Clyde's Adventure is a platform computer game released by Moonlite Software in 1992. The objective of the game is to explore castles, collect gems, and find the exit. Clyde, the main character, has a supply of energy that depletes whenever he walks, jumps, or falls from a great height. If his energy reaches 0, it causes Clyde to die with a shriek. With no "enemies," Clyde's Adventure is predominantly a puzzle game. The challenge comes from avoiding traps, using Clyde's magic wand to manipulate the environment, and finding the most efficient route before Clyde runs out of energy.
The game has two chapters, each containing 16 castles:
- Episode 1: Lost Treasure of Tahookaboo
- Episode 2: The Vanished King
Originally, Episode 1 was shareware, while Episode 2 was available only upon registration. Moonlite software has since released the entire game as freeware.
Clyde's Revenge is a sequel to this game.
This Video Game contains examples of:
- Episodic Game: There are two episodes making up this game.
- Frictionless Ice: Clyde will slide at a constant speed on ice, even if he lands on it directly from above. He can freely change his direction while on it, though.
- Gotta Catch Them All: Clyde has to collect all the gems in each castle.
- Hint System: There are notes on the walls that provide hints, but they're often too vague for the player to make informed choices. Some notes also provide funny statements or mock the player for going the wrong way and trapping themselves.
- MacGuffin: In addition to gems, each castle has a treasure that Clyde must find before he heads for the exit. They serve no purpose beyond that.
- Pixel Hunt: Much of the time you have to locate triggers for the appearing/disappearing walls/floors mentioned below or hidden teleporters (and hope they're in your favor).
- Trial-and-Error Gameplay: A central mechanic. Clyde's energy is very limited and depletes fast, so he has to take the shortest possible route, which is always very not obvious. There are also invisible "magic triggers" that make walls and floors materialize out of or disappear into thin air; a wall might suddenly appear behind Clyde in a dead end or disappear in front of him, sometimes both. A platform might appear as Clyde jumps or disappear under his feet, which might send him into the intended path or Spikes of Doom. Teleporters often come in pairs, where one leads the correct way and the other sends Clyde to his death or entrapment (or is supposed to be used later), with no indication of which is which.
- Wizard Needs Food Badly: Clyde has an Energy Meter that depletes very fast as he walks, jumps, and falls (and touches moving Spikes of Doom in later levels). He needs to collect dots of energy to replenish it.