History VideoGame / SpaceQuestITheSarienEncounter

->''"You serve as a member of the crew of the ''Arcada'' as a janitor."''
->''"That's right, a janitor. And not a very good one."''

* EasterEgg: In the remake, as you take off from Ulence Flats, Roger [[BackToTheEarlyInstallment from the future]] in ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIV'' appears in the Sequel Police ship.

* StockScream: If you have a [=SoundBlaster=] or similar card, Roger will give voice to the [[WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} Goofy Holler]] when falling to his death or losing his arm to the pool of acid.

* StockScream: If you have a [=SoundBlaster=] or similar card, Roger will give voice to the [[WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} Goofy Holler]] when falling to his death or loosing his arm to the pool of acid.

* EdgeGravity: A rather odd example in the ''Space Quest I'' remake in which attempting to walk off a cliff after getting out of the escape pod on Kerona results in the game warning you about it before Roger automatically walks away from it. This is odd because Sierra games are notorious for their ''lack'' of edge gravity.

* EarlyGameHell: While Sierra games are quite hard, this one is rather notorious, especially in the original version. After you leave your janitorial closet, you need to find two things before you escape: A data cartridge, fairly easy to find… and a keycard, found on only ''one'' of the ''many'' dead bodies in the vast maze-like Arcada. All while avoiding Sariens that will appear on nearly ''any'' screen and kill you with very little warning. Worst of all? The whole thing is ''[[TimedMission timed]]''. You have 15 minutes (less in the original version) to do all of this and escape.

** The skimmer arcade sequence was made optional.

** The original game only allowed to read the cartridge [[spoiler:right before boarding the skimmer]]. The remake added a compatible reader to Deltaur.

* BringingBackProof: Roger meets an underground alien who is willing to provide him a form of transportation if Roger deals with a surface beast known as the Orat, as long as he brings back proof of the Orat's demise. It's enough for Roger to bring back an unidentified piece of flesh after the Orat ends up becoming LudicrousGibs.

* CopyProtection: In the remake, the data cassette title, destruct code and ''Deltaur'' coordinates are randomized in each playthrough, the first and third requiring you to reference the manual to find the correct code that corresponds to them. Attempting to brute force the first one results in you being left with ''five'' minutes before the ''Arcada'' self-destructs while doing so for the ''Deltaur'' coordinates causes a ship-to-asteroid collision, resulting in your physical rearrangement that resembles a Ghiblistian Mosquito on the windshield of a landspeeder.

* IdiotBall: At one point later in the game, Roger trips and loses the helmet. The player has to find a way to avoid the Sariens without the disguise.

''Space Quest: Chapter I – The Sarien Encounter'' (also simply known as ''Space Quest 1'') is the first game in the ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'' series. It was released in 1986 and followed a lot of the same [[AdventureGame gameplay formulas]] as the first two ''VideoGame/KingsQuest games'', ''[[RecycledInSpace but in space!]]'' [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness It's not the hardest sci-fi]], but it's still epic in scope when it comes to space travel and a variety of alien creatures.

* BettingMiniGame: The slot machine on Kerona. Be careful you don't roll three skulls, or you're toast... ''literally.''

* EarlyGameHell: While Sierra games are quite hard, this one is rather notorious, especially in the original version. After you leave your janitorial closet, you need to find two things before you escape: A data cartridge, fairly easy to find... and a keycard, found on only ''one'' of the ''many'' dead bodies in the vast maze-like Arcada. All while avoiding Sariens that will appear on nearly ''any'' screen and kill you with very little warning. Worst of all? The whole thing is ''[[TimedMission timed]]''. You have 15 minutes (less in the original version) to do all of this and escape.
* EarthShatteringKaboom: The Star Generator in the first game, in itself a subtle take on the more famous Death Star. Of course, as originally envisioned, the Star Generator would do just that: generate stars. It was designed ([[spoiler: actually cribbed from a weapon designed by Vohaul]]) to save Xenon, as the planet's sun was burning out.

