We return once again to the fifth game in the Roger M. Wilcox collection. Nuclear Sub was originally written for the TRS-80 in 1980. It was recovered from cassette tape in 2013 and reworked as a WPF .NET application as part of Roger’s “remember my past” endeavor.
Nuclear Sub is my favorite adventure so far of the five Roger M. Wilcox offerings I’ve played through. This is yet another find the treasure and deposit it in a specific area for points theme however the puzzles were interesting and the length of the game and pacing were just right.
There are some interesting puzzles in the game that are a step up from previous entries. In the game you are exploring an underwater cave complex when you come to a cliff top. There appears to be no way to climb down. In another part of the complex you find a trampoline. You’ll need to pick up the trampoline and take it to the cliff top. You’ll then want to throw the trampoline over the cliff and then jump. The trampoline will break your fall and open up new areas of the map to explore. This is not original as a similar puzzle was in Scott Adams’ Mystery Fun House but it was a nice touch and if you had not played Mystery Fun House the solution may not as been so forthcoming. The blaster wand puzzle was a nice touch as well.
The map of Nuclear Sub is a larger map than previous games with more than 25 different locations.
There are six total treasures that you need to collect and then return to the sub but then the game does not end there. Your reactor on the sub is nonfunctional and you’re going to need to miraculously find some plutonium lying about in an underwater cave before you can get underway. Remember to use the tongs before you pick up the plutonium. It was in this final part of the game that I had some trouble. I had the plutonium but I was having parser issues and playing “guess the verb” at the end. Luckily the game provided me with a helpful of hint of “try INSERT” and I was able to INSERT the plutonium into the reactor.
This was my favorite Roger M. Wilcox offering thus far. Next up on deck is the adventure known as India Palace. If you’re interested in playing and experiencing any of the Roger M. Wilcox games for yourself you can find them HERE.