LucasArts Spins Us A Classic…

With a blend of mystery and an air of wonder, Loom is a magical tale woven together with clever puzzles and compelling narrative. ‘Professor’ Brian Moriarty reveals how a love of ballet scores led to the creation of a musical masterpiece that has so far yet to be surpassed.

Publisher: LucasFilm Games
Developer: LucasFilm Games
Released: 1990
Genre: Action Adventure
Expect To Pay: £10

Practice mode was aimed at novice gamers.

“It was long after the passing of the second shadow, when dragons ruled the twilight sky, and the stars were bright and numerous.” These enigmatic words set the scene for Loom, beginning the story of Bobbin Threadbare, an innocent young Weaver belonging to a Guild that have the ability to weave the fabric of time with the power of music. Yet the Weaver’s era is quickly passing, with many dying out due to their old ways and few of the Guilds remain. In an act of rebellion, a young woman weaved a new pattern to give birth to a son, but was condemned shortly after his birth to live the rest of her life as a swan. Yet the pattern has started to rip apart the fabric and it is up to Bobbin Threadbare to make sure that the unravelling doesn’t spell the demise of the Universe.

The story of Bobbin Threadbare is a tightly woven tale, full of depth and mystery that remains compelling due to the clever way the music is entwined into the narrative. Yet while the name Bobbin Threadbare (a bobbin is a cylinder or comb used in weaving for holding thread) and subsequent characters Fleece and Rusty seemed planned, they were initially only meant as a temporary measure. “Bobbin, Fleece, Rusty and most of the other names were just temporary place holders,” says the game’s designer Brian Moriarty. “I intended to replace them with something more serious sounding. But in the end, the original names stuck. The characters had grown into them. The Elders (Lachesis, Atropos and Clothos) are named after the three Fates of classical mythology.” It’s the word Loom itself that actually sparked Brian’s imagination.

“I like the sound of it, and the many ideas it brings to mind. Once I recognised that it would make an evocative title, the rest just followed. It is very mysterious, where these things come from.” After a brief surge of inspiration, Brian put some ideas onto paper. “I wrote a brief document, maybe four or five pages, that outlined the basic story and showed it around. People seemed to like it, so we took the project into production.” What makes Loom stand out from the beginning is that there isn’t an actual inventory: Bobbin Threadbare carries a mere staff which will help him save the Guilds from the impending clash with Chaos and it’s this staff’s innate musical ability that will solve the various puzzles he encounters. Bobbin Threadbare will never pick up a single item or choose from a dialog tree to trick a non-playable character, instead focusing on musical spells to solve puzzles.

Swans and sewing - a classic combo.

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