The Collection Chamber: QUEENSRŸCHE'S PROMISED LAND

"At the touch of a button you're miles away..."

Welcome to the mystical, provocative and humorous game that explores the minds and emotions of the multi-platinum band Queensrÿche. This two-disc set features over 70 beautiful and diverse areas; over 100 minutes of video; and a haunting, ambient soundtrack.

"Promised Land" is set on small island in the Pacific Northwest where the line between fantasy and reality is constantly shifting. On the island, there are five fascinating worlds in which you can do such things as explore a brain, sail upon a sparkling ocean, become a guest on a talk show, save the world from asteroids or even abort a nuclear meltdown and much more. These worlds are complex, intricate illusions that reflect the thoughts, dreams, nightmares, humor and values of the members of Queensryche.

During the opening animation for the game, you see the flying Queensrÿche Tri-ryche totem pole scatter its five pieces over the game's island and then crash into the darkness of the forest. You must find the five pieces of the totem pole to win the game. When you immerse yourself in "Promised Land's" three-dimensional puzzles, games and thought-provoking ecological challenges and find the totem pieces, you will be treated to a new Queensryche song the band recorded solely for this CD-ROM.

Enter "Promised Land". You may never wish to leave..

Two-Disc Set:
"Big Log" features 23 mini-documentaries and three full-length videos for the songs "I Am I," "Bridge" and "Disconnected".
"Promised Land" - The Game Disc.

~ from the back of the box

Few bands of the late 20th century blurred the line between concept and execution like Queensrÿche, Seattle's progressive metal outfit whose textured narratives and expansive soundscapes elevated heavy music to intellectual terrain. Rising to prominence in 1998 with Operation: Mindcrime and extending their art-rock ambitions through Promised Land in 1994, they were well positioned to experiment beyond music CDs into interactive CD-ROMs. This resulted in Queensrÿche's Promised Land, a surreal adventure fused with the band's music, personality, and mystique.

The game emerged directly from the shadow of the band's 1994 Promised Land album, transforming its themes of existential searching and psychological landscapes into an interactive experience. Packaged as a two CD-ROM set, the first disc is the main adventure that is heavily inspired by Myst. It's an exploratory puzzle game across five themed worlds based on each band member. The second disc threatens to be be your usual multimedia encyclopedia about the making of the album, but Big Log is more than just a documentary. It's also a fully interactive tour of the titular cabin where the band created and recorded the album, albeit altered and modified to suit the pre-rendered graphical interface. It's a good split, and one that made me want to spend a lot of time in each.

Chris DeGarmo's Lighthouse world (left) and Michael Wilton's Obelisk (right).

Gameplay revolves around the Tri‑Rÿche totem, the album's cover art that features the bands distinctive logo. It has been shattered into five pieces and one has been hidden within each of the five worlds. You, the player, must locate every piece while avoiding disasters that could destroy the Promised Land for good. While not always necessary to complete the game, disasters add some much needed tension. Each world has a trigger that initiates an event that leads to a timed challenge. Solve that challenge and you will avert catastrophe.

You begin the game in the middle of the Forest World, a lush jungle that acts as a hub world to the 5 distinct areas. Chris DeGarmo's world revolved around a towering lighthouse. Being one of the less complex world, it makes for the perfect place to go to first. His totem piece is easy enough to find, but even if it is optional, the disaster is what you're here for. If you enter the building from the back door, you can reach the spiral staircase where a large switch teases you near its base. Flip it, and all power will be turned off, meaning incoming airplanes are flying blind. Find the correct code and enter it to turn it back on. If you're observant, you will likely have seen the code before you get there, but it's by no means a given. The 15-minute time limit is very generous and more than enough even if you still need to search for it. Not only that, but it hints at DeGarmo's interest in aircraft further tying it all to the band.

Geoff Tate's spooky Boat (left) and Eddie Jackson's fanciful Guitar land (right).

From here on, it all gets very trippy. Michael Wilton's domain is an imposing, multi‑layered obelisk where another tantalising switch tips a satellite off its axis. The totem is a little harder to find here, but still not much of a challenge yet the lure of a red‑lit tunnel will easily distract you. Inside is a labyrinth of bizarre imagery and puzzles that include an ice cavern and hell itself. The puzzles aren't always the most obvious to solve, either but its design or implementation, but without a fail state beyond the generous time limit, most can be completed through trial and error.

One-time lead singer of Queensrÿche, Geoff Tate's world revolves around a boat and the surrounding sea. While it's easy to stumble upon the galleon's mist-filled location, it's not exactly easy to figure out where to go from here. Thankfully, the Forest will provide. It you search hard enough, you can encounter each band members at a hidden locations who will offer valuable clues for advancing through the game. Some simply appear through exploration, while others are found by following birds or peering in rock pools. They're all surprisingly game, with little in the way of stiff dialogue or nervous line readings.

Scott Rockenfield's sky-islands referred to as The Floating One (left).
Explore the Forest World to find skits and clues hosted by one of the band members (right).

Most game of all is bass guitarist Eddie Jackson. Funnily enough, his world is giant guitar. The game is getting a little harder now, as before you can do anything you must first find the train ticket that will take you from the bridge to the head via the strings. Once you do, you'' uncover a labyrinthine metro‑styled environment with interconnected areas such as a Museum, Talk Show, Sports Bar, and more. I won't give away where the totem piece is, but be aware that it won't be hiding in plain sight. Even the disaster - easily triggered via a big button in the subway car - involves quite a lot of puzzle solving that previous lands. The real fun of this land, however, is Eddie's many characters. From cross-dressing as a disinterested secretary to ramping it up as a talk show host, his segments are by far the most humorous and surreal of them all.

The last world belongs to drummer Scott Rockenfield. His land consists of a bunch of floating islands which can be accessed via a viewer. These islands range from lush fantasy worlds where trees have faces and pianos reside under a lake to punky cityscapes where you can get tattoos. Perhaps the most obtuse area of them all, it still manages to feature some of the more distinctive locales in the game, even if you may only visit them for a screen or two.

You cannot access the Big Log cabin from the Forest world (left).

But you can launch a separate program from Disc 2 to visit it (right).

These worlds are not the only places found in the overworld. This forest also contains a representation of Big Log - the actual cabin located in a remote area on the San Juan Islands where Queensrÿche recorded Promised Land - which bizarrely remains inaccessible within the adventure. Instead, it's part of the separate Big Log program on disc two. It's obvious that this wasn't always to be the case; signs and notes pop up in a manner that could easily have read "Insert Disc Two" but instead say "Recording Session in Progress" before telling you to play from Disc 2 if you want to visit.

The inclusion of Big Log and the album's exclusive bonus track Two Mile High (accessible when the game is beaten) makes for a rewarding experience for fans, though I doubt every one else will get feel the same. It teeters on the brink of being a mere curiosity, with unclear navigation, many long and unnecessary detours, and obscure puzzle solutions only apparent after trial and error. So, Queensrÿche's Promised Land may not have aged like a classic adventure, but its artistic ambition and dedication to band lore makes it a uniquely compelling playthrough. Part Myst‑like puzzle adventure, part band biography, part visual album, it's the kind of fever dream that multimedia CD-ROMs were made for.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox running Microsoft Windows 3.1 to get the game working on modern systems. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 857 Mb. Install Size: 1.26 Gb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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THE PROMISED LAND

THE BIG LOG

THE PROMISED LAND