The Prisoner

About The Prisoner

The game begins with the player being told that # has resigned from his job for reasons known only to him. The player is given a three-digit number signifying #'s reason for resigning. The player is warned never to reveal this number, for the game will make numerous attempts to trick the player into doing so, which will cause one to lose the game. # is then taken to an airport where he is asked to choose from several tropical island destinations. Regardless of the choice made, he is always taken to the Island.

The game's designer, David Mullich, strove to incorporate elements of Franz Kafka's The Castle. #'s home on the Island is called the Castle and it takes the form of a randomly generated maze from which the player must escape.

After leaving the Castle, the player can explore twenty locations on the Island in order to find clues about how to escape. Only four of these are displayed onscreen at any time, and in the center of the screen is another display providing information often of little value, with the exception of a running tally of credits the player has in the bank. The locations are rearranged each time # returns to the Castle, and some may even disappear periodically. Some locations require the player to have certain possessions before entering, while some are entirely inaccessible at certain times.