4. Loom
Loom (LucasArts, 1990) was that rarest of gems; a completely unique video game, whose story even by todays standards reads as innovative and enchanting. You play Bobbin Threadbare (LucasArts really did know how to name a hero back then), a member of a group of Weavers, in a distant future world where humanity has split off into various guilds. Other guilds include the Clerics, Blacksmiths and Glassmakers, but none are so revered as Bobbins own, which has honed its craft to the point where they can weave the fabric of reality itself, using drafts, a form of musical magic. Unfortunately, not everything about the Weaver life is sunshine and rainbows, as a thirty minute stand-alone exposition to the game explains. Originally, this audio play was included with the game, on cassette, but it can now be listened to on a popular video hosting website. This story reveals that the Weavers can no longer have children and that seventeen year old Bobbin is the last. There are those that blame Bobbins own birth for cursing the guild and wish to weave the transcendence draft that will turn him into a swan and cast him out of the clan. Instead, Bobbin finds himself in the position of unwitting hero; the only member of his guild that can decide its fate. Loom is technically a point-and-click adventure, but without any of the usual inventory interaction. Bobbins quest is instead advanced by learning and casting magical drafts, which are made up of musical notes. The games backing music consists of strangely beautiful excerpts from a MIDI rendition of Tchaikovskys Swan Lake. A pioneer in its day, Loom has aged gracefully, and I thoroughly recommend that gamers of all ages revisit its darkly charming narrative.