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Part II: Goodbye, Galaxy... and a Babysitter!

Commander Keen, Episode IV: Secret of the Oracle
(PC, 1991)

The days of dealing with the Vorticons are long over. Mortimer McMi-- I mean, the Grand Intellect has been subdued (and is presumed dead). However, this doesn't mean that the world is at peace. If we fast-forward a few months, the young Keen is toiling away on the Photachyon Transceiver, a device capable of receiving signals from across the galaxy and beyond. He manages to intercept an unusually garbled (but still coherent enough) message regarding the Shikadi race... and they're going to destroy the galaxy! There's always somebody who doesn't like the Earth, eh? Commander Keen heads to Gnosticus IV, home of the Gnosticenes. There, he can meet with their Oracle to learn more about the Shikadi, who they are working for, and how he can stop the galaxy from becoming space dust. In order to hear the Oracle's words, however, he must also rescue the eight Council Members who have been kidnapped by the Shikadi. Oh, joy.

This episode begins the next series in the Commander Keen saga, entitled "Goodbye, Galaxy!" and was also released as shareware. Developed later in 1991, the Keen games advanced significantly graphically, becoming more cartoon-like in the process. Of course, it becomes a little more crude, with slugs making flatulent noises and leaving harmful slime in their wake (and let's not forget Keen actually mooning the camera in the "Pyramid of the Moons" level). The games also start to benefit from an actual soundtrack, now that music courtesy of modern sound cards has been implemented. Also included are items where, if you collect 100 of them, you get an extra life (in this case, water drops) -- not unlike Super Mario Bros.' method of gaining lives. Episode IV was available in both EGA (16-color) and CGA (4-color), unlike previous iterations, allowing for the game to be enjoyed by individuals who love pink and purple. Gamers were also treated to a game of Paddle War, a rip-off of Pong, from the game's main menu.

Episode IV is also the origin of the Dopefish, a giant goofy-looking fish with buck teeth that just swims around. The Dopefish has gained a cult following, and frankly, nobody knows why.

Commander Keen, Episode V: The Armageddon Machine
(PC, 1991)

The Oracle -- actually more of a machine than an individual -- gives Commander Keen the information he needs about the Shikadi. It seems they are hiding within the Korath system (I think it's out of our galaxy and a little to the left) and are constructing an Armageddon Machine called the Omegamatic with, indeed, the intention of eliminating the Milky Way galaxy. Keen has to sneak aboard the Omegamatic and destroy it from within. Naturally, it won't be an easy task: the place is VERY well defended...

Episode V was the last Commander Keen game produced by id Software; Aliens Ate My Babysitter! was also developed by the Keen team but was released after The Armageddon Machine. The gameplay is very much identical to that of Episode IV, the only major change being the environs through which Commander Keen must travel (based heavily on the art of roboticism). I've always considered this one to be a dangerous game, if only because of some of the difficult mechanical obstacles to overcome, but it's still not quite as difficult as Episode III in my opinion.

Commander Keen: Aliens Ate My Babysitter!
(PC, 1991)

The Earth is now safe from both the Vorticons AND the Shikadi. So NOW Keen can finally rest his weary head and get back to his scientific research, right? Well, it would have seemed to be the case until one night, while Keen was working hard on his Wrist Computer, his babysitter, Molly, gets abducted by the Bloogs of Fribbulus Xax! Worse yet, they're hungry... for babysitter meat! ...that didn't sound right. Anyway, Keen has to blast off yet again in his Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket, this time to Fribbulus Xax to rescue Molly. Little does he know, this is all a ploy by the diabolical Mortimer McMire to buy him some time so he can continue to perfect his next scheme. That's right, folks. He's not dead.

Not officially part of "Goodbye, Galaxy!" yet still developed by id Software between episodes of that series, Aliens Ate My Babysitter! was released to the commercial market separately from the other Keen games. I always found the art design of this one to be simultaneously the wackiest and the laziest of the Keen saga, at least enemy-wise. The game also boasted a security system that required you to own the manual in order to play the game after it asked you to input Word X from Page Y. This one's also notable for having the largest number of glitches in a Keen game, many causing your game to crash. And there are way too many slanted platforms in this episode. What gives?

The setup involving Mortimer McMire was supposed to lead into a third trilogy of games called "The Universe Is Toast", and it was even advertised in the game to be released during the holiday season of 1992. Unfortunately, the development team was too caught up in other projects to continue the Commander Keen series, and no further Keen games were released from id Software. The next trilogy has, however, been unofficially developed through fan efforts using modification software based on Episodes IV through VI.


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