. The first of these annoyances presents itself at the very start. To begin the chase sequence, you need to backtrack back to the Oxygen Room and then put on your mask before you open a door you have yet to use. You have thirty real minutes with a full oxygen tank, but that will not be enough time if you don't know where you are going. As a result, you'll also want to have the Map Biochip activated so that your movements fill in a map on the lower portion of your screen. This tool is only partially helpful because you still do not know what you are trying to find or what exactly represents the maze's exit. It doesn't help that the proper route out of the maze is a serpentine one involving ducking around hostile enemies that you think you should avoid. It's also easy to get lost and run around in circles and not know it. I would rank the shield generator above the maze in terms of difficulty, but the maze is far less interesting.

I honestly got flashbacks to Star Trek: Klingon during this sequence.
I honestly got flashbacks to Star Trek: Klingon during this sequence.

Chasing The Alien Spaceship - 6/10 - You have essentially reached The Journeyman Project's homestretch after surviving the underground maze. However, it is also time for the game's FINAL FMV-based vehicle sequence! After witnessing Ares jumping into a spaceship and flying away, you must leap into a nearby ship and follow suit. There are two parts to this chase sequence. The first involves following Ares, ducking around hazards, and then clicking a hyperspace warp into the planet's upper atmosphere. The last step of that puzzle wasn't immediately apparent to me, and it took at least seven loops before I realized what I needed to do. The second phase involves you either destroying or disabling Ares' ship before it blows up an alien emissary. If you elect to destroy Ares, you blast him away with your lasers. If you want to go the pacifist route, you still shoot at him, but when his shields become exhausted, you instead use a tractor beam to pull him towards you.

Either way, Ares attacks you by dropping space junk your way and returning volleys of blaster bolts. Again, this entire sequence reeks of every FMV game released on the Sega CD, for better or for worse. Luckily, this particular vehicle level isn't as tricky as the one involving the shuttle or submarine. Dodging the canyon spires is an impressive visual, and when you reach space, it plays exactly like Rebel Assault. Nonetheless, the controls are not all that intuitive, and knowing when to stop shooting Ares if you want to go the pacifist route isn't well communicated to the player. Also, that ramp in the first part still pisses me off. If you miss it, you have to survive the entire canyon loop AGAIN, which takes two solid minutes! It does not help that the warp ramp is only present on the screen for about ten seconds. Finicky is the best way to describe this entire level.

Caldoria Part 2

Why do these peace treaty delegations have zero security?
Why do these peace treaty delegations have zero security?

Stopping The Final Assassination Attempt - 6/10 - The game immediately teleports you to the present after you defeat the last android. Baldwin, your shitty boss from earlier, congratulates you but relays that Dr. Sinclair is still on the loose. You need to explore the starting hub world for Sinclair before he does something to jeopardize the pending peace treaty humanity is signing with the alien emissaries from the start of the game. To find Sinclair, you need to return to your apartment complex and take an elevator to the top floor. Eventually, you will find a door that leads to the roof, but Sinclair has locked it. You use the Bomb Biochip you found on Mars to get past this roadblock. While on the top of the building, you have about three minutes to stop Sinclair from shooting anyone. Nevertheless, if you get too close, he will attack you. Instead, you sneak up on him while hiding behind some trees and then use a stun gun.

The words "wild goose chase" come to mind when I look at this set piece. You know you need to go back to the apartment complex from the start of the game, but because every door looks the same, it is tough finding the right door to blow up. Once you get to the top, figuring out which items to use on Sinclair and where to use them is no easy task. Likewise, finding the correct vantage point to attack Sinclair is annoying. There is precisely one correct screen and knowing how to get to it isn't clear. It's far from the most challenging puzzle the game presents you, but it isn't the easiest either.

Yup, this game honestly ends with you playing connect-the-dots.
Yup, this game honestly ends with you playing connect-the-dots.

Defusing The Bomb (i.e., The Connect-The-Dots Puzzles) - 7/10 - With Sinclair out cold, you discover that he rigged a nuclear bomb to go off to sabotage the peace treaty signing should his sniping attempt fail. When you attempt to hack the bomb, you find that you can diffuse it if you are able to connect a series of nodes without crossing your cursor over a previously drawn line. Similarly, there's a time limit. This puzzle clearly shows that the developers ran out of ideas when they got to the end of the game. After The Journeyman Project showcases a smattering of unique and engaging locals and a handful of creative action set pieces, it makes you play a series of connect-the-dots puzzles. There are six puzzles in total, and as you might expect, they get increasingly harder. I got these puzzles in a single go because I swear I have seen these particular patterns in other adventure games. Otherwise, the puzzles are manageable but occasionally frustrating.

Should You Play The Journeyman Project 1: Pegasus Prime (Answer: Sure, But Only If You Have It In Your Heart To Tolerate FMV-Bullshitery)

Many of you enjoyed Vinny's FMV escapades on Giant Bomb and continue to follow his FMV adventures on Nextlander. I have even seen some of you chime in during one of Vinny's Nextlander FMV streams, asking where to start if you are interested in experiencing a "classic" FMV game. If you honestly want to go back to the oldies, I can think of no better game than The Journeyman Project 1: Pegasus Prime. The Steam and GOG versions are smooth and relatively bug-free and usually on sale whenever either platform makes one of their seasonal sales. The game is more involved than most FMV adventure games from the 90s, which leads to a better playing experience. Furthermore, The Journeyman Project has a crazy story that goes places and sands off most of, but not all, the rough edges associated with old-school FMV games. If any of the tasks seem too harsh, there's an "Easy Mode" toggle that instantly solves any puzzle or sequence in the game.

This game oozes with charm.
This game oozes with charm.

However, there's no denying that the game is not without fault. This game is not for you if you have any aversions to trial-and-error gameplay or backtracking. Even if it provides more interactivity than most FMV adventure games, it still relies on pixel hunting and random item collection to carry most of its gameplay. Likewise, there comes the point when the game loses steam. The back half of the game is far less exciting and compelling than the first half, and the introductions of its primary set pieces are more awe-inspiring than your second rodeos in them. And there are parts of the game that are no fun to play. Knowing which items or Biochips to use can take you a while to figure out if you do not have a guide on standby. The game's open-ended format is both one of its most fascinating conceits as well as its most significant stumbling block. It is incredibly easy to get stuck in this game and not know what you need to do next.

That grousing aside, The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime is a one-of-a-kind experience. Presto Studios aimed for the stars with this game and succeeded for the most part. It would also behoove me not to mention how the second and third games in this trilogy don't just refine the concepts and ideas of this game but honestly push the envelope of what games did at the time. While FMV games from the 90s normally induce sneers, there's no denying the historical significance of The Journeyman Project and what it pioneered for PC gaming. Even if you have no interest in the game, I think we can all at least agree that this series becoming forgotten is somewhat of a shame. The franchise was and still is a technological marvel that bleeds ambition even if it doesn't use its effusive excitement in the most productive manner.

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monkeyking1969

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Wow, this is great I have never heard of the original games let alone the remake. Thanks for making this fascinating read.

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ZombiePie

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#2 ZombiePie  Staff

Wow, this is great I have never heard of the original games let alone the remake. Thanks for making this fascinating read.

Hey, thanks for the comment! This was a fun blog to write as well as a riot of a game to play. I want to thank @jeffrud for recommending it. However, it turns out he played the original version of the game, whereas I played the remake. If you want advice on if you should play that or this, I would err on the side of caution and check out the GOG or Steam release of Pegasus Prime 1.

Also, here's a link to the charity stream wherein I played this game in a single sitting (starts at 15:00):

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sparky_buzzsaw

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That was a fun stream, especially watching you lose your mind in the labyrinth. Great writeup too, Zeep.