Interactive Prince video game

Graphix Zone

Is it a game? Is it an aural puzzle? Or is it a musical experience?

Interactive is a CD-ROM video game which contained six songs as well as four music videos of which Prince recorded in June 1993 at Paisley Park Studios. Launched at a time when puzzle-solving games were the rage following the breakout success of Myst and 7th Guest published in 1993, Interactive is essentially a computer game that requires the player to navigate through a 3D rendered tour of several interactive rooms within a make-believe villa – a futuristic looking Paisley Park.

The rooms are the Foyer, Studio, Library, Grand Hallway, Dance Club, Boudoir, Virtual Video Room, and the Candle Room. The premise is to explore the rooms by clicking on wall pictures and items of furniture to solve eleven puzzles to locate five pieces of the Prince love symbol Prince Love Symbol. Others reveal snippets of Prince’s promo videos. The real aim was to unlock Prince’s previously unreleased material as well as look back on his career to date.

Interactive was developed by Graphix Zone, a games software publishing firm formed in 1989 that previously created CD-ROM games for TV’s Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy. The distribution was handled by Compton’s NewMedia. The game concept came about when Prince, then under the name of Prince Love Symbol, was exploring alternative avenues to distribute his music, since he was locked into a feud with his then label Warner Bros Records that led to the closure of his label Paisley Park Records in 1994.

Interactive contains a total of 52 audio clips and 31 video clips and facts about Prince and his albums (1979-1993) as well as snippets of interviews with Eric Clapton, Little Richard, George Clinton and Miles Davis talking about his music – clips shot by Albert Magnoli originally intended for the official Prince: A Musical Portrait TV documentary. The music clips are found in the records lining the walls of the hallway, beyond which the gameplay takes place.

The video game was released on Prince’s birthday in 1994, coinciding with his Interactive Tour. Its title track Interactive was later released on Crystal Ball in 1998. The game was developed at the time Prince was in the studio recording The Gold Experience, it and Interactive were intended to be released on the same day. Warner postponed the LP until the next year, but the voice of the NPG Operator guiding the player in Interactive is featured also in the album, tying the two projects together. Warner released The Black Album instead that year and The Gold Experience would have to wait until September 1995.

The release of Interactive was the first occasion an international recording artist had developed their own computer game. Having 30,000 copies ordered in its first week, Interactive became the fastest pre-sale in CD-ROM game history at the time of its release. Designed to run on Windows 3.1 or Mac 7.01 operating systems, with its colour range at only 16-bit the game is unplayable on the more sophisticated graphics cards of today. Its system requirements are ancient by today’s standards: 486 25MHz processor, 4MB RAM, double-speed CD-ROM drive, 15MB disk space and 16-bit sound.

Synopsys

Prince Love Symbol Interactive is a journey through an incredible 3D playground of multimedia. You begin this adventure with a preview of the powerful new video of the song Interactive. written by Prince Love Symbol specifically for this CD-ROM release. From there, your objective is to interact with anything that strikes your fancy. Prince Love Symbol Interactive is not so much a game as it is an opportunity to explore, discover and be entertained. There are samples of close to one hundred pieces of music and video interlaced with thousands of 3D graphics. (Not all elements are interactive, but you must explore completely to experience all of this fun-filled and media-rich material.)

Whatever path has taken you here, you are now part of the exciting world of Interactive Music on CD-ROM. This disc attempts in all ways to push the envelope of interactive multimedia with stunning 3D graphics, state-of-the-art audio and exciting video. All that is required is a willingness to play. There are games and puzzles in Prince Love Symbol Interactive in which you can mix music, unscramble videos, play DJ, VJ and more. All Encased in a dynamic 3D environment filled with ambient music, morphs, challenges and surprises. These encounters involve the unique style of Prince Love Symbol and may take some more experimentation to solve. Your task is to look to the details and clues around you and use your imagination. The journey is its own reward!

Data

Released

7 June 1994

Orig. Format