What attracted me first to the game was a really intriguing ad I saw for it in Game Players magazine (a magazine that I subscribed to as a kid that covered console and computer games). Like many ads back in the early 90s, it had a few screens from the game and a bunch of text. Boy, how do I miss ads that didn't completely insult your intelligence.
What attracted the game to me was, of course, the beautiful graphics, but also the unique interface that featured what seemed to be a long branch with a musical staff under it, and then a box on the right with a zoomed-in view of whatever you were looking at/selecting.
I never got around to getting this game when I was young, but that doesn't mean I can't fire up good old DOSBOX and give it a go now!
The first thing that will likely strike a first time player of Loom is the music, which consists of parts of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Loom also happens to support the amazing Roland MT-32 sound synthesizer, and while it certainly sounds wonderful on it, the MT-32 is used far, far better in many other games. The problem, in my opinion, is that the MT-32—while amazing—is just not really suited to play classical music (especially strings, which are featured in the first real song you hear in the game). It sounds better than the Adlib version of the soundtrack, but just a little. I would not be surprised if someone told me that the game was composed for Adlib and converted to MT-32.
The second thing that will likely strike you is the gorgeous EGA graphics. This game does more with 16 colors than most games do with 16 million. When I first saw the screens in that ad I mentioned above, I just assumed the game was running in 256 color VGA. However, seeing it in person is another thing altogether. Dithering is done with restraint—and even more than that, the limitations of the EGA color palette are expertly used to suggest things and create mood. It reminds me a lot of how an excellently shot B&W movie can look impossibly deep. One example is that a lot of trees in the foreground are simply black against the sky; with a richer palette, I have no doubt that these trees would just be a darker shade of brown (for proof, see the VGA remake of Loom).
The only downside to the graphics is with the close-up portraits you get when you talk to people. Now, they aren't bad at all. The issue here is that, while EGA is very suited for drawing somewhat surreal backgrounds (in the right hands), it is not suited at all for depicting people due to a lack of skin tones. Skin ends up having to be either pinkish-red or reddish-brown, and neither look good no matter what skin color you are trying to depict. The art itself is quite nice, but it's just an unfortunate reality of the EGA palette.
Finally let's get to that interface that so intrigued me back in the day. Basically, instead of an inventory, you have a book full of spells. Only the book of spells is actually a physical booklet outside the game in your hands. Objects and people throughout the world will play four-note songs to you, which you need to write down and then, through interacting with the world, figure out what spell the song represents. The spell booklet that comes with the game lists all the spells, but leaves the notes blank for you to fill in as you find them (and the spell notes are randomized each time you play).
The genius part of this is two-fold. First, the game doesn't tell you what song is what spell. You need to figure it out by watching what happens or just through trial and error. Second, some spells can be reversed (by playing the song in reverse). Loom is not a very difficult game, but it forces you to observe, take notes, and think outside the box. That really brings you into the game.
All in all, I am extremely impressed with the first hour or so spent with this game. I'm sure I would have loved it as a kid, and it's a shame I never got around to getting it back then. Definitely looking forward to finishing this one (and from what I understand that won't take very long at all).
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