History Creator / Infocom

* UnwinnableByDesign: Infocom actually [[Infocom/UnwinnableByDesign have their own page]] and their games rarely rated ''above'' "Nasty".

* UnwinnableByDesign

* LiteralMinded: In ''Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It'', you have to get past all the idioms by being literal-minded in two of the stages (Buy the Farm, Eat Your Words).

* ActionPrologue: In ''Trinity'', you start off the game in Kensington Gardens in London, which is about to be destroyed by an incoming missile ahead. You have to spend a lot of time collecting certain items and doing certain stuff before you can escape through a secret passage, after which the title screen appears and the real game begins.

* AsTheGoodBookSays: Examining the symbols on any sundial in ''Trinity'' can net you a reference to Matthew 19:28 (probably).
* BeeAfraid: In ''Trinity'', the honey you'll need for the cauldron recipe is guarded by a giant bee; if you try to put your hand on the hive to collect honey, the bee will sting you. And God help you if you put your hand on the hive a third time, because the bee WILL kill you (putting new meaning to "three strikes and you're out").

* {{Bookends}}: ''Trinity'' starts and ends in Kensington Gardens in London, where you have to do certain stuff until you find a woman about to lose her umbrella in the wind.

* FloatingInABubble: In ''Trinity''.

* HereWeGoAgain: ''Trinity''.

* PostModernism: In ''Deadline'', the player finds a novelization of the game within the game. In ''Trinity'', the player discovers a book that lists the last few commands he has typed in so far.

* ReferenceOverdosed: ''Trinity'' has a load of references to such as ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Through the Looking-Glass]]'', ''Literature/MobyDick'', Creator/EmilyDickenson, Creator/AlexanderPope, Creator/WaltWhitman, Creator/JMBarrie, Music/TalkingHeads, etc. And it's not just through the game, but it is also included in the back of the box art (''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'') and some of the feelies, too.

* StableTimeLoop: In ''Trinity''.

* ReferenceOverdosed: ''Trinity'' has a load of references to such as ''[[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Through the Looking-Glass]]'', ''Literature/MobyDick'', Creator/EmilyDickenson, Creator/AlexanderPope, Creator/WaltWhitman, Creator/JMBarrie, etc. And it's not just through the game, but it is also included in the back of the box art (''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'') and some of the feelies, too.

* ActionPrologue: In ''Trinity'', you start off the game in Kensington Gardens in London, which is about to be destroyed by an incoming missile ahead. You have to spent a lot of time collecting certain items and doing certain stuff before you can escape through a secret passage, after which the title screen appears and the real game begins.

* PurelyAestheticGender: A bit of a difference depending on which version of ''Moonmist'' you've played: while the original game only has you optimize your character in the forms of HelloInsertNameHere and SchrodingersGun, the [[UsefulNotes/PC98 PC-9801 version]] not only ditched the prefix in place of this "Purely Aesthetic Gender" (with an option of either male, female or "okama", i.e., DragQueen), but it also allowed you to type in the number of your age!
** ''Bureaucracy'' also starts out a bit like ''Moonmist'', except that it also optimizes your protagonist in the form of HelloInsertNameHere and others such as your street, city, state and zip code and so forth.

* HelloInsertNameHere: A rare case in ''Moonmist'', in which the game asks you for your name and title at the beginning. Also, some computer versions of ''Seastalker'' allow you to type in your first and last name at the very beginning. And ''Bureaucracy'' allows you to fill out your full name along with the name and number of your street, city and state and your PurelyAestheticGender and so forth at the very beginning.

* HelloInsertNameHere: A rare case in ''Moonmist'', in which the game asks you for your name and title at the beginning. Also, some computer versions of ''Seastalker'' allow you to type in your first and last name at the very beginning.

* FissionMailed: In ''Ballyhoo'', if you fall "awkwardly" down from the gorilla cage, you get a "*** You have died.***" message that appears like any normal Game Over screen... except that there is no "Would you like to restore, restart or quit?" message at all. If you move your body and get all items you may have left near the cage, you get this message:

* BallroomBlitz: In ''Plundered Hearts'', Nicholas Jamison starts a SwordFight with Jean Lafond to avenge his brother's murder at the ballroom. Of course, Lafond is getting the better of Nick, and it will be curtains for him unless you [[PayingForTheActionScene crash the party with a]] ChandelierSwing...

* {{Bookends}}: ''Plundered Hearts'' starts with the female protagonist shooting a pirate with a pistol and dropping it before he caresses and kisses her (that's all in the dream scenario). The GoldenEnding [[spoiler:repeats this scenario: the same protagonist shoots Crulley dead with the same pistol and drops it before Nicholas Jamison gratefully embraces and kisses her tenderly]].

* DateRape: This is what Lafond's dinner date can turn into in ''Plundered Hearts'' if you danced with him and get upstairs to his room. And if you can't find some way to stop him, then it won't be pretty...

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: In ''Plundered Hearts'', [[spoiler:if you fire the pistol into the air toward the end of the game, Crulley fatally shoots you, and Nicholas desperately carries you in his arms and plants his LastKiss before you succumb to your wounds, thus earning the title of "Love Transcends Death".]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: In ''Plundered Hearts'', this will be Nick's fate if you don't save him from Lafond and his rapier.

* MasterOfUnlocking: In ''Plundered Hearts'', when the protagonist rescues Jamison from the dungeon and is asked for a key to unlock his chains (which she doesn't), she has another tool that can unlock the chains: [[spoiler:the pin on her brooch]].
* MultipleEndings: A very rare early example in ''Plundered Hearts''.

* NeverMyFault: In ''Plundered Hearts'', [[spoiler:the epilogue can be this if you chose to desert Nick and your father by rowing to safety]]:
-->[[spoiler:The tale you tell Jamison's crew, of rapine and blood, of your heroic attempt to save their captain, and of your own escape after [[DiedInYourArmsTonight his death in your arms]], is not so far from the truth that you cannot appear sincere. Cannily, you take advantage of their temporary grief, select a private guard, and teach the rest [[ATasteOfTheLash the discipline of the whip]]. You have started on the ruthless road to revenge. You intend to meet Lafond again, and that time, you intend to win.]]

* PeacefulInDeath: In ''Plundered Hearts'', if you fail to save Nick from getting killed by Jean Lafond, and then examine Nick's corpse, you get a message that may border on this trope:
-->[[BigSleep Eyes closed, his skin with the pallor of death, Nick looks entirely spent.]]

** In ''Plundered Hearts'', listening to the orchestra next to the ballroom has the musicians play "I Want to Kiss Your Hand", by J.S. Beatle (a parody reference to "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by Music/TheBeatles).

* SweetPollyOliver: In ''Plundered Hearts''.
* TogetherInDeath: Some events in ''Plundered Hearts'' can evoke this trope if Nicholas dies before you do. One example is evoked if you swing down the rope after he dies by Lafond's blade:
-->Startled, Lafond raises his sword and you fly onto the blade. You fall over your lover's body and expire, [[LastKiss your lips on his in a kiss outlasting death]].
* [[WhatTheHellHero What the Hell, Heroine?]]: In ''Plundered Hearts'', if you make it to the gallery atop the ballroom, but take too long to save Nick from getting skewered by Lafond, you get this:
-->[[CoupDeGrace The sword plunges down into Jamison's heart]], a red stain flowing up to meet it on his breast. Nicholas draws his last breath, his tortured gaze drawn heavenwards, to your face. He reaches for you, his hand dripping his own blood, and breathes your name...\\
Nicholas's hand falls limply to the swelling pool of wine red blood and silence pounds on your ears.
** Also, [[spoiler:if you take too long to save Nick from getting shot by Crulley near the end]]:
--->[[spoiler:The pistol fires with a deafening roar, spraying shot into Nicholas. Time stops as he falls, reaching for you, your name his last breath.\\
The battle afterwards is short and bloody. Spurred by grief, you fight hard, yet greet benumbing death thankfully.]]
*** This can also occur if [[spoiler:you choose to enter the skiff and row for the ship]]:
---->[[spoiler:You hear distant shots and screams, and gaze back across the restless waves to the massacre on the beach. The sight blurs with your tears of shame, tears for the father and the lover you left behind.]]
* WhatTheHellPlayer: In ''Plundered Hearts'', you can choose to make different paths for the ending, [[spoiler:like the aforementioned desertion of your father and Nick, and shooting at the sky, but the game will scold you a bit upon "beating" the game]]:
-->There are other, perhaps more satisfying, conclusions.

-->[[spoiler:The pistol fires with a deafening roar, spraying shot into Nicholas. Time stops as he falls, reaching for you, your name his last breath.\\

* ControllableHelplessness

* DevelopersForesight: Infocom's parsers were incredibly smart, probably due to having more memory to work with as the games didn't have any graphics.

* {{Bookends}}: ''Plundered Hearts'' starts with the female protagonist shooting a pirate with a pistol and dropping it before he caresses and kisses her (that's all in the dream scenario). The GoldenEnding [[spoiler:repeats this scenario: the same protagonist shoots Crulley dead with the same pistol and dropping it before Nicholas Jamison gratefully embraces and kisses her tenderly]].

* {{Bookends}}: ''Plundered Hearts'' starts with the female protagonist shooting a pirate with a pistol and dropping it before another pirate caresses and kisses her (that's all in the dream scenario). The GoldenEnding [[spoiler:repeats this scenario: the same protagonist shoots Crulley dead with the same pistol and dropping it before Nicholas Jamison gratefully embraces and kisses her tenderly]].