Tanis

Tanis is a graphical text adventure with a mouse-driven interface. The scenario is based on an older text adventure named Deena, created by E. L. Cheney between 1987-88. The player assumes the role of a female warrior who was captured by the evil Gendi, a monstrous race bent on subjugating the world. The player starts out in prison and has to escape before taking the fight to the Gendi.

Gameplay is similar to a classic text adventure, but instead of a text parser where commands are typed in, the player can bring up a list of available commands by pressing the space button instead, and then choose a verb with the mouse, followed by an object the verb should be used on. This streamlines the gameplay quite a bit, as it removes the "guess the verb" issue text adventures often suffer from. The game also has simple graphics displaying the room the player is currently in. Those graphics are completely static, however: if the illustration contains an item the player picks up, that item will stay in the image even though it's no longer there.

Added February 1, 2025
Published By Light & Magic
Developed By Light & Magic
Title screen (DOS) from mobygames.com
Intro text (DOS) from mobygames.com
This is the room the protagonist finds herself in at the start. Note the torch on the floor - it stays in the image even after picking it up. (DOS) from mobygames.com
When pressing the space bar, a list of available verbs appears at the left side of the screen. (DOS) from mobygames.com
Examining a dead body in the adjacent room. There's a nail in its robe, which can be used as a makeshift lockpick. (DOS) from mobygames.com
After opening the cell door, the protagonist is confronted by the dungeon master! (DOS) from mobygames.com

Year of Release:
1994

Platform(s):

Genre(s):
Exploration Puzzle Adventure

Graphic Style:
2D

Camera View:
First-Person

Control Type:
Menu-Driven

Setting/Theme:
Fantasy

Free to Play:
Yes

More Info:

Available From: