Destiny of the Doctors (video game)

Destiny of the Doctors
Main character(s):	The Graak
Featuring:	First Doctor, Second Doctor, Third Doctor, Fourth Doctor, Fifth Doctor, Sixth Doctor, Seventh Doctor
Main enemy:	The Master
Main setting:	Siralos
Key crew
Publisher:	BBC Multimedia
Developer:	BBC Multimedia and Studio Fish
Writer:	Terrance Dicks
Director:	Dave Anderson
Producer:	Dave Anderson
Release details
Platform:	PC
Genre:	action strategy puzzle trivia
Release date:	5 December 1997

You may be looking for the Destiny of the Doctor audio series or the episodic adaptation of this video game.

Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors was a computer game released in 1997 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and some European countries. It featured specially recorded audio by Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, and Nicholas Courtney.

Most importantly, the game featured specifically recorded cut scenes featuring Anthony Ainley reprising his role as the Master. This would be the final time he reprised this role.

Publisher's summary

The Master holds the seven incarnations of the Doctor as prisoners in a vast combat arena.

He must be challenged

You are the challenger — the Graak — an electo-telepathic entity created by the Doctor. Succeed, and the tables are turned on the Master. Fail and the Doctors, and Graak, are removed from space and time forever.

Features:

• real-time VR environment
• Daleks, Cybermen, Sea Devils, Zygons and more...
• City of Thoughts database - 600 entries with text, stills, audio and video
• original video of all seven past BBC Doctors
• specially shot video and new newly recorded audio
• 28 mind-bending quests
• seven action-packed challenges
• up to 20 hours of play

The more you play, the harder it gets!

There are some corners of the universe that have bred the most terrible things. Things that act against everything that we believe in.

They must be fought — and defeated!

Plot

Intro

The Tremas Master is on the planet Siralos, a planet of pure psychic energy. Through the use of the planet's energy he has created the Determinant, a realm under his own control, and initiates plans to bend the Universe to his will. To begin, he summons and imprisons the seven complete incarnations of the Doctor. He recalls each Doctor in reverse order, giving a mocking account of each incarnation. The Doctors create the Graak, a champion to battle the Master on their behalf. Amused, the Master accepts the Doctors' challenge, declaring the destiny of the Doctors to be in the Graak's hands.

The Graak awakens in the console room of the Fourth Doctor's TARDIS. Via telepathic contact from the Fourth Doctor, the Graak learns of his purpose and begins his task.

Freeing the Doctors

The Doctors' levels can be initiated, visited, and completed in different orders, depending upon the actions of the player. Each timeline begins in the console room of the Doctor in question's TARDIS, where the player has chosen to send the Graak via use of the TARDIS console. After the first six times the Graak frees one of the trapped Doctors, he is transported back to the console room to proceed to another level and continue his task. After the final Doctor is freed and the last level is completed, the game ends.

First Doctor

Leaving the console room of the First Doctor's TARDIS, the Graak finds the corridors patrolled by Cybermen.

The Graak returns to the Great Divide, where the Master gives him the task of retrieving the First Doctor's key to the Matrix.

A Dalek, and Graak's energy level counter.

The Graak is transported deep in the TARDIS, where Daleks now patrol the halls. Eventually, the Graak finds the Doctor's key under a sofa. The Graak gives the key to the Master, who thanks Graak, and takes him once more into his domain.

Inside the Determinant, the Master is stacking playing cards. He shows the Graak a small box, which he implies was taken from the Celestial Toymaker, and orders the Graak inside.

Inside the box, the Graak is attacked by Quarks. Eventually the Graak finds and frees the First Doctor.

The Graak is transported back to the Master, who claims to still be toying with the Graak. Telekinetically knocking over his house of cards, the Master threatens the Graak and sends him away.

Second Doctor

The Graak is in the Second Doctor's TARDIS. Yeti patrol the corridors.

The Graak goes to the Great Divide. The Master sends him to fetch the Second Doctor's Stattenheim remote control.

The Graak finds himself deep within the TARDIS. More Yeti patrol the corridors. The Graak makes his way to a room with markings on the floor. He finds that when the markings are stepped on, they make a musical tone, and that he has to activate them in a certain order to receive the Remote. (The correct pattern plays an excerpt of the Doctor Who theme.) After he unlocks the correct code, the Graak finds the remote and returns to the Great Divide. Upon receiving the remote the Master states that it will be the pride of his collection. The Graak enters the Master's Domain.

The Master is sitting behind an Underground ticket booth and makes a ticket for the Graak that reads "NO RETURN." The Graak is transported aboard a twisted version of the London Underground, during which he has to avoid more Yeti, roadblocks, and the Master's train ahead of him. At the end of the Track, the Second Doctor is Freed.

Aboard the Master's train, which is emblazoned with a red "M" emblem and the slogan "we'll never get you there," the Master angrily orders the Graak to go away and threatens to change the rules.

Third Doctor

The Master recalls the Earthbound Doctor

The Graak is in the Third Doctor's TARDIS. The Doctor has informed the Graak that the Third Doctor's TARDIS workshop contains his old radio. With this, the Graak can contact Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

After retrieving the radio, the Graak is contacted by The Brigadier. The Brigadier tells the Graak that he can use the radio to contact UNIT, and that the Doctor has somehow linked the TARDIS' security cameras to the UNIT surveillance System; in this way, the Brigadier can follow the Graak's progress.

The Graak manoeuvres through the TARDIS, with Autons patrolling the corridors. He eventually finds his way to the Great Divide, where the Master appears. The Graak is given the task of stealing the Third Doctor's Metebelis crystal.

The Graak awakens in The TARDIS, with Sontarans patrolling the floor. Manoeuvreing farther into the TARDIS, the Graak eventually finds the Metebelis crystal. He returns to the Great Divide to give the Master the Crystal. The Master thanks the Graak, and asks him to come into his domain, where he is promised great rewards.

The next the Graak sees is the Master behind the controls of a spacecraft. He orders for the countdown to begin, and a Dalek begins counting down from five, ending in "blast off!"

The Graak follows the Master in another craft and manages to shoot it down. After he disables the Master's craft, the Third Doctor is shown to be freed from the Master's trap.

The Master is seen in his cockpit, where alarms are ringing. A Dalek voice can be heard saying "evacuate, evacuate..." The Master calmly looks at the Graak, says "bad move Graak, bad move," and sends him away.

Fourth Doctor

The Graak is attacked by a Raston Warrior Robot in the Doctor's brain.

The Graak finds himself in the fourth Doctor's TARDIS, where he can hear the Fourth Doctor telepathically calling for help. Leaving the console room, the Graak finds the corridors patrolled by Cybermen.

The Graak returns to the Great Divide, where the Master gives him the task of retrieving a mushroom from the Zygons. The Graak makes his way to a Zygon chamber where he finds the Zygons' red mushroom, and makes his way back into the Great Divide.

Inside the Determinant, the Master attempts to hypnotise the Graak into giving up on saving the Doctor. The Graak is teleported inside the Fourth Doctor's brain. The Fourth Doctor attempts to telepathically guide the Grakk toward him.

The decaying Master appears on a wall.

On his way through the Doctor's brain the Graak encounters images of the Master's various incarnations, images of the Doctor himself, and a Raston Warrior Robot. Eventually, The Graak finds and frees the Fourth Doctor.

Fifth Doctor

The Graak is aboard the Fifth Doctor's TARDIS. Silurians patrol the corridors. The Graak returns to the Great Divide. There, the Master tells the Graak to steal one of the Silurians' ancient relics.

The Graak makes his way to a Silurian cave, where he finds a skull; the relic he was sent for. The Graak returns to the Great Divide to give it to the Master.

The Master is dressed as a king at a medieval court. "Let the proceedings commence," he declares, opening a curtain and sending the Graak through.

The Graak finds himself in a joust against a Sontaran. Via his telepathic contact the Fifth Doctor tells Graak of Sontarans, their history, and their one weakness. The Graak defeats the Sontaran, and the Fifth Doctor is freed.

Sixth Doctor

The Graak finds himself in the Sixth Doctor's TARDIS. Ice Warriors patrol the corridors, and the Graak has to avoid them in order to return to the Great Divide.

Once inside the Great Divide, he is informed by the Master that his mission is to steal a Cybermat from the Cybermen.

The cyber Tomb, with a Cybermat patrolling to the right.

The Graak finds himself in a large room, and encounters a large metal wall with a Cyberman emblem on it. Entering, he finds himself in a Cyber-tomb with a Cybermat patrolling it. The Graak takes the Cybermat back to the Master at the Great Divide.

The Master is standing in a room, and is looking out the window where beautiful springtime images appear. The Master states that it's not for him, and decides to turn back the clock, so that everything freezes. The Graak then has to manoevre through a maze of ice, and collect a series of yellow stars. At the end, he finds and frees the Sixth Doctor.

The Graak returns to the Master's room, which is now in a state of disarray with snow all over the place and lightning in the background. The Master tells the Graak that he has incurred his wrath, and will receive no mercy, and sends him away.

Seventh Doctor

The Graak finds himself in the Seventh Doctor's TARDIS. Daleks patrol the corridors.

Graak returns to the Great Divide, where the Master is waiting. He tells the Graak to go after Excalibur, which he calls "the Doctor's most prized possession."

The Graak finds himself by the TARDIS swimming pool. Sea Devils and Silurians patrol the TARDIS, which can be incapacitated with Hexachromite gas.

A Sea Devil.

In a fountain near a cycling rubber ducky, the Graak discovers a trap door underneath which Sea Devils lie. The Graak finds Excalibur in the Sea Devils' tank, and returns to the Great Divide to deliver it to the Master.

The Master drives up to the Graak in a small red car. He laughs and asks Graak, "where's your sense of humour? I look no more ridiculous in this then the Doctor does in his beloved Bessie." He then starts his car and begins driving, taunting the Graak. The Seventh Doctor then asks "is that Bessie I hear?"

The Graak finds himself driving Bessie in a road race against the Master, avoiding the Autons which block the road. The Graak wins the Race, and the Seventh Doctor is freed.

The Master driving the car is revealed to be an Auton duplicate. The genuine Master approaches the car, berating the "incompetent dummy" for losing the race.

Ending

The Graak finds himself in the Great Divide. The Master appears and taunts him, pointing out that the Doctor is not in the Determinant after all. He explains that, despite all of the Graak's work, the Doctors are still within his possession. The Cloister Bell sounds, signalling that the TARDIS is in distress. The Master states that as soon as he exits the Determinant, the TARDIS will self destruct

(When playing this level, if Graak does not begin with at least 740 points of Energy, then he will die before the entire level plays out. However, this does not change the outcome of the game, it just cuts to the last scene.)

The Graak finds himself deep within the TARDIS, where the Sea Devils were earlier, the Cloister Bell continuing to sound. The Graak works his way toward a room with blue diamonds on the floor and, at the top of a ramp, four large square stones. The Graak uses a portion of his life force (the player's energy counter) to activate the light, and the Doctor appears. The Graak continues activating all of the other stones until he has no more remaining life force, sacrificing himself to save the Doctors.

In a black void, the Master is staring off worriedly into the distance. He begins to quickly walk away, but a green light appears and he is transported away.

The Master finds himself trapped in a jail cell. He pleads for the Doctor and the Graak to summon the energies of Siralos and free him, insisting that the entire battle was just meant as a stimulating intellectual challenge and he always played it by the rules. Fearful of what "those monsters" will do to him now they've got him, the Master continues begging for the Doctor's help as he is taken off into the distance by his unidentified captors.

Details

The game was released in a standard computer game box with a single PC CD-ROM disc inside a standard CD case, in set in the centre of the box. The CD case contained a 16 page colour instruction booklet.

Game features

• The City of Thoughts database and the TARDIS database are two of the more notable features of the game, allowing the player to access 600 entries from the BBC archives, including detailed information on many TV stories, monsters and other characters. This includes many video clips of which this was the first release.
• Anthony Ainley recorded video footage as the Master for this game, which would be the final time he reprised the role before his death.
• Most of the action takes place in the Doctor's TARDIS.

Characters

Major characters

• The Graak - David Coker
• Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
• Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker
• Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison
• Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker
• Third Doctor - represented solely by archive video and audio of Jon Pertwee from the TV series
• Second Doctor - represented by archive video and audio of Patrick Troughton from the TV series, and David Coker for original dialogue
• First Doctor - represented by archive video and audio of William Hartnell from the TV series, and David Coker for original dialogue
• The Master - Anthony Ainley
• The Brigadier - Nicholas Courtney

Monsters

All monsters voiced by archive audio from the TV series and/or David Coker.

• Auton
• Cybermen
• Cybermat
• Daleks
• Ice Warriors
• Quarks
• Raston Warrior Robots
• Sea Devils
• Silurians
• Sontarans
• Yeti
• Zygons

Crew

• Writer - Terrance Dicks
• Director - Dave Anderