Perry Rhodan: Thoregon – Die verbotene Stadt

Perry Rhodan: Thoregon – Die verbotene Stadt is a first-person adventure game set in the iconic Perry Rhodan universe. You take on the role of Perry Rhodan as he awakens in a mysterious galaxy and must solve puzzles, interact with various alien creatures, and utilize inventory items to escape. With pre-rendered graphical environments and a focus on sci-fi exploration, this 1999 release offers an engaging mix of mystery and strategy.

Perry Rhodan: Thoregon – Die verbotene Stadt: Review

Introduction

In the vast cosmos of video game history, few titles capture the intersection of niche licensing and ambitious adventure design quite like Perry Rhodan: Thoregon – Die verbotene Stadt. Released in 1999 by German developer Main Screen, this first-person sci-fi adventure draws from the sprawling Perry Rhodan book series—a cornerstone of German pulp fiction spanning over 60 years. Yet, despite its rich literary heritage, the game remains a cryptic footnote, remembered more for its striking pre-rendered visuals than its narrative depth. This review argues that Die verbotene Stadt stands as a fascinating artifact of late-90s adventure gaming: a technically proficient, visually opulent, yet narratively underutilized experience that exemplifies the era’s experimentation with interactive storytelling in pre-rendered worlds. Though its legacy is muted, its artistic ambition and technical execution offer a compelling glimpse into a moment when German developers leveraged local culture to carve out unique spaces in the global gaming landscape.

Development History & Context

Die verbotene Stadt emerged from the crucible of late-1990s PC gaming, an era dominated by the rise of 3D accelerators and the waning influence of traditional point-and-click adventures. Developed by Main Screen—a small German studio founded by Manfred Kratschmann and Thomas Schrumpf—the game was part of a trilogy (Thoregon) adapting Perry Rhodan’s “Thoregon” cycle. The developers, veterans of the first title (Brücke in die Unendlichkeit, 1998), sought to capitalize on the series’ devout German fanbase while pushing technological boundaries.

Technologically, the game relied on pre-rendered 3D backgrounds—a resource-intensive approach that demanded meticulous optimization for the era’s mid-range PCs. The development team, including storyboard artist Robert Feldhoff and 3D graphics designer Kratschmann, prioritized atmospheric immersion over dynamic gameplay, a choice reflected in the static, painterly environments. Published by NBG EDV Handels- und Verlags GmbH, the title was exclusively German-language and region-locked, limiting its international reach. This localization strategy mirrored trends in European adventure games, which often leaned into cultural specificity to compete with AAA titles like Myst or The 7th Guest.

The 1999 market context was pivotal. While genres like real-time strategy (StarCraft) and first-person shooters (Half-Life) dominated shelves, adventure games faced an existential crisis. Die verbotenestadt’s release coincided with the decline of studios like Sierra On-Line and LucasArts, yet it persisted by emphasizing puzzle-solving over combat—a nod to the genre’s roots. Its USK “6” rating signaled an attempt to appeal to a broad audience, though the Perry Rhodan license inherently skewed toward older fans familiar with the books’ complex lore.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Die verbotene Stadt’s narrative is a minimalist framework for its puzzle-centric gameplay. Players assume the role of Perry Rhodan, the iconic space explorer, who awakens in an unfamiliar galaxy, marooned on a hostile world dominated by a mysterious city—the titular “Forbidden City.” His objective is singular: escape by locating a spaceship, a quest framed as a desperate bid for survival. The plot, as noted in multiple sources, serves primarily as a “backdrop for the gameplay,” with little expansion on the expansive Perry Rhodan universe. This deliberate narrative restraint mirrors the puzzle-adventure ethos of the era, where environmental storytelling often superseded character arcs.

The city itself functions as the protagonist, a labyrinthine character defined by its bizarre inhabitants. Players encounter various creatures, but their interactions are limited to dialogue exchanges that rarely deepen the lore. The absence of a robust story—despite the rich source material—suggests a prioritization of gameplay over narrative fidelity. Thematically, the game explores isolation and curiosity, with Rhodan’s journey embodying the human drive to understand the unknown. Yet, these themes remain underdeveloped, overshadowed by the mechanical focus on item-based puzzles. The dialogue, recorded at Hamburg’s Highlight Tonstudio, is functional but lacks the wit or gravitas of comparable adventures, reinforcing the sense that the license was leveraged more for brand recognition than storytelling ambition.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Die verbotene Stadt is a masterclass in streamlined, if traditional, first-person adventure mechanics. The interface is entirely mouse-driven, with players navigating static pre-rendered scenes via “hotspots.” Movement is point-and-click, while interactions center on a drag-and-drop inventory system—a design praised for its “user-friendly” simplicity. Players collect objects, examine them for clues, and combine or apply them to environmental puzzles, a loop that emphasizes logical deduction over reflexes.

The puzzle design is methodical, blending environmental observation with inventory management. Challenges range from simple item combinations (e.g., using a tool to unlock a console) to multi-stage sequences requiring spatial reasoning. While not overtly difficult, the puzzles demand patience, rewarding meticulous exploration. Creatures function as puzzle obstacles rather than adversaries; engaging them often yields critical information or items, though combat is entirely absent—a deliberate choice that heightens the game’s cerebral tone.

Character progression is minimal, with no skill trees or stat upgrades. Progress is solely story-driven, unlocked by solving puzzles. The UI, however, is a highlight. A clean inventory bar and context-sensitive cursor reduce clutter, while the ability to rotate 360 degrees in each location—standard for the genre—enhances immersion. Yet, the game’s linearity and lack of branching paths reflect its era’s constraints, offering little replayability beyond rediscovery of its visual details.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The game’s greatest triumph lies in its world-building and audiovisual design. Developed on a modest budget, Main Screen crafted a “hostile world” of striking visual diversity. Pre-rendered backgrounds render the Forbidden City as a fusion of biomechanical grotesquerie and decaying futurism, with neon-lit corridors, crumbling megastructures, and alien flora that evoke the works of H.R. Giger or Moebius. The art direction, credited to Access design and Alfred Kelsner, prioritizes atmosphere over realism, using saturated colors and dramatic lighting to evoke a sense of wonder and dread.

Sound design similarly elevates the experience. The voice recordings, handled by Highlight Tonstudio, lend gravitas to even minor characters, though the German-only dialogue limits accessibility. Ambient soundscapes—from hums of machinery to distant skittering—reinforce the city’s oppressive ambiance, while a minimalist score underscores moments of tension or discovery. Together, these elements create a cohesive, immersive world that transcends the game’s narrative limitations.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Die verbotene Stadt received scant critical attention, a casualty of its niche audience and overshadowed by genre titans. Contemporary reviews are scarce, but MyAbandonware’s retrospective 4.75/5 rating (from four votes) suggests cult appreciation among preservationists. Kotaku’s description of “impressive graphics” and a “user-friendly interface” highlights its technical merits, while its absence from platforms like Metacritic underscores its limited commercial impact.

In retrospect, the game’s legacy is twofold. Culturally, it represents a rare instance of German sci-fi literature entering mainstream gaming, albeit with minimal narrative adaptation. Technically, it exemplifies the pre-rendered adventure’s peak craftsmanship, influencing titles like Chemicus II (2002) that similarly prioritized atmosphere over action. Modern preservation efforts—such as playable ISOs on MyAbandonware and Let’s Plays on YouTube—underscore its status as a historical curiosity. Yet, its lack of innovation in gameplay or story prevents it from being remembered as a genre-defining work. Instead, it endures as a time capsule of late-90s ambition, a testament to how regional culture and technical constraints could yield visually stunning, if narratively skeletal, experiences.

Conclusion

Perry Rhodan: Thoregon – Die verbotene Stadt is a paradox: a game of exceptional artistic merit that fails to transcend its limitations. Its pre-rendered visuals and sound design remain impressive, even 25 years later, while its puzzle-centric gameplay offers a refined, if linear, adventure experience. Yet, its underutilization of the Perry Rhodan license and minimal narrative depth relegate it to a footnote in gaming history. For historians, it serves as a valuable artifact of German game development, showcasing how small studios could leverage local culture to create unique sci-fi worlds. For players, it offers a nostalgic journey into the era of CD-ROM adventures, best appreciated for its atmosphere rather than its storytelling. Ultimately, Die verbotene Stadt is not a forgotten masterpiece, but an intriguing failure—one that reminds us that ambition, without narrative substance, can only transcend so far into the void.