Developer Playlist is The Black Panel’s occasional column devoted to industry figures and the games that inspire them. Each instalment features a ‘playlist’ of influential titles hand-picked by a talented creator.

Brawsome founder Andrew Goulding is carving out an enviable reputation in the indie adventure space. He has received two FreePlay awards in as many years, winning Best Australian Game for his canine pirate caper Jolly Rover in 2010 and Best Game Writing for his forthcoming lycanthropic puzzler MacGuffin’s Curse in 2011. We ask the Melbourne based developer to tell us a little about the titles that that have influenced him and he doesn’t disappoint, citing some of the greats of the genre.

—– Andrew Goulding’s Playlist —–

Asked to identify three of his favourites, a mischievous Goulding nominates series’ rather than individual entries. “I know, I was a bit cheeky with my selection,” he says, “but I have to play them one after the other once I start.” He describes the quirky sense of humour evident in these adventure games as “a massive influence”.

Goulding’s’ first selection is QUEST FOR GLORY, a series fondly recalled for its blend of role playing and adventure elements. Developed by point and click pioneers Sierra, this five game fantasy saga ran from 1989’s Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero (AKA Hero’s Quest) to 1998’s Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire. The series was notable not only for permitting its players to customise and enhance their characters, but also to retain them from one instalment to the next.

His second selection emerged from the same stable as the first. Sierra’s SPACE QUEST games charted the misadventures of Roger Wilco, cosmic janitor. The series commenced in 1986 with Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter, the success of which lead to no fewer than five sequels. By the time his adventures drew to a close in 1995, the bumbling Wilco had travelled through time, battled an intergalactic plague and been reduced to the size of bacteria.

The long running MONKEY ISLAND series remains active to this day, but Goulding sees the first two games as definitive. Issued by LucasArts in 1990, The Secret of Monkey Island introduced would-be pirate protagonist Guybrush Threepwood. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge followed in 1991 and cemented the hapless Threepwood’s status as one of gaming’s most iconic figures. The Monkey Island Games are also notable for establishing designers Tim Schaeffer, Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman as legends of the genre.

Goulding acknowledges that some classic adventure games can be a hard sell, but he remains enchanted by their achievements. “Looking back, some of the mechanics and puzzles in these games were horrible, brutally hard, and sometimes unfair (I’m looking at you Space Quest!), but the stories and characters in these games make me look past the flaws in a way that people who haven’t experienced them before might have a hard time understanding.”

What’s next for Andrew Goulding?

Goulding is currently hard at work on MacGuffin’s Curse, which he describes as “a top down 2D puzzle game, like Zelda meets Sokoban meets point-and-click adventure.” Players will take on the role of Lucas MacGuffin, a “magician-turned-thief-turned-werewolf” who certainly regrets swiping that shiny amulet. In order to lift his hairy curse, MacGuffin will need to complete a series of quests and puzzles, as well as interact with the oddball inhabitants of a mysterious town. “The game boasts over 150 rooms, spread across 11 unique locations”, Goulding says, noting that it should keep players busy for more than a dozen hours. MacGuffin’s Curse is set to arrive on Steam (PC and Mac) and iOS devices in early 2012. Learn more at the game’s official website.

Looking for more Developer Playlists? View previous instalments here.

Quest for Glory image credit: MobyGames