Planetfall. Published in 1983 by the now-legendary Infocom, Planetfall was an original work of sci-fi comedy. It is a text adventure game built on Infocom's Z-machine platform. In it, the player assumes the role of an unnamed Stellar Patrol Ensign Seventh Class, busily mopping floors on the cruiser Feinstein, when the cruiser is suddenly destroyed. The player (if they're lucky or have figured it out over lots of tries) manages to flee in an escape pod, which then makes planetfall on a nearby world. Once high-tech, the place is eerily abandoned. Figuring out why, while also trying to figure out how to escape, is the main plot of the game. The player makes friends (sort of), explores ruins (lots) and is often in danger of being eaten by a grue unless they can find a light. Time limitations are presented in the game by a restricted amount of food and water being available, and this game also saw the first introduction in an Infocom game of a persistent NPC who wasn't an enemy (grues don't count).
Planetfall was rated "standard" in Infocom's difficult scale. It was written by the prolific Steve Meretzky, and was Infocom's eighth commercial game release. There was a sequel published later, titled Stationfall, which carried over many of the original game's characters and themes (including the protagonist). Both games were made available again later after Activision bought Infocom, released as part of The Lost Treasures of Infocom packages.
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