Local Asynchronous Satellite Hookup

LASH is a Z-Code game made by Paul O'Brian. Baf's guide says:
"The Second American Civil War has passed, and you're picking through the rubble for loot, via satellite link to your trusty robot. An interesting spin on the division between PC and protagonist, since the game actually involves a character manipulating a machine (and certain key points indicate that the analogy is no accident). The second half or so of the game takes a sharp turn, one that some have called heavy-handed; whether or not you find it that was, it's the sort of story that needs emotional impact to make it work, and the impact wasn't really there for me. Your mileage may vary, of course, and it's certainly a well-crafted work: the writing is impeccable, the setting thoroughly described, and generally there's plenty of attention to detail. Alternate endings abound, and it's impossible to see even most of the text on a given play through, so there's lots of replayability. In short, it's well put together, even if the message doesn't resonate in quite the way the author intended.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Duncan Stevens (22 Jul 2000)"

quoted from Baf's guide to the interactive fiction archive

Storyline
The storyline in the beginning of LASH is seemingly nonexistent. In fact, all evidence points to LASH being a simple treasure hunt, untill the diary of the previous owner of the house being explored is found under a matress in the master bedroom. Reading the diary reveals the ethnicity of the previous owners, and talks about a project they were working on, called the "TimeSpace". It works on causing the user to dream a controlled dream. The diary then reveals the code for acessing the attic, where the machine is located, allowing the MULE robot to enter the system and dream of being a slave before the first civil war. The mule malfunctions, due to the immense pain it's human body recives, but manages to overcome the pain. It then must be ordered into the house for the story to continue, having the MULE (in human form) and another slave called Momma being sold down the river. At this point, the MULE wakes up, and finds the TimeSpace system to be open. It removes the core of the machine, and allows you to controll it. However, it has changed, hinted at by the change in it's reaction to the "attack" command (before dreaming it mentions it's programming, afterwards it says it can't see any good reason) and is completely revealed when it is ordered into the living room containing a dead corpse, which causes it to resist orders and print white on black (insted of black on white)text, and completely refusing to manipulate the skeleton (although it has no objections to removing it's leather jacket and gold bracelet).

Winning

There are four ways to end the game, all somewhat sucessfull. In one ending, the MULE never is placed in the TimeSpace, and simply tells the player it enjoyed working with him. In another, the player notices the MULE's erratic reactions to commands in the living room and orders an emergency shutdown, to which the MULE protests. The third ending is similar to the second, and constitutes continuing normally and ordering an airlift to take the MULE and salvaged objects back to headquarters. The fourth ending results from placing all the salvaged objects on the airlift platform, then giving the command "FREE MULE", which is the only end (exept the first) which the MULE does not angrily protest. Endings 2 and 3 result in a cash reward from the salvage company for taking back the "malfunctioning" MULE.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu