Doctor Who: The Adventure Games is one of many video games based on BBC’s Doctor Who. The British television series first aired in November 1963 and went on to become one of the most successful and longest-running science-fiction television shows known to the world. Given the longevity and popularity of the series, it comes as no surprise that it has grown into a franchise that encompasses various forms of media. This includes video games that emulate the adventures of The Doctor, a Time Lord who’s the title character of the BBC show.
The first official Doctor Who game, Doctor Who: The First Adventure, was released in 1983; approximately two decades after Doctor Who first appeared on television. Since then, at least 19 Doctor Who games have been released, and a good number of them amounted to commercial and critical disappointments. Though Doctor Who games haven’t been as successful as the series that inspire them, games like Doctor Who: The Adventure Games resonated with fans as it encapsulates the feel of the series.
The Adventure Games Was a Hit With Fans
Developed by Sumo Digital, Doctor Who: The Adventure Games was utterly episodic. It consisted of 5 episodes released at irregular intervals; thus engendering anticipation for the next adventure which propelled the popularity of the game. The immensely positive response to the game hangs on its lifelike rendering of playable characters. Experienced writers, Phil Ford and James Moran, scripted the game in such a manner that introduced fans of the show to a fresh form of the Doctor Who drama. Each episode of the game felt like an episode of the show, albeit one that carried players along to experience the Time Lord’s adventures.
The Adventure Games‘ telltale approach raised the bar in audience participation as it pushed the concept of being the Doctor’s companion in an adventurous, puzzle-solving journey through time and space. With options to play either as the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), or Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), players explore the universe to face some of the storied enemies of the Doctor. The buzz around the episodic third-person game ended after the 1st episode of Series 2 was released. BBC shelved the game developed for Windows and Mac to focus on console games, particularly, Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock.
When Was Doctor Who: The Adventure Games Released?
The adventure game was made up of only two series of five episodes altogether. And It was released episodically from June 5, 2010, to October 31, 2011. Each episode of the game was uploaded for free download on BBC’s official Doctor Who website. Only UK residents with UK internet addresses could download and install the game but they were availed to the international audience for sale.
Series 1 of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games had a total of four episodes. Episode 1, “City of the Daleks”, was released on the 5th of June 2010 and Episode 2, “Blood of the Cybermen”, on the 26th of June 2010. Episode 3, “TARDIS”, and Episode 4, “Shadows of the Vashta Nerada”, were respectively released on the 27th of August 2010 and the 22nd of December 2010. The lone episode for Series 2, Episode 5, “The Gunpowder Plot”, was released on the 31st of October 2011. Check out these photos from the game below:
Doctor Who dramaDoctor Who first appeared on television
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