Fountain of Dreams
Description official description
Following on the popularity of Wasteland, Electronic Arts released this unofficial sequel, using a modified version of the Wasteland game engine.
Fountain of Dreams takes place several decades after a nuclear bombardment has caused the state of Florida to break off from the mainland and become an isolated island community. The survivors of the war have split into several opposing factions, and life on the island of Florida is constantly threatened both by the ever present threat of radiation-induced mutation and by the Killer Clowns, a group of deranged and heavily armed marauders descended from circus performers stranded on the island by the war.
When the Clowns murder the only man with the knowledge to stop the spread of the mutation, it becomes your task to locate a cure to the mutation before it overtakes your group of survivors as well as what's left of humanity on the island.
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Credits (DOS version)
18 People
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 57% (based on 4 ratings)
Players
Average score: 2.6 out of 5 (based on 14 ratings with 3 reviews)
So much promise, poorly executed
The Good
A niche setting. Like its predecessor (if only the same team had been involved in this game) it breaks the mould for CRPG's, giving us a dystopian world instead of your standard fantasy realm.
A cool range of items and some unique skills along with an interesting setting.
The Bad
The game world is far too small, and although the freedom to go anywhere you want is technically there, if you stray too far the unforgiving nature of the enemies makes this unrealistic.
A poor save game mechanism (only one game at a time, which overwrites every time you transition zones) means too often game completion can become impossible.
As the game goes on it turns to the total absurd, with little thought seemingly put into NPC and enemy names.
The Bottom Line
For all its flaws and unforgiving nature, I have fond memories of this game (yes, it is a nostalgic favourite).
If late 80's/early 90's are not in your past, this would be a poor title on which to try and cut your teeth on.
DOS · by Chris Nash (4) · 2019
The Good
First of all, while it wasn't nearly as good as Wasteland, it wasn't a bad game for the time. It was pretty enjoyable, and had a rather cool Caribbean/bayou/postapocalyptic feel to it. The mutations players could get were pretty cool, and the equipment was varied and fun to gather.
The Bad
The main problem, I felt, was that the game seemed far too short, like it had been cut short in development. The map is even smaller than Wasteland; the outdoors map is maybe a quarter the size of Wasteland's, and there are only 3 large areas. The cool atmosphere I mentioned before also breaks down; the clowns were also a minor problem; they were just a little too silly for such a major component of the game.
The Bottom Line
If you run across it, which I doubt you will, it's a fun way to waste an afternoon.
DOS · by Andrew Carter (12) · 2001
If you're a big fan of Wasteland, check this game out. If you're not, don't bother with it...
The Good
As I am a rather blatant fan of Wasteland, this game was very easy to get used to. It has the same look and feel, and things work the same way -- which allows you to get past the mechanics quickly, and into the story (the story is, however, another matter... but more on that in a bit).
The idea of mutations is pretty neat, and it adds a nice element of randomness to character development -- you can play the game through twice and have different experiences.
One other thing that I like in a RPG is that the time of day/night plays a part in your experiences. Some NPCs will only be available at certain times, and some locations are easier to get into at certain times. A nice touch.
The Bad
Ah, now onto the complaints.
First and foremost, the game world is simply too small -- it has the feel of a "demo" version, almost taunting you with the promise of more to come. Sadly, there is nothing else. If you've got a free afternoon/evening, you could spend a few hours (perhaps 6 or less) and play the game through from beginning to end.
Another problem is that the game gets really hard really quickly. And I do mean really. Nothing like throwing you up against a menacing gang of killer clowns with Uzis, with nothing but your pistol and your 30 hit points to keep you alive... save often, restore often.
Overall, it seems as though the designers did one of two things:
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They developed a massively complex and intricate RPG using the well-liked Wasteland game engine, then pulled the middle 80% out of the story and shipped the beginning and the end as the whole game.
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They lost money/interest/time in the early stages of development, and slapped together a quick ending for the game.
Either way, this game seems to have a lot more potential than actual content.
The Bottom Line
One of those games that can safely drift into the realm of forgetfulness, unless you're one of those wacky fans of Wasteland who is still pestering Interplay about the release date of Wasteland 2.
DOS · by Mirrorshades2k (274) · 2002
Trivia
History
Although the programmers of Wasteland broke off from Electronic Arts to form Interplay, EA still retained the copyright for Wasteland. They tried to capitalize on the success of Wasteland by releasing their own post-apocalyptic game Fountain of Dreams, but fell short of gamer's expectations.
Interplay did however release their own unofficial follow-up to Wasteland in the form of Fallout, which many feel remains true to the original spirit of Wasteland.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #41 Worst Game of All Time
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Related Sites +
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Wasteland Rangers HQ - Fountain of Dreams Page
This website contains tips, a walkthrough, etc.. for Fountain of Dreams.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Alan Chan.
Additional contributors: Patrick Bregger.
Game added November 8, 1999. Last modified March 27, 2024.