The Collection Chamber: U.F.O.s (aka GNAP)

Dateline...
1970s, the height of the disco craze.

Location...
the Ozarks.

A one-eyed purple sausage alien, named Gnap, crash-lands in the middle of a farmer's pigpen. His intergalactic cruiser is messed up, BIG TIME. So Gnap, and his dimwitted sidekick platypus, set off to find spare parts. Along the way, they mingle with an offensive mob of psychotic wackos - otherwise known as humans! It's rude, offensive and everything you've dreamed of!

This game is likely to be detrimental to your health.

Twisted humor that your mother would never approve of.

Absolutely no attempt to be culturally significant!

What's in it for you?
4 out-of-touch arcade style games
screens jam-packed with animations
more gags than a political campaign
800x600 24-bit graphics (supports 640x480, 16-bit and 8-bit)
not one single, solitary, second of educational content

~ from the back of the box

Dateline: 1970s - the height of the Disco craze. The place: the Ozarks, middle America. The event: an alien named Gnap runs out of gas, crash lands on a hick farm and befriends a duck-billed platypus. The game: U.F.O.s...

Take one look at the screenshots and you'd think that this would be on of the blockbuster adventure games of 1997. It was certainly ambitious in scope and features some very talented designers, programmers, and animators but somehow it is not particularly well known. If there is any particular genre of game that I prefer amongst all others it is the point-and-click adventure game and I would've loved it on release had I been aware of it - an unfortunate casualty of a small-time publisher.

Created by Artech Studios and released by Akella in Europe a year after its US release, it was perhaps most popular in Germany where it was known as Gnap. The adventure genre began to wane in the late nineties, with only a few notable titles to recommend. In mainland Europe it continued to thrive with Germany, Poland and Norway, in particular, keeping the genre alive. Most of the games that saw its resurgences such as The Longest Journey and Secret Files: Tunguska originated there (some I'm very interested to play even stayed there like the beautiful looking Die Hohlenwelt Saga).

The game's visual aesthetic is heavily influenced by the anarchic animated shows at the time like Ren & Stimpy or Cow and Chicken. It uses 2D hand-drawn animation for the sprites on 3D pre-rendered backgrounds which gives the game a polished look that still hold up impeccably. The puzzles are all inventory based, which are always fun to figure out. Even the usually tedious staple of trying things on other things is fun here as you'll most often get a unique animation or silly skit.

Gnap doesn't talk so the are no conversations in the game. Those characters that do have a voice aren't performed by trained actors but by members of the development team. You wouldn't really guess at this as there are only a few sentences in the entire game and each one is delivered with character and an over-the-top passion.

It won't be long during your play-through until you come across a platypus trapped in a bear trap. Free him and he will be your lifelong companion, who you can use to solve puzzles in a similar way to Max in the Sam and Max games. He is seemingly invincible too, so don't be afraid to lure him into the jaws of a hungry dog or put him on a literal chopping block.

Also, like Sam and Max, the game is broken up with some arcade sequences. The first is innocent enough. It sees you avoiding obstacles on the road while driving a stolen truck, though it gets a little more sinister when you realise there are some things you have to run over. Later in the game, you'll also have a Mortal Kombat-esque tongue fight in order to obtain some gum. It's every bit as bizarre as that sounds.

Get ready to lock tongues!

The humour is excellent throughout. Since our main character only speaks in brain-swelling telepathic electronica, he has a lot of animations to convey his emotions. It's very much like a silent comedy in the vein of Buster Keaton or Mr. Bean, but a bit more brutal. Perhaps a little too brutal for younger players or those with a certain disposition. If you can handle the exploding pigs on the first screen, though, you'll probably be okay with the two-headed hillbillies and elephanticide that make up some of the rest.

The only negative I can find with this game is that it is very short. It could take you only a couple of hours to complete if you know what you're doing, but I'd rather have an excellent and entertaining short game than a dull and tedious 40-hour epic.

This game is definitely worth checking out. It runs well on Windows 7 (edit: and 10) out of the box, but you may have to tweak your screen resolution to get it in full screen. If you like the comic stylings on Ren & Stimpy, give this one a try. You won't regret it!

* UPDATE: The game is now compatible with ScummVM with some modification. The newest update takes advantage of this.

To download the Windows Native version, follow the link below. This is a custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber. Version 2 will run natively on modern systems but is best run in 640x480 compatibility mode. Alternatively, play using Patch v2 to automatically alter resolution. Tested on Windows 10.

02.07.2015 - Version 2 - Improved installer
03.02.2026 - Patch v2 - Added QRes to automatically change resolution for Version 2
Read the PatchNotes for more information

File Size: 348 Mb. Install Size: 369 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download

To download the ScummVM version, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses ScummVM to allow the game to run on modern PCs. German-language Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

03.02.2026 - Version 3 - Now uses ScummVM 2026.1.0

Fixed ScummVM crash bug for English version

Added German-language PDF manual

Fleshed out ChamberNotes to reflect changes
Version 2 remains that's best played with the new Patch v2

File Size: 459 Mb. Install Size: 551 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download