HomeNewsThe Beatles' ill-forgotten video game resurfaces as fans find playable copy of...

The Beatles’ ill-forgotten video game resurfaces as fans find playable copy of ‘Beatle Quest’

The Beatles fans have rediscovered the ill-forgotten video game tie-in made for the Commodore 64.

Beatle Quest, a text adventure game developed and published by Number 9 Software, was programmed by Garry Marsh and released in 1985. The game received mixed reviews at the time but fans are only just discovering a playable version of the game that can be accessed in your browser.

While the game was meant to be a trilogy, it appears only one was made. Beatle Quest is “part one” of a series which was meant to feature A Day in the Life, Part 2 and Across the Universe, but neither game was made. Instead, fans are content to play around with the text adventure game released in 1985.

A user taking to The Beatles’ Reddit page wrote: “I learned today there was a Beatles themed text adventure game back in the 80s in the UK called Beatle Quest made for the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum. It was supposed to be a part of a trilogy but as far as I know, the developer never made another game.”

The game features lyrics from The Beatles to inform the player on scenarios they find themselves in. Marsh reportedly received permission from ATV Music to use the lyrics from Beatles songs in the game. The Beatles’ legacy during the 1980s was in a lull period, particularly in 1985.
Beatle Quest released five years after John Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment by Mark David Chapman. Paul McCartney, who paid tribute to his longtime writing partner and friend with Here Today, went on to star in Give My Regards to Broad Street in 1984.
A link to play Beatle Quest can be found here. A description of the game reads: “Made with a program called The Quill, a text-adventure creation program, this game’s story is based on a number of Beatles song lyrics.

“Set in the year 2953, you are a Keeper of the Archives who takes care of Ancient Earth knowledge while space pioneers look for a New Earth to colonize. In your research, you come upon ‘The Four Kings of EMI’ and being fascinated you enter a computer simulation of a Beatles-influenced world in 1960’s Liverpool.

“Through 150 locations you will adventure encountering people and places from Beatles songs such as Maxwell who has a silver hammer, and Penny Lane. Make sure to grab any food and drink as you go along as you must keep your health up.”

A comment from game creator Garry Marsh can also be found on the link, where he writes: “Hello from Garry Marsh, the Author of Beatle Quest. How nice to find my game here, fully playable too. I wanted to be a Paper Back Writer, but wrote Beatle Quest instead. I can’t believe that it’s still going strong 32 years after I wrote it!”
Ewan Gleadow
Ewan Gleadowhttps://cultfollowing.co.uk/
Editor in Chief at Cult Following
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