Developed by: The Vision Factory (the games department of SPC Vision). On the USA cover SPC/Vision is credited being the developer. On the EU version, The Vision Factory is printed on the back cover. In the game itself, the intro starts with a logo by The Vision Factory.
Published by: Philips Interactive Media Benelux
Original release: 1994
Genre: 2D Platformer
CD-i type: Compact Disc Interactive, base-case standard CD-i disc, but it is "Digital Video Cartridge Optional", which means when the system detects the Digital Video Cartridge, it makes use of the extra memory by simultaneously playing background music and FX sounds)
Original Price: 100 NLG
Catalogue: 8100199 (Europe), 8100244 (Iberia), 31069001672 (USA)
Releases: Originally released in a normal jewelcase, the USA version was completely different designed and was including a slipcase.
Language: The manuals and back cover were translated (depends on the version) but the game itself was english only
Emulator: Plays without an issue in CD-i Emulator 0.53 beta 4 and higher. Moreover, this game received a dedicated PC Emulator by CD-i member Shikotei.
The European back cover
The USA back cover
Description from the developer:
As Marvin, the apprentice of the great wizard Gandorf S. Wandburner III, you’ve not been having a good week. You undertake all the dangerous tasks that the wizard cannot be botherred to do himself. This platform game is the story of a week in your life.
Game Facts:
Truly the defining game for CD-i is found in this cute title from The Vision Factory also known as SPC Vision. The game is brilliantly colourful and has some amazingly detailed levels from the backgrounds to the characters "The Apprentice" shows a high production value throughout. Taking advantage of an upgraded CD-i player with Digital Video Capabilities, the expanded memory provided by the hardware offered extra sound effects to an already very solid game. For some reason the USA version of The Apprentice plays a different soundtrack compared to the European release for the introductory scene.
Unfortunately a sequel to The Apprentice was never developed, however the idea was considered as can be seen from the Artists Impressions courtesy of an ex-employee of SPC Vision who goes by the nickname cdidev and his CD-i Developer home page provides even more tantalising information from this talented yet underrated company. Through this website cdidev also reveals some interesting cheat codes for The Apprentice including Level Select and codes to activate special Game Over endings including one Fatality, two Animality and a selection of five Nudality animations (See "Fatality, Animality and that Nudality" below). A Space Invaders game can also be activated (See "Cute Invaders" boxout below) that is in fact an early prototype of the Invaders game featured in Golden Oldies 1 released three years after The Apprentice.
The European cover
The USA cover
Tips / Cheat Codes
All Codes must be entered by holding down button 2 and moving the CD-i controller as indicated.Title Screen
Level select: up, up, down, down, right, right, left, left
Space Invaders: up, right, down, left, up, down, left, right
Game Over Screen
Fatality: down, right, left, left
Animality 1: up, right, down, left
Animality 2: up, left, down, right
Nudality 1: right, right, down, left, up, up
Nudality 2: left, left, down, right, up, up
Nudality 3: right, left, right, left, down, up
Nudality 4: left, right, left, right, down, up
Nudality 5: down, down, right, up, up, left
These most be entered before Marvin stops walking otherwsie the normal panda animation starts.
Review
Even if you need another platform game like you need a second appendix, The Apprentice deserves a look. It's catchy and addictive game-play and utterly sumptious visuals may remind you why this genre lasted as long as it did.
It's getting hard to get excited about platform games -- after years of running, jumping, punching, and shooting "boss monsters", you had to figure players would move on to something else, and that something appears to be the "Mortal Kombat" style fighting game. Virtually the only hype you see for platform games on other systems nowadays is for licences like "The Lion King", which makes me wonder: when Disney puts out the obligatory Genesis game for "Pocahontas", will she and John Smith jump from tree to tree collecting nuts and berries, or will they beat the crap out of each other in a bloody martial arts competition?
But that's neither here nor there. What's here is "The Apprentice", and it's a hoot. The game follows Marvin, the lowly apprentice of wizard Gandorf S.Wandburner, as he gets sent on dangerous quests throughout the kingdom. Marvin, like all the characters in the game, is a frumpy, big-eyed cartoon character, who if he were owned by Sega or Nintendo would probably be available as a plush toy or lousy Saturday morning cartoon.
"The Apprentice" breaks with tradition somewhat by being an exclusively vertical scroller -- the action always moves up or down, defying the usual trend of left-to-right action. This gives the jumping somewhat more purpose -- you're usually trying to get further up, as you scale dizzyingly tall towers in the medieval castles. You also get a gun or other weapon to shoot back with, although it isn't always effective.
As you'd expect, there are all sorts of bouncing monsters, falling hazards and nasty traps to threaten you, along with coins to collect for points and keys to find so you can open locked doors, use teleporters, etc. What you wouldn't expect is just how large the characters are on-screen and how fluid the movement is. The game is utterly sumptious, and the design is so downright funny it's a joy to watch as well as to play. The sounds are also well-done, from the ragtime theme music you can't get out of your head to the "ow ow ow ow ow ow!" Marvin yells when he dies. (note: sound effects are only available if you have a digital-video card -- base-case players get music only).
The designers also made the game extremely playable by taking steps to reduce repetition. Each of the games six levels has three "stages", and your CD-i player automatically remembers the highest level-stage combination you've gotten to (Why couldn't Vision Factory's Dimo's Quest do this?). Furthermore, each stage has a series of checkpoints illustrated as flags where you restart each time you get killed. As a practical upshot you don't have to replay earlier levels over and over again, you just have to get good enough to finish a given stage with four lives once.
If that sounds generous, don't get too confident -- the stages are TOUGH. Aside from being long, they're also filled with tricks, traps, and plenty of timing problems. Some stages can be finished with one or two lives the first time through. Others will take multiple replays to beat. Starting with level three / stage two, some seem downright impossible. The third stage of every level is followed by a battle with a huge "boss monster", which are distinguished by their large size (they fill the screen), sharp animation, and the staggering difficulty of beating them.
Some levels completely change the game's mechanics. After recovering the wizard's book at the end of level one, an animated sequence shows Marvin accidentally knocking it into a well, and being turned into a frog by the wizard to find it. Throughout level two, you're a frog, swimming DOWN through the levels, bobbing up and down with the current. And in level four, all the platforms are covered with ice, causing you to slide to a stop... if you don't hit a bad guy first. In each case, it's a welcome change of pace.
Add to the mix some genuinely charming scenes between levels and a whole bunch of half-naked anime girls in the background art (for no discernable reason) and you've got a great game.
It's too bad "The Apprentice" didn't come out about a year ago, when platform games were still in vogue and the CD-i could really have used a family-friendly title to show off its stuff (Philips still might want to consider bundling this game with CD-i players, since the now-standard Burn:Cycle isn't exactly family fare). As it is, it's a great example of a dying breed... perhaps the last full bucket from an increasingly dry well.
From the Disc
Most CD-i Games have "Abstract", "Bibliographic" and "Copyright" details on the softwares disc itself, any interesting information in these files can be found below.
Abstract: THE APPRENTICE, This is the story of a week in the life of the wizards apprentice, Marvin. You must successfully complete the tasks set for you by Gandorph S. Wandburner. This will take you to many different places and you will have to solve various puzzles and defeat numerous enemies to accomplish your tasks.
Bibliographic: The Apprentice
Programming by Tim Moss
Graphics by Luke Verhulst
Game design by Luke Verhulst and Tim Moss
Music by Joost Egmond
A 1994 Vision Factory production in cooperation with Philips Interacive Media inc.
Copyright: Copyright Philips Interactive Media International Limited 1994
The European CD
The USA CD
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