Zork arcade game?

[Razzie.P]

Was there ever an arcade game based on Zork?

 

As a kid in the mid 80’s, I was leaving a local store called “Magic Mart,” and saw an arcade game with a Zork marquee, in all its classic "rock and door" glory. (I had never heard of the PC games at that time, but knew the logo from the choose-your-own-adventure type of books, which I loved)  The game being played in demo mode looked a lot like Tutankham.   I got really excited and couldn’t wait until “next time” when I could play it.   By the time “next time” came around, it was gone, and Pole Position was in its spot.

Sad story, I know.  As I got older, much more familiar with arcade gaming, and able to look up anything thanks to the internet, I quickly learned that there was no Zork arcade game, so I must have gotten my wires crossed.  So I (kind of) put it out of mind thinking I just remembered wrong, but for so many years, that vivid memory of seeing that Zork logo on the arcade machine is just hanging in there.
Which brings us to yesterday --- I was chatting with two people who lived in the same hometown back then, and we got to the story of our local Magic Mart.  They mentioned how their mom would go shopping, and give them a bunch of quarters to “waste out front” where they played Time Pilot, Pole Position, and Zork.

 

So yeah, it’s been bugging me for decades, and seemed to just pop up again, randomly.   Anyone ever see a Zork arcade machine?   Official?  Knock off?  Maybe home-made, I dunno… 
 

[Emulator 67]

 

Sorry couldn't resist.

 

I've never seen nor heard of an arcade title called Zork.  Interesting that you mentioned it played like Tutankham since the logo to the IF game would sort of suggest a catacomb type of game.

 

[+fdr4prez]

not Toki?

 

[Shaggy the Atarian]

The only arcade game to use a keyboard in that era was Thayer's Quest; otherwise you have stuff like Toki and Tutankhamen that have that style of logo.

 

I've never heard of a Zork arcade machine...seems like if it really was out there, then it was someone's homebrew. Sometimes arcade ops did some weird things to make a buck, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's what it was. I have a game like that at my arcade right now - only 2 or 3 exist, as the guy who made it just created a shoot 'em up for fun.

 

Another explanation is that it really was Tutankhamen, but the mart or the arcade operator had a thing for Zork, so printed up the marquee and slapped it in there. 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Shaggy the Atarian