Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers

aka: SQ4, Space Quest 4, Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco e i Viaggiatori del Tempo, Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco und die Zeitspringer
Moby ID: 143
DOS Specs
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Description official descriptions

Following his humorous adventures in previous game, Roger Wilco is relaxing at his favorite pub somewhere in time and space when heavily armed soldiers enter the room. Carrying a parting message from Roger's old nemesis, Sludge Vohaul, they plan to get rid of the janitorial hero, execution style. That is, until a man with an over-sized hair dryer helps Roger escape through a time rip into the future. Now Roger Wilco has woken up on his home planet, some time in a meta-fictional Space Quest XII. It is a grim, dystopian future: the series has gone to ruin without its hero, and Vohaul rules supreme. Roger must find a way to avoid Vohaul's henchmen, fulfill his destiny, and learn about a few surprises that await him in his own future.

Space Quest IV is the first in the Space Quest series to feature Sierra's icon-based SCI interface and 256-color graphics. The command set includes icons for walking, looking, using or taking, talking, smelling, tasting, as well as inventory access. Roger Wilco is shown on the screen from the exterior in multiple viewpoints. Like in the previous games, inventory-based puzzle-solving co-exists with timed tasks and various hazards that will kill Roger if the player is not careful.

Spellings

  • Space Quest 4: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers - Alternate spelling
  • スペース・クエスト IV - Japanese spelling

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Credits (DOS version)

55 People (51 developers, 4 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 68% (based on 24 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 125 ratings with 5 reviews)

Leather babes, tentacle monsters?.. No, it's not what you think

The Good
Space Quest IV is considered the most brilliant installment of the lighthearted sci-fi saga by many fans. The pre-requisite for that choice partly lies in the trajectory of the series' development. Unlike Larry with his ups and downs, or King's Quest, which took upon itself the task of testing out new engines and gameplay mechanics, Space Quest found its tone and style right away, and has been steadily building up upon them. The fourth entry is therefore a more polished, better executed version of the same concept that gave life to the franchise. It does little new, but intensely focuses on everything that made us love the series in the first place.

What really stands out in Space Quest IV is the sheer abundance of action, changes of setting and pace, and creative ideas thrown at you. Energy surges through the game, and no moment is dull. Remember the disappointing lack of civilization in the second game or the drawn-out factory level in the third one? The fourth does away with such filler material, presenting well-measured, exciting setpieces. You'll be constantly switching locations, and almost each one is cool and memorable.

Gameplay-wise, Space Quest IV utilizes the same melange of tricky situations with an occasional puzzle that characterized most Sierra's early adventures. You may or may not like the style, but this game is probably its most perfect incarnation. Almost every area you travel to contains traps and dangerous situations, but they are more logically placed and cleverly designed than the more randomized hazards in some of the company's older games. The game starts strong, much more so than the previous Space Quests; using the always-working time-traveling concept, it whisks you away to a future installment of the series (Space Quest XII!), the initial segment taking place in an atmospheric, post-apocalyptic area with a scary mutant threatening to take your sanity and life. Later, even a leisurely episode in a shopping mall culminates in an indirect confrontation with the omnipresent time police. You'll be exploring sewers, traveling to exotic planets, outsmarting horrifying tentacle monsters to please scantily-clad women, and even taking a part-time job in a fast food restaurant.

There is a solid reason for this game's unofficial position as the leader of the series: it is very funny. Even hardcore haters of classic Sierra design would find it hard to deny that this game is worth playing just for humorous value. The game takes advantage of the new icon-based interface more than its contemporaries from the parallel series, providing funny text feedback when you try to experiment with such extravagant commands as "Smell" and "Lick". The death scenes are as hilarious as ever, and the sci-fi movie spoofs are more clearly pronounced. The comedic highlight of the game, however, is the brilliant software store containing parodies of well-known games, including not-so-subtle jabs at Sierra's main rival.

Space Quest IV is one of those "next-gen" adventures Sierra started making in the early nineties, reforming the gameplay system (icons instead of text), and introducing gorgeous VGA graphics. Generally, that visual style was and will always remain among the finest, most artistic, aesthetically pleasant ones in the history of video games. Space Quest IV is so much more cinematic and immersive that the previous titles, separated from it by just a few years, thanks to the graphical overhaul.

It was also one of the first adventures with a subsequent CD version, featuring full voiceovers. Be sure to get that version; like in so many early games, the voices are delightfully goofy and make the game even more attractive. Also, even though the character cast is more or less on par with the amateur acting of King's Quest V, it is less grating; also, a particular mention should go to the narrator, who reads his amusingly written parts with a proper sense of slightly concealed sarcasm.

The Bad
Pretty much the only thing that can be said against Space Quest IV is that it is still a typical Sierra game, for good and for bad. It has a few annoying dead ends, and lethal situations galore. Personally, I didn't mind that - but then again, the things that attract me so much in Sierra games by far outweigh their quirks and even render them charming and lovable. I like the suspense, the fear of death, the necessity of remaining vigilant at all times. I liked the nerve-tickling moments when I was frantically choosing icons and clicking on the screen, hoping to get it right this time so I won't see that "Game Over" screen again. But I understand it can be frustrating.

Programming problems have been plaguing too many Sierra works, and this particular game is one of the worst offenders. Space Quest IV has serious speed issues that made the timed sequences almost unbeatable on faster computers. People had to use slowdown programs or even go to system BIOS and disable internal cache. I don't think there was ever enough support for making those games run on slightly more advanced hardware, just a few years following their releases.

The Bottom Line
Is this the best Space Quest? In terms of creativity and sheer wackiness, it probably is. Before Sierra moved onto more balanced and slower-paced design, Space Quest IV was the embodiment of its chaotic, careless philosophy that produced tightly scripted, amusing, entertaining setpieces. If you like that style, this is top of the line; it also really brings across a goofy Star Wars-lite atmosphere and features some of the funniest moments in the series.

DOS · by Unicorn Lynx (181788) · 2014

Possibly Roger's most creative adventure.

The Good
The overall plot was a riot. What happens if a game character is bounced around within his own gaming universe? ("With a glance at the status bar, you notice you're now in Space Quest Twelve") It also has some of the funnier (and sicker) gags of the series, especially if you're inclined to run around using the "tongue" icon on everything you see. Gary Owen's narration (on the CD-ROM) is spot-on perfect. The VGA graphics were very oddly stylizing, as though they couldn't decide if they wanted to be realistic or cartoony, so they tried both at once.

The Bad
The rest of the voice acting was pretty painful, as Sierra was still pulling programmers out of their cubicles to do the voices at this point. It's too short, and while a couple of the puzzles are nasty, overall it's a bit on the easy side. (although better than some of the other icon-based games they wrote) For modern gamers, good luck getting it to work - the timing of many of the bad guys is based on the system clock. In the opening scene, a kills-you-on-sight robot, which is only supposed to show up every 30 seconds to a minute, appears every four seconds on my 300 mhz machine. While it's possible to play it through, that's only if you know ahead of time exactly what to do. First time playing is probably impossible on a fast machine.

The Bottom Line
If you can disable your processor's internal cache (definately a "don't try this at home" stunt) or pull some other trick to slow down your machine, it's great fun to play, and one of the better entries in the SQ series.

DOS · by WizardX (116) · 2000

A good, old-fashioned adventure

The Good
Many of the puzzles were interesting. The game is quite funny, probably funnier than the first three in the series. The plot makes little sense, but that's not really all that important. This is definitely one of the classics of the genre.

The Bad
There are a few movement based puzzles. These are more tedious than interesting. In fact, there is apparently a timing error in the CD-ROM version that causes the game to run too fast on faster machines (most Pentiums). Moslo will not help you here. Instead, disable your CPU's internal cache from the BIOS config program (be sure to re-enable it when you are finished!).

The Bottom Line
This is probably the funniest Space Quest except for Space Quest 6. While the puzzles are not quite as good as those of Space Quest 3, the humor is definitely sharper, wittier, and more abundant. In terms of gameplay, it's just a simple point and click adventure, and we see all too few of those today. Definitely a game you will want to play repeatedly.

DOS · by Mark Abrams (4) · 2000

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Installer Shots St. Martyne (3648) Mar 16, 2009

Trivia

Gags

  • At some point near the end of the game, you are presented with a computer that has a GUI with a few icons and a toilet and you must flush a malicious program (remember - we're in 1990 where GUIs on PCs were not that common yet). There was an icon labeled SQ4: if you dragged it in the toilet, the game ended without warning and dropped you abruptly to the DOS prompt.
  • As with most adventure games of its time, this one used more floppies than ever. No wonder the authors thought of this joke: You could go inside the "Radio Shock" store and see in the bargain bin a copy of "King's Quest 48 , The quest for disk space" (or whatever sequel number it was).

Mark Crowe

Mark Crowe, one of the Space Quest series original designers, has stated that Space Quest IV is the game in the series that he considers his 'tour-de-force'. He worked on Space Quests 1-5.

Radio Shock controversy

After complaints from a certain widespread electronics chain, the name of the store "Radio Shock" in the Galaxy Galleria was changed to "Htz So Good" for the CD-ROM version.

References: Software store

The games at the software store are all parodies of other games. Here's a list of the parodied games:

References: Space Quest series

  • There's a secret time code in the game that takes you to Ortega (SQ3). It's simple: type in the top row left to right, then type in the leftmost symbol in the second row. There are also persistant rumors that there's a code for Space Quest II, but it's never been found.
  • If you smell the back of Droids-B-Us at Ulence Flats, the game says: "Smells like another lawsuit coming back to haunt the Two Guys from Andromeda". The reason?? Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe got sued by Toys-R-Us for putting Droids-B-Us in Space Quest.

References: Sierra games

  • Cedric, the owl from King's Quest V has an appearance in the Ms. Astro Chicken game at the Galaxy Galleria's Arcade.
  • In the Control room of the SuperComputer, two programs immediately come to mind: King's Quest and Leisure Suit Larry.
  • When you're in the pterodactyl's nest on Estros, you can see something streak across the sky. This is in fact King Graham being carried by a condor (from King's Quest).
  • The Quest for Glory theme music is occasionally played in the Software Store at the Galaxy Galleria, made out to sound like a PC internal speaker.

References: Various

  • At the Big and Tall store at the Galaxy Galleria, you can occasionally spot a guy rummaging around, occasionally pulling out a pair of red shorts. This is Bob Andrews, former Sierra OnLine programmer.
  • Luke Skywalker's little red speeder is disguised as the crashed hovercraft on the Xenon streets.
  • The trash can in the Galleria's Arcade is one of the agents from Get Smart.
  • During your visit to Ulence Flats, the Blues Brothers appear on stage at the bar, since they also appear in SQ1.
  • The robots in the SuperComputer are the Imperial ProBots from the Star Wars movies.
  • When you first visit the Software Store at the Galaxy Galleria, the bouncer will tell you that the Two Geeks From Andromeda are in there, signing copies of their latest release.

Releases

The DOS version of Space Quest IV was available in four different packages: a 16 color version (supporting EGA, MCGA, VGA, Tandy/PCjr) with either 3.5" DD or 5.25" HD disks, and a 256 color version (supporting MCGA, VGA) with either 3.5" HD disks or 5.25" HD disks.

Roger Wilco

From this entry on in the series, 'Roger Wilco' was included in the title of each game (actually in a bigger font than the actual 'Space Quest' bit), as by this time the character had grown and become as well-identified as the actual 'Space Quest' title by gamers (rather like Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series).

Also this is the only game in the series in which there is neither access to a janitorial closet, nor a single conventional cleaning implement among the inventory items. Clearly, Crowe and Murphy intended Roger Wilco's adventures to continue without any occupational restrictions on the character.

Timed events

Certain sections of the game use an event timer that relies on your system clock. (even though the game speed itself adjusts according to the processor) This makes it virtually impossible to even begin the game on a modern machine - the mutant in the first section appears every few seconds, killing you instantly.

Version differences

The dialogue for the DOS and Amiga versions are identical, except for the part where one of the monochrome boys speak to you, where what he says will depend on the number of colors used in the game.

EGA version:

  • "Well, lookee here! If it ain't Mister Look-at-me-I'm-in-EGA"
  • "Whatsamatter, monochrome not good enough for you?"
  • "What's this, 16 colors all for one little bitmapped WIMP?! What a waste of EGA. Har, har!"
  • "Hey, fellas! I bet I can toss him all the way-out from the bottom of the stairs. Bet 'ya an ale."

VGA version:

  • "Well, lookee here! If it ain't Mister Look-at-me-I'm-in-VGA"
  • "Whatsamatter, monochrome not good enough for you?"
  • "What's this, 256 colors all for one little bitmapped WIMP?! What a waste of VGA. Har, har!"
  • "Hey, fellas! I bet I can toss him all the way-out from the bottom of the stairs. Bet 'ya an ale."

Amiga:

  • "Well, lookee here! If it ain't Mister Look-at-me-I'm-in-32-Colors"
  • "Whatsamatter, monochrome not good enough for you?"
  • "What's this, 32 colors all for one little bitmapped WIMP?! What a waste of color. Har, har!"
  • "Hey, fellas! I bet I can toss him all the way-out from the bottom of the stairs. Bet 'ya an ale."

Voice acting

Aside from the narrator Gary Owens, all voices in the game are done by Sierra employees. Guy from Andromeda Scott Murphy even does the voice of Sludge Vohaul.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – Funniest Computer Game
  • Power Play
    • Issue 02/1992 – Best Graphics in 1991
    • Issue 02/1992 – Best Sound in 1991

Information also contributed by 6â…ž of Nine, Allan Chan, Anthony Bull, B14ck W01f, Jayson Firestorm, Olivier Masse, Servo, William Shawn McDonie and WizardX

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Related Sites +

  • Hints for SQ4
    These hints will help you solve the game.
  • IGCD Internet Game Cars Database
    Game page on IGCD, a database that tries to archive vehicles found in video games.
  • SpaceQuest.Net - Space Quest 4
    Extremely comprehensive site about Space Quest 4: Basic game information, hints, documentation, downloads and behind the scenes stuff, for example a downloadable PDF manual, scans of the official hint book, easter eggs, fun facts, cancelled stuff etc. etc. etc.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 143
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Andy Roark.

Amiga added by POMAH. PC-98, Macintosh added by Terok Nor. Windows 3.x added by Katakis | カタキス.

Additional contributors: nullnullnull, Nathan Kovner, Jeanne, Jayson Firestorm, Shoddyan, Iggi, General Error, formercontrib, 6â…ž of Nine, Patrick Bregger, Victor Vance, Kayburt.

Game added May 27, 1999. Last modified February 8, 2024.