** Even MORE hilariously, if you pay close attention during the takeoff, the guy who comes screaming at you for taking his ship is also a man who will mug you if you follow him earlier. Enjoy some intergalactic karma!

** Similar to ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIIRomancingTheThrone'', there is a rock bridge on Kerona that must be crossed repeatedly, but will break if you cross it one too many times. (Unlike in King's Quest II, however, this bridge cracks a bit every time you cross it. So at least you get a warning.)
** On Kerona, the Sarians release a robotic spider that will explode if it gets near you. You have to destroy it by dropping a rock on it. You have one chance, so it you miss, you can't proceed. It is technically possible to get past the spider, but extremely difficult. [[note]] The spider droid can be lured into destroying the Orat for you, and indeed this seems to have been the optimal solution to dealing with Orat. This can be done in the original version of the game as well as the remake. [[/note]]

** The skimmer sequence was made optional.
** It calls specific attention to the items you need from the escape pod's wreckage, whereas in the original game you specifically had to look around while still in the seat after crashing to even know they were there.

There was a remake with a new interface, updated graphics, and sound effects in the style of ''Space Quest IV'' released in 1991 by Sierra.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: The remake added a new item that lets you rig the Slots-o-Death machine. It also made the skimmer sequence optional.

* EasterEgg: In the remake, as you take off from Ulence Flats, Roger from the future in ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIV'' appears in the time cops' ship.

* {{Feelies}}: The original game came with two physical coupons that can be respectively used at the Rocket Bar and Droids-B-Us (there's no code or anything, just typing in ">use coupon" will work). This is reworked in the remake as an extra reward alongside the jetpack you're offered.

* LuckBasedMission: To get off Kerona, you need a spaceship. To get enough money for a spaceship, you have to clean out the slot machine in the bar. Not only is it easy to lose money instead of making it (which might be the worse of the alternatives), you can actually die playing the slot machine. Thankfully, you can cheat in certain versions of the original by typing ">[[PrecisionFStrike holy shit]]" to let you select the payout, [[PressXToDie including skulls]]. The remake adds an in-game item that lets you cheat in a similar manner.

* CopyProtection: In the remake, the data cassette title, destruct code and ''Deltaur'' coordinates are randomized in each playthrough, the first and third requiring you to reference the manual to find the correct code that corresponds to them. Attempting to brute force the first one results in you being left with ''five'' minutes before the Arcada self-destructs while doing so for the ''Deltaur'' coordinates causes a ship-to-asteroid collision, resulting in your physical rearrangement that resembles a Ghiblistian Mosquito on the windshield of a landspeeder.

* CopyProtection: The data cassette title, destruct code and ''Deltaur'' coordinates are randomized in each playthrough, the first and third requiring you to reference the manual to find the correct code that corresponds to them. Attempting to brute force the first one results in you being left with ''five'' minutes before the Arcada self-destructs while doing so for the ''Deltaur'' coordinates results in a ship-to-asteroid collision, resulting in your material rearrangement that resembles a Ghiblistian Mosquito on the windshield of a land speeder.

* CopyProtection: The data cassette title, destruct code and ''Deltaur'' coordinates are randomized in each playthrough, the first and third requiring you to reference the manual to find the correct code that corresponds to them. Attempting to brute force the first one results in you being left with ''five'' minutes before the Arcada self-destructs while doing so for the Deltaur coordinates results in a ship-to-asteroid collision, resulting in your material rearrangement that resembles a Ghiblistian Mosquito on the windshield of a land speeder.

* LuckBasedMission: To get off Kerona, you need a spaceship. To get enough money for a spaceship, you have to clean out the slot machine in the bar. Not only is it easy to lose money instead of making it (which might be the worse of the alternatives), you can actually die playing the slot machine. The annoyance of this was noted when they remade the game, though, and an item that lets you cheat the machine was added in.