Every Lucasarts Adventure Game: Ranked Worst To Best

On the day of his seventeenth birthday, Bobbin Threadbare leaves his guild of weavers to hunt down a flock of swans, one of which may very well be his mother. He does so with nothing but a magical, musical staff, his adventure set to the appropriately cygnine music of Tchaikovsky's most famous ballet.

Needless to say, LOOM is a tough sell - even for a pirate named Cobb.

Long before the 'are video games art?' question was even considered, let alone raised, LOOM was providing an answer in the affirmative. Gone is the traditional verb+object input intimately familiar to Lucasarts players; instead, you interface with your surroundings via small ditties played on the staff - both musical and literal. This proves surprisingly versatile. If, for example, the spell for 'opening' is played backwards, it becomes 'closed'. It's genius, in many ways.

Sadly, the magic doesn't last long enough. LOOM spools just a little short, and though undeniably unique, an inventory-less puzzle system means solutions are inevitably straightforward. It's an experience almost unlike any other, but the coda soon reaches its conclusion.