Infidel

About

Infidel is a text-based adventure game from 1983 where you play a scrappy explorer stranded in the Egyptian desert. Your goal is to find a mythical pyramid tied to hieroglyphic clues left by a long-dead archaeologist. Gameplay revolves around typing commands to navigate sand dunes, solve logic puzzles, and avoid hazards like dehydration. The story is straightforward but effective, blending mystery with a dash of desperation as your character battles both the environment and ancient traps. The game stands out for its clever use of ASCII-like symbols to represent hieroglyphics, a nod to its text-driven format. As Infocom's 10th title and first in their "Tales of Adventure" series, it showcases the company's early knack for portability via their Z-Machine, appearing on over a dozen 80s platforms. While not the most complex of Infocom's library, its lean design and atmospheric desert setting make it a cult favorite. Community archives note its influence on later adventure games, with many praising its concise, no-frills approach to puzzle design.

Storyline

You like to think of yourself as a bold and adventurous soldier of fortune, daring to brave the perils of the Egyptian Desert in search of a great lost pyramid. In fact, you're a small-time explorer, and you've just been marooned by your crew. Thoughts of getting lost, starving to death, or dying of thirst cross your mind, but you are sustained by the faint hope that you can somehow find the pyramid in this smouldering heat. You're all alone. Perhaps the sun has affected your thinking. Do you really expect to find a lost pyramid in this vast, endless desert, much less survive? Even if you do find it, can you get inside? Hardest of all, are you capable of matching wits with the ancient Egyptians? Still, you're driven onward against desperate odds. Undreamed-of riches and treasures beyond imagination await you. And your pride and dignity, your reputation and self-esteem, are at stake. For you are branded INFIDEL.