Game 160: The Secret of Donkey Island (Tajemství Oslího ostrova) - Introduction (1994)

Written by Michael

Before I finalize the scoring for Gabriel Knight, I’ll take a slight detour to a more light-hearted title.  Don’t fret -- I’ll post the scoring next. For now, we’ll go for a historic title.

Historic?  Before 1992, there hadn’t really been any real games developed and released from a Czech-based producer.  A pair of teens, Jarek Kolář and Petr Vlček, using a computer at a grammar school in Brnol, developed the game we are about to play as a way to prove that Czech citizens really could produce a game up to the standards of the overseas developers.  It was the first point-and-click developed in the country, and one of the first (eventually) made commercially available.

Jarek Kolář in 2017

The game itself was not originally planned to be a commercial release, but rather, just a test of concept.  The two boys were fans of the adventure genre, and of the Monkey Island series, and created a parody/homage/fan sequel as a way to develop their game creation tools.  The game, although considered lightweight by modern standards, has a strong reputation in the dark corners of our genre. 

They’ve been often quoted as mentioning they would have been fine with the game being a freeware title.  They wanted the fame of being possibly the first developer in Czech Republic history.  This wouldn’t be their last title; the boys, under the banner of Pterodon Software, would produce a handful more before their company would be purchased by a bigger concern, which in turn would be absorbed into a bigger one still.  

Their very next title under the Pterodon label would be another parody/homage of a famous adventure title, a crude effort titled 7 dní a 7 nocí (in English: 7 Days and 7 Nights), where the protagonist attempts to take one of seven sisters to bed each night for seven straight days.  The English translation is allegedly near impossible to find, so coverage on the blog is unlikely, but also the fact that one of the seven days involves getting a girl to overcome her homosexuality might make it an uncomfortable playthrough.

Back to the topic at hand.  While the game was originally released in Czech, some fans made a translation of the game into English in 2023.  They did not modify the game or engine at all, only the text, so this is the version I’ll be playing.  While I’ll be playing in DOSBox, you could also play online at the translation’s web page.

The translated game comes with a manual in PDF form. Most of it seems to be a literal translation of the original from 1994. First, the plot:

3.4 Goal of the game and how to reach it

The goal of the game is to save Gajbraš by leaving the island, and avoiding the revenge of Captain LeGek.

The game needs to be played by using all icons, and meaningful combinations of all items. Some puzzles are very difficult to solve due to their surreal nature; these can be quite irrational. Do not be afraid to use seemingly illogical combinations of items, it might lead to a solution for an otherwise unsolvable problem. Do not forget that the results of using certain items may differ depending on your location. Incorrect choices may lead you to a dead end, which can be solved only by loading a previous position or restarting the game from the beginning.

That last line makes me point out another section from the manual:

3.2.4 Inventory

This is the name for a set of small windows in the bottom part of the control panel, where items you pick up are stored. Items in the inventory can be examined, looked at or used with the appropriate icons. You don’t have to worry about filling up your inventory - while in theory possible, practically this can never happen. A more likely scenario is that you may use an item incorrectly, losing it forever, rendering the game unfinishable. We recommend saving your game often - believe us, it pays off.

Okay, so there will definitely be dead ends in this game, so save early and often. Got it.

One more note from the manual I think might be important: "The story of The Secret of Donkey Island is a parody sequel to two famous American games. It was made using different software, and most importantly, released for a Czech audience." Most importantly? Uh-oh. That might be a hint that my American background may be a hinderance, but only time will tell with that.

In case you weren’t sure by now which game this was based on...

The introduction starts in a similar style, a view of a Caribbean island.  The music in the background is from the PC speaker; it seems only the introduction has any music at all.  

Here we are, starting on Sklebb Island, in a harbor pub called “The Octopus".

Ask me about LOOM.

The scene is well animated before Gajbraš Trípvůd, our intrepid hero, walks in.  He tells the other pirates in the bar about a ship set to sail from the south loaded with gold, diamonds, and pearls, all from ancient temples in India.  They make a plan to set sail at dawn to plunder and rob the ship.

The game already has a sense of humor.  The next title card:  “The next day, soon after midday, as soon as they slept off all the grog, the pirates set sail.”

They head out to the ship...

...and soon found themselves in a fight.

The pirates succeeded, and took control of the ship and its cargo. However...

...soon, they were taken down by harsh waves, and much of the pirate crew ended up in watery graves.

Meanwhile, in pirate LeGek’s quarters...

Finally, a big screen TV.  Piracy DOES pay, boys and girls.

...a minion tells the boss about how they took down the pirate ship.  However, once LeGek learns that Gajbraš survived, he’s unhappy.

And so we begin.  Here’s where I will end, so you have a chance to make your score guesses.  I have no guidance to give you; I never heard of this game before Morpheus added it to the list for 1994, so I am looking forward to this very much (and also, I suspect, friend of the blog arcanetrivia).