History VideoGame / Enchanter

* NintendoHard: ''Enchanter'' was pretty modest by Infocom standards. ''Sorcerer'' was quite a bit harder, particularly the mind-bending coal mine puzzle. ''[[UnusualEuphemism Holy Christ on a neon surfboard]]'' was ''Spellbreaker'' difficult! Considered one of the hardest games Infocom ''ever'' made, people actually criticised it for supposedly being unreasonably frustrating in an attempt to boost sales of the hint book, and it significantly negatively impacted the game's popularity.

* {{Foreign|Remake}} VideoGameRemake: In 1993, ten years after the original ''Enchanter'', Japanese software development company [=SystemSoft=] developed and published its [[http://www.mobygames.com/game/pc98/enchanter-wakaki-madshi-no-shiren remake for]] [[UsefulNotes/PC98 the PC-9801]] entitled ''Enchanter: Wakaki Madōshi no Shirén'' (エンチャンター ～若き魔導士の試練～; ''[[TheForeignSubtitle Enchanter: The Trial of the Young Sorcerer]]''). Unlike the original, this game has some of the most common verb commands ("look", "take", etc.) that can be accessed by pressing a corresponding button (the player still has to type the name of an object, though), and enhanced graphics for the unique background pictures on which the text is super-imposed.

** In ''Spellbreaker'', it appears using a spell that detects the power level of cubes. Naturally, the spell can be used only three times. And you don't know whether the correct cube will glow ''more'' or ''less'' than the fakes.
** Or only two times, if you [[spoiler:take any of the treasure]], making the puzzle and the game {{Unwinnable}}. [[spoiler:The random number generator will be biased against you if you screw up.]]
** After three weighings [[SchrodingersGun the game determines which coins might be the fake given the information you have, and if there's more than one possibility the game will switch it so that you have the wrong coin]]. Infocom was great.

* TwelveCoinsPuzzle: Implemented in ''Spellbreaker'' as a puzzle involving the magical power levels of a set of physically-indistinguishable white cubes.

* WholePlotReference: The plot of '''Spellbreaker'' is one to the ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'' trilogy, which was creator Dave Lebling's favorite series; [[spoiler:the protagonist spends the entire game pursing a mysterious shadow who turns out to be himself, as in the first book; and ultimately, to repair the universe, he must give up his magical powers forever, as in the final book.]]

''For the arcade pinball game called'' Sorcerer, ''[[Pinball/{{Sorcerer}} click here]].''

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: In both ''Enchanter' and ''Spellbreaker'', you lose your spellbook near the end of the game. You need to have the correct spells memorized to deal with endgame events, but unless you consult a walkthrough, there's no way to know what you'll need without going through each game's final sequence and dying to the threats at least once.

* NoPronunciationGuide: Some of the spell names are a bit difficult to pronounce. Is it "MAHL-yon" or "MAYL-yon" (MALYON)? "LEH-sock" or "Leh-SOTCH" (LESOCH)?

* WholePlotReference: The plot of '''Spellbreaker'' is one to the ''[[Literature/Earthsea]]'' trilogy, which was creator Dave Lebling's favorite novel; [[spoiler:the protagonist spends the entire game pursing a mysterious shadow who turns out to be himself, as in the first book; and ultimately, to repair the universe, he must give up his magical powers forever, as in the final book.]]

* TimeSkip: Occurs throughout the series: ''Enchanter'' takes place in 956 GUE, eight years after the events of the ''Zork'' trilogy; ''Sorcerer'' takes place one year after the events of ''Enchanter''; and ''Spellbreaker'' takes place [[spoiler:at the [[EndOfAnAge end of the First Age of Magic]]]] in 966 GUE, nine years after the events of ''Sorcerer''.

* BalefulPolymorph / BewitchedAmphibians: The CLEESH spell turns a person into a frog or a newt.

* SuperSpeed: The EXEX spell is very useful for allowing you to move faster than normal. And it just might work on a {{turtle|Power}} if you time it right.

* TurtlePower: In ''Enchanter'', a turtle is one of the friendly creatures you encounter, and a useful ally in getting one necessary item.

* IFellForHours: Played for drama and taken UpToEleven: If your KULCAD spell turns the endless stairs into a {{Bottomless Pit|s}}, you'll fall down for hours. If you don't IZYUK yourself or if your IZYUK wears off, you'll fall forever and eventually die.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In ''Enchanter'', the large, black-robed figure [[spoiler: (that is, the BigBad Krill himself)]] prepares to stab you in the heart [[KnifeNut with a sacrificial dagger]] in a HumanSacrifice ritual. [[DeathIsCheap With the OZMOO spell on yourself, however, you'll]] FeelNoPain as the spell turns it into a BloodlessCarnage.