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Illustration of Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Overview

Zak McKracken is a tabloid reporter (and not a very good one at that). After having a psychedelic dream one day, Zak realizes that something is wrong -- space aliens are dumbifying the general public through the telephone system. Zak must stop this, but he can't do it alone. After finding a strange crystal, Zak manages to get the help of the anthropologist Annie and her friends, Melissa and Leslie. The four unlikely heroes must now figure out a way to destroy the dumbifying devices and save the Earth.

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is a third-person puzzle-solving adventure similar in gameplay to Maniac Mansion. The player chooses verb commands (Open, Pick Up, Give, etc.; there are no Look or Talk commands) to interact with the game world. The game features up to four controllable protagonists; it is possible to switch between them at any time after they have been introduced, and also exchange inventory items if the characters are in the same location. The game can be described as a "globe-trotting" adventure, since the heroes are required to travel to different exotic countries and even leave the Earth for a while in order to complete it. Some of the puzzles are optional or can be solved in different ways.

The FM Towns version has VGA graphics with 256 colors and higher-quality music and sound effects.

GOG release comes with two versions of the game that install simultaneously. One is FM Towns version with updated graphics, while the other is marked as Floppy version which is the old DOS version of a game.

Developers
Lucasfilm Games
Publishers
Lucasfilm Games
Platform
ScummVM
Alternate Names
  • Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (FM Towns)JapanFlag of Japan region
Video
No information available

Media

Banner

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Banner (World) - 1600x740
World -  1600 x 740

Box - 3D

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - 3D (North America) - 400x500
North America -  400 x 500
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - 3D (United States) - 825x1270
United States -  825 x 1270

Box - Back

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Back (United States) - 634x810
United States -  634 x 810
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Back (United States) - 636x819
United States -  636 x 819
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Back (Japan) - 800x1157
Japan -  800 x 1157

Box - Front

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Front (United States) - 800x1067
United States -  800 x 1067
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Front (United States) - 640x815
United States -  640 x 815
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Front (Japan) - 800x1146
Japan -  800 x 1146

Box - Spine

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Spine (United States) - 170x1600
United States -  170 x 1600
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Box - Spine (Japan) - 188x1600
Japan -  188 x 1600

Clear Logo

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Clear Logo (null) - 1200x762
1200 x 762

Disc

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Disc (Germany) - 800x824
Germany -  800 x 824

Fanart - Box - Front

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Fanart - Box - Front (Australia) - 342x482
Australia -  342 x 482

Screenshot - Game Title

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Game Title (World) - 640x480
World -  640 x 480
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Game Title (Japan) - 640x480
Japan -  640 x 480

Screenshot - Gameplay

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (null) - 787x448
787 x 448
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (World) - 638x399
World -  638 x 399
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (France) - 799x451
France -  799 x 451
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (France) - 798x449
France -  798 x 449
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France -  767 x 453
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Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (France) - 784x445
France -  784 x 445
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (France) - 787x446
France -  787 x 446
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (Japan) - 640x480
Japan -  640 x 480
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (Japan) - 640x480
Japan -  640 x 480
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders - Screenshot - Gameplay (Japan) - 640x480
Japan -  640 x 480