Shivers (video game)



Shivers is a Survival Horror Point and Click computer game published by Sierra On-Line, released in 1995. The story centers around a Featureless Protagonist who is sent on a Test of Courage into Professor Windlenot's Museum of the Strange and Unusual. You soon discover, however, that the museum is haunted by the Ixupi, evil spirits that suck away the life force of those around them. In order to survive the night, you must find the Soul Jars for each spirit and seal each one into its proper container.

The game is heavy on puzzle gameplay, and many of the puzzles are surprisingly difficult. These range from Enter Solution Here to Guide Dang It. There is also an abundance of scary moments.

A sequel, Shivers II, Harvest of Souls, was released in 1997, featuring a ghost town and Native American demons.

Not to be confused with the 1975 David Cronenberg film of the same name.


 * Absent-Minded Professor: Prof. Windlenot.
 * Always Night: justified; as the whole game takes place in one night, and can easily be beat in five-six hours if you know all the solutions.
 * Ancient Tomb: All over the place, especially in the "Tombs and Curses" and "Funeral Rites" exhibits.
 * Apocalyptic Log: Windlenot's tape recorder.
 * Back Tracking: Loads.
 * Blatant Lies: "You can back out at any time." Then they leave you with the gate locked.
 * Bragging Rights Reward: After you beat the game, you get the opportunity to walk through the museum without fear of getting killed by spirits.
 * Closed Circle: You're locked in the grounds to begin with. Taken Up to Eleven once you're inside the museum; you can't even go outside.
 * Creepy Circus Music: in the "Puzzles" exhibit.
 * Creepy Monotone: the voiceovers for the exhibit, as well as the menu sound effects.
 * Critical Existence Failure
 * Curiosity Killed the Cast: Why did you release the Ixupi, Merrick and Beth?
 * Drum Roll, Please: A snare drum beat is the only part of the soundtrack in the "Man's Inhumanity to Man" exhibit.
 * Enter Solution Here: Quite a few puzzles involve hints from around the museum.
 * Fake Band: Trip Cyclone, a major part of the plot of the second game, complete with complete versions of their songs from the game's soundtrack as CD-Audio tracks.
 * Fake Trap: Luckily, the Ixupi are the only things that can hurt you.
 * Featureless Protagonist: although, the few times the player character speaks, it's with a distinctly male voice.
 * Final Girl: Subverted, Beth almost figured out all the puzzles, but was killed before she could solve them.
 * Game Within a Game: Some of the puzzles; one involves you playing a variant of Checkers.
 * Ghost Town: The setting of the Sequel.
 * Giant Eye of Doom: On the cover art.
 * Guide Dang It: The "red door" puzzle is one of the hardest in the game.
 * The "Chinese Checkers" puzzle is exceptionally tedious - you have to do more than thirty very exact moves, and you can't undo if you realize you've messed up, only start over.
 * Haunted Technology: One of the Ixupi hangs around machinery.
 * Hazardous Water: The Ixupi of water is the first to attack you.
 * Hearing Voices: All over the place. In the Theater, you can hear indistinct oratory and applause. In the "Man's Inhumanity to Man" exhibit, there are angry mob yells and distorted screams. The service corridors and the Underground exhibit have screams for help woven into the soundtrack.
 * The Heartless
 * I'm Having Soul Pains: The Ixupi steal your "life essence" when they attack you.
 * Inventory Management Puzzle: You can only carry one item at a time, either an Ixupi jar or a lid. If you find a jar or lid that goes with a corresponding inventory item, you get to combine them, but they are then treated as one item.
 * Jerkass: Your "friends." They lock you in the place, then nonchalantly talk about the kids that disappeared in the museum and how "they never found the bodies." Real funny, guys. Thanks a lot.
 * Leitmotif: a certain theme plays when an Ixupi is near. The theme varies from exhibit to exhibit.
 * Living Shadow: There are some points where a shadow moves along the wall. It has no apparent purpose but to scare the daylights out of you.
 * Man-Eating Plant: It won't hurt you, but it is implied that there is one in the "Amazing Plants" exhibit.
 * Mayincatec: the origin of the Ixupi.
 * Mr. Exposition: If you push the button on the wall in an exhibit, a voiceover will give you an introduction to the exhibit and even give you some related trivia.
 * Museum of the Strange and Unusual: The setting, and the Trope Namer.
 * Musical Trigger: The Ominous Pipe Organ in "The Mysteries of the Deep" exhibit. If you play the right sequence of notes, the way to the  opens.
 * Nothing Is Scarier: This game really makes you feel like you're all alone in the museum... until a spirit pops out of nowhere and steals your soul.
 * Ominous Music Box Tune: The Fortune Teller room.
 * Ominous Pipe Organ: See Musical Trigger.
 * Room Full of Crazy: All of the rooms to some extent, but most notably the Puzzle exhibit, with its Creepy Circus Music and simultaneous crazy laughing and pleading in the background.
 * Recurring Riff
 * Safe Zone Hope Spot: There could be an Ixupi in almost every room, even if it seems safe enough.
 * Scare Chord: Oh yes.
 * Scoring Points: You get points for reading exhibits, examining objects, and sealing away spirits. You lose points every time you get hurt. The points don't do anything.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can
 * Shaggy Search Technique
 * Soul Jar
 * Spinventory
 * Suddenly Harmful Harmless Object: Almost anything could be a hiding place for an Ixupi. Even if it wasn't last time you were in the room.
 * Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: You get dared into spending the night at the museum.