Williams’ success with APX led him to create a number of video games for Synapse Software program, together with the beloved Alley Cat and the incomprehensible fantasy masterpiece Necromancer, earlier than moving to the Amiga, the place he created the experimental Thoughts Walker and his bold “cultural simulation” Knights of the Crystallion.
Necromancer, Williams’ later creation for the Atari 800, performs like a fever dream—you management a druid combating off spiders whereas rising magic bushes and battling an undead wizard. It makes completely no sense by typical requirements, nevertheless it’s sensible in its otherworldliness.
“The primary video games that I did have been very onerous to elucidate to folks and so they simply type of purchased it on religion,” Williams stated in a 1989 interview with YAAM (But One other Amiga Journal), suggesting this unconventional method began early. That willingness to create deeply private, nearly surreal experiences outlined Williams’ work all through his profession.
After a short stint making licensed video games (like Bart’s Nightmare) for the Tremendous Nintendo at Sculptured Software program, he left the trade completely to pursue his calling as a pastor, attending seminary in Chicago along with his spouse Martha, earlier than declining well being compelled him to maneuver to Rockport, Texas. Maybe reflecting on the alternatives that led him down this path, Williams had noted years earlier in that 1989 interview, “Generally on this trade we are inclined to overlook that life is much more fascinating than computer systems.”
Invoice Williams died on Could 28, 1998, simply at some point earlier than his thirty eighth birthday. He died younger, however he outlived his medical doctors’ prediction that he would not attain age 13, and created cultural works that stand the take a look at of time. Like Sam the Salmon, Williams pushed ahead relentlessly—in his case, creating highly effective digital artwork that was uniquely his personal.
In our present period of photorealistic graphics and cinematic sport experiences, Salmon Run‘s blocky pixels may appear quaint. However its core themes—persistence, pure magnificence, and discovering function towards lengthy odds—stay as related as ever. All of us face bears in life—whether or not they come from pure adversity or from those that may search to do us hurt. The great thing about Williams’ sport is in exhibiting us that, regardless of their menacing presence, there’s nonetheless a reward ready upstream for these keen to maintain swimming.
If you wish to strive Salmon Run your self, you possibly can doubtlessly play it in your browser via an emulated Atari 800, hosted on The Web Archive. Press F1 to begin the sport.