Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Created by LucasArts in 1988, Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders follows Zak in an attempt to meet girls and stop evil aliens.

Story

Zak McKracken is a tabloid reporter who discovers a plot by aliens to decrease the intelligence of the people of Earth. He embarks on a globe-trotting adventure to stop the aliens plans, teaming up with scientist Annie Larris and the first human astronauts to land on the surface of Mars, Melissa China & Leslie Bennett.

Zak discovers a number of special crystals in his adventure that give him powers including teleportation & the ability to jump into the body of animals.

Playable Characters

The player is able to control 4 characters:

  • Zak McKracken
  • Annie Larris
  • Melissa China
  • Leslie Bennett

Unlike the First SCUMM game Maniac Mansion, players are not able to control & switch between all characters from the start of the game. Only as the plot progresses and the characters are introduced are players able to control them.

Trivia

  • Unlike most other LucasArts games, players are able to die in Zak McKracken.
  • The original box came with a fake newspaper with several humorous articles in it.
  • There is a can of chainsaw fuel on Mars, if players try to pick it up, characters will say it's for a different game, in Maniac Mansion there was a chainsaw in the kitchen that was out of fuel, but there was no fuel for it in that game.

Cameo

Lou's Pawn Shop (AST)
Lou's Pawn Shop (AST)

In Maniac Mansion, another game by Lucasarts, a poster with Zak McKracken on it can be found in the arcade hall. And vice versa, in Lou's pawn shop a Maniac Mansion advertisement poster can be found on the wall.