I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is based on the short story of the same name by Harlan Ellison. After the Cold War, the computers of the USA, Russia and China take over the world and wipe out almost the entire human race. The Allied Mastercomputer (called AM) holds the last five humans as prisoners to torture them. Any of them has to face his or her past in a virtual adventure AM has designed for them. There they encounter their fears and weaknesses.
The player can choose which of the protagonists he wants to be but in fact he has to complete all of the six stories in order to solve the game.
There are different ways of completing the game depending on the humanity the player shows.
The original retail box included a 3D mousepad with the box cover image.
German and French version
The German and French versions have been heavily censored, with the Nimdok chapter entirely removed. While it was speculated that Nimdok was absent from the German version because of local anti-nazi laws, it is still not clear why the French version was affected as well. This renders the best ending impossible to achieve.
Lawsuit
Harlan Ellison, the author of the story the game was based on, sued the developer when he believed that he wasn't getting his share of the profits. It turned out there weren't any.
Original story
As of 2001, the short story I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream (which the game was based on) is one of the ten most reprinted stories in the English language.
Awards
Computer Gaming World
June 1996 (Issue #143) – Adventure Game of the Year
November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #134 in the “150 Best Games of All Time” list
November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #3 Top Sleeper Of All Time
November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #14 Most Rewarding Ending of All Time
Game Nostalgia (Provides extensive background info for I have No Mouth, pictures of the cast and examples of voice-overs, full credits with shots and info about the design team, a demo of the game, specific details about the game, various goodies, all musical themes, shots of every location in the game, saved games, a list of reviews, including a "nostalgic "review and tech specs.)
