Teenagent Explained

Teenagent
Developer:Metropolis Software House
Released:February 1995[1]
Genre:Graphic adventure game
Modes:Single-player
Platforms:MS-DOS, Amiga

Teenagent is a 1995[2] point-and-click adventure game developed by Polish developer Metropolis Software House. It was released for Amiga and MS-DOS. The player controls teenage boy Mark Hopper, who wants to be a secret agent. It was the first game to be released on CD-ROM in Poland.

Plot

Gold is disappearing around Poland. The police agency wants to hire a random person to uncover the reason behind this disappearance - they choose teenage boy Mark Hopper.

Gameplay

The game has three sections: "The Three Tasks", where Mark must prove himself by performing three tasks for the captain of the guards; "The Village", where Mark must wander around a village and gain entry to the mansion owned by the villain causing the gold's disappearance; and "The Mansion", where Mark must put a stop to the villain's plans.

Development

Metropolis Software's contemporaries had begun making games for 8-bit computers, which freed up the market for the company to pursue PC game development without competition.[3] The development team planned for Teenagent to follow in the footsteps of Tajemnica Statuetkis success, being competitive not only in Poland but internationally.[4] To avoid half-measures being taken, graphic designers, animators and testers were hired.

The character Mark Hopper was played by developer Adrian Chmielarz's younger brother.[5]

Game story was inspired by American action comedy film If Looks Could Kill (1991).

Release

When the game was originally released, "The Three Tasks" was shareware, and the remaining two sections could be obtained by registering the game, but the game was later released as freeware.[6]

Teenagent was later released on Good Old Games as the milestone 100th game on the site.[7] It is one of thirteen free games available on the site.

Reception

Teenagent won a Silver Award from U.K. magazine PC Format.[8]

The game's marketing slogan was: "The creators of Tajemnica Statuetki have been silent for over a year. See for yourself why".[9] InnPoland attributes this marketing campaign, which attached its predecessor's quality stamp on the title, to Teenagent becoming a "breakthrough",[10] while PB.pl thought this slogan "grabbed" the public. The title was considered a significant step forward in quality from its predecessor and stood on its shoulders in terms of its international reach.[11]

Music

The game's music was composed by Polish artist Radek Szamrej, aka RST. In November 2010, video game music community OverClocked ReMix released a free fan tribute album arranging the game's soundtrack.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gry stare ale jare #46 – Teenagent. 9 July 2015. Gamedot. pl. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232629/https://gamedot.pl/article,publicystyka,gry-stare-ale-jare-46-teenagent. 28 December 2017. live. 19 August 2024.
  2. January 1995 . co nowego? . . 6 . Polish.
  3. Web site: Tajemnica Statuetki . Marciniak. Jacek "AloneMan". 2004. SS-NG. 50. pl.
  4. Web site: Agent Mlíčňák. January 24, 2000. iDNES.cz. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229172238/https://plnehry.idnes.cz/agent-mlicnak-00l-/Clanek.aspx?c=A000129_045003_bw-plneHry-adventury_bw. December 29, 2017. live. December 29, 2017.
  5. Web site: Historia polskich gier: Metropolis Software i Adrian Chmielarz . Wiater. Paweł. October 5, 2012. Gra.pl . https://web.archive.org/web/20171229055208/http://www.gra.pl/gry/historia-polskich-gier-metropolis-software-i-adrian-chmielarz. December 29, 2017. live. December 29, 2017.
  6. Web site: Teenagent Download . 2011-12-21 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20021221042931/http://www.metropolis-software.com/download.html . December 21, 2002.
  7. Web site: Teenagent Added to GOG.com . 2009-03-31 . 2011-04-25 . Gamers Hell.
  8. NG Alphas: Metropolis . Next Generation. 35 . . November 1997. 86.
  9. Web site: Gry stare ale jare #46 – Teenagent. July 9, 2015. Gamedot. pl. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232629/https://gamedot.pl/article,publicystyka,gry-stare-ale-jare-46-teenagent. December 28, 2017. live. December 28, 2017.
  10. News: Wspomnień czar. Teenagent, Wacki, Książę i Tchórz – w to grano, kiedy Wiedźmin był jeszcze bohaterem opowiadań. Burtan . Grzegorz. April 4, 2016. INN Poland.. December 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171228232444/http://innpoland.pl/126027,teenagent-wacki-ksiaze-tchorz-pokolenie2d-gry-z-lat-90. December 28, 2017. live. pl.
  11. News: Bądź kimkolwiek zechcesz. Najważniejsze gry przygodowe XX wieku. Gadżetomania.pl. January 6, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180107061912/https://gadzetomania.pl/3516,najwazniejsze-gry-przygodowe-xx-wieku,all. January 7, 2018. live. pl.