The plot of Loom is rather unique. You play through the story as Bobbin Threadbare- a young ward of the Weaver’s Guild, who the other weavers believe, will destroy their sacred Loom. When the rest of the guild transfigures into a flock of swans, it’s up to you to find them and figure out the secret behind your existence. Bobbin takes the musical “distaff” left behind by the guild leader and goes on his way. Throughout the course of the game you learn new musical spells (called “drafts”), encounter other guilds and their members (like the Shepherds and the Glassmakers), and find yourself in the middle of an evil cleric’s horrendous plot to gain control of the world! And, of course, Bobbin has to try to stop him.
The plot of Loom is rather unique. You play through the story as Bobbin Threadbare- a young ward of the Weaver’s Guild, who the other weavers believe, will destroy their sacred Loom. When the rest of the guild transfigures into a flock of swans, it’s up to you to find them and figure out the secret behind your existence. Bobbin takes the musical “distaff” left behind by the guild leader and goes on his way. Throughout the course of the game you learn new musical spells (called “drafts”), encounter other guilds and their members (like the Shepherds and the Glassmakers), and find yourself in the middle of an evil cleric’s horrendous plot to gain control of the world! And, of course, Bobbin has to try to stop him.
The
point-and-click interface is pretty straightforward and easy to handle, a far cry simpler than text-driven games. Loom definitely plays by the basic rule of adventure gaming: look everywhere and pay attention to everything. Sometimes even an insignificant-looking object can give you a new draft, or give you a clue to which of your known drafts to use. The musical spells Bobbin uses can be reversed for the opposite effect (for example: the “Dye” draft can be reversed to create the “Bleach” draft). There is no way to die in the game. You can get stuck, but never to the point that you have to restart, which is a nice thing.
It’s difficult to judge the graphics of a 16-year-old game and not compare it with today’s standards. The 256-color version of the game was actually quite stunning given the technology of the time.
Loom is a fun and intriguing game and definitely worth a try, even if you only play it once.
