The Apprentice (video game)

The Apprentice is a 1994 vertically scrolling platform game developed by The Vision Factory and published by Philips Interactive Media in North America and Europe exclusively for the Philips CD-i.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The first title to be created by The Vision Factory for the CD-i platform, the game is set on a fantasy setting inside the castle of wizard Gandorf S. Wandburner III, as players assume the role of young apprentice magician Marvin in order to complete a series of tasks given by his master while facing multiple mischiefs and creatures along the way.

The Apprentice
North American cover art by Dennis Zopfi
Developer(s)The Vision Factory
Publisher(s)Philips Interactive Media
Producer(s)Luke S. Verhulst
Designer(s)Arjen Wagenaar
Stefan Posthuma
Programmer(s)Tim Moss
Artist(s)Niklas Malmquist
Composer(s)Joost Egmond
Platform(s)Philips CD-i
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Headed by Steel Machine artist Luke S. Verhulst alongside longtime God of War programmer Tim Moss, The Apprentice was created by most of the same team that previously worked on several projects at SPC Vision and who would later go on to work at one of its offshoots before the company declared bankruptcy in 2002.

The Apprentice was met with positive critical reception from reviewers since its release, with praise towards the presentation, graphics, sound design and gameplay, though some reviewers drawing comparison with Dimo's Quest. In recent years, it has been referred by publications such as Retro Gamer to be one of the best titles for the system.[8] A sequel was in development but it never released after multiple attempts.

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot.

The Apprentice is a vertically scrolling platform game where players assume the role of young apprentice magician Marvin in order to complete a series of tasks given by his master wizard Gandorf S. Wandburner III, while facing multiple mischiefs and creatures along the way.[9][10] At the end of each stage, a boss must be fought in order to progress further, while bonus stages are also introduced as well.

Development and release
The Apprentice was developed for the Philips CD-I.

The Apprentice was created by most of the same team that previously worked on several projects at SPC Vision and who would later go on to work at one of its offshoots before the company declared bankruptcy in 2002.[2][11][12][13][14][15] Its creation was helmed by producers Luke S. Verhulst and Tim Moss, with both sharing multiple roles during development respectively.[11] The soundtrack was composed by Joost Egmond, while the sound effects were created by Joris de Man.[11][14][15] Several other people also collaborated in its production.[11]

A former member of the team recounted on his personal web page about most of the techniques used during the game's development cycle.[12] The title was released in North American and European markets in 1994, featuring artwork by Dennis Zopfi on the cover arts of each region.[2][11]

Easter Eggs

A certain series of hidden Easter eggs can be triggered ingame by pressing the controls in a certain pattern with one killing a Monkey and the rest being mostly depiction of nude sprites of women.[16][17]

Reception

The Apprentice was met with positive reception from critics since its release and has been regarded in recent years to be a standout title for the CD-i.[4][13] Betty Hallock of VideoGames: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine gave positive remarks in regards to the graphics, sound and gameplay.[22] French magazine Joystick gave the title an overall rating of 81%.[18]

Legacy

A sequel to The Apprentice was in development but it never released after multiple failed attempts.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]

References
  1. "Games Watch: The Apprentice". Games World. No. 6. Paragon Publishing. December 1994. p. 86.
  2. Alesi, Jason (December 1994). "Preview - The Apprentice". CDi Magazine. No. 2. Haymarket Magazines Ltd. pp. 26–27.
  3. Batenburg, Sebastiaan (May 10, 2007). "SPC Vision: CD-i at its best". Interactive Dreams. Blogger. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  4. Milne, Rory (August 2013). "Minority Report - The Apprentice". Retro Gamer. No. 119. Imagine Publishing. pp. 88–89.
  5. Crookes, David (October 2017). "CD-I: Engineering Interactivity". Retro Gamer. No. 173. Future Publishing. pp. 78–83.
  6. "Secrets of SPC/Vision - inside info from an ex-SPC CD-i developer". classicgaming.com. The Black Moon Project. Archived from the original on 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  7. Return of the Borders – The Atari ST and the Creative People vol. 3. Microzeit Publishing. Archived from the original on 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  8. "Top Ten Philips CDi". Retro Gamer. May 19, 2014. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  9. del Carpio, José Luis (February 1995). "Super Previews - CDi: The Apprentice". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 34. Grupo Zeta. p. 22.
  10. "The Apprentice". Blackmoonproject.co.uk. The Black Moon Project. Archived from the original on 2019-03-17. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  11. The Vision Factory (1994). The Apprentice (Philips CD-i). Philips Interactive Media. Level/area: Staff roll.
  12. cdidev. "The Apprentice - some technical information". CD-i Developer home page. Tripod.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  13. Szczepaniak, John; Shockwell, Devin (Christmas 2006). "Retroinspection: Philips CD-I". Retro Gamer. No. 32. Imagine Publishing. pp. 40–49.
  14. van Nes, Jaap (January 13, 2007). "Interview Joris de Man (Guerilla)". Gamer.nl (in Dutch). Sanoma Media. Archived from the original on 2007-01-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  15. Greening, Chris (September 2010). "Interview with Joris de Man". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  16. "Let's Play The Apprentice 25 - Extras: Secret Kodes!". YouTube.
  17. "The Apprentice (CD-i)".
  18. Lord Magie Noir (January 1995). "Vidéotest: The Apprentice (CD-I) - Sort et céleri". Joystick (in French). No. 56. Anuman Interactive. pp. 96–97. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  19. Gaksch, Martin (January 1995). "Spiele-Tests - CD-I: The Apprentice". MAN!AC (in German). No. 15. Cybermedia. p. 95.
  20. F.D.L. (March 1995). "The Apprentice". Micromanía (in Spanish). Vol. 3, no. 2. HobbyPress. p. 103.
  21. del Carpio, José Luis (March 1995). "CDi - Review: The Apprentice - Por Arte De Magia". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 35. Grupo Zeta. pp. 102–104.
  22. Hallock, Betty (April 1995). "The Apprentice - Marvin has an awfully, big nose". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 75. L.F.P., Inc. p. 87.
  23. Batenburg, Sebastiaan (October 8, 2007). "How much we would have loved the sequel to The Apprentice". Interactive Dreams. Blogger. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  24. monokoma (January 25, 2009). "The Apprentice 2 [CDI – Cancelled]". unseen64.net. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  25. Batenburg, Sebastiaan (October 11, 2009). "Teaser: The Apprentice 2: Marvin's Revenge trailer?". Interactive Dreams. Blogger. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  26. Devin (May 30, 2010). "The Apprentice 2, Pipe Dream or Reality?". Blackmoonproject.co.uk. The Black Moon Project. Archived from the original on March 16, 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  27. Batenburg, Sebastiaan (June 8, 2010). "Philips received three concept treatments of "The Apprentice 2"". Interactive Dreams. Blogger. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  28. Batenburg, Sebastiaan (June 12, 2019). "Philips explored the possibility to develop a "CD-i Game Cartridge" that would go in the DVC slot to boost gaming performance". Interactive Dreams. Blogger. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  29. cdidev. "CatGun by PixelHazard". CD-i Developer home page. Tripod.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  30. Ouwejan, Hans. "Album "Gameplay"". Hans Ouwejan Official site. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
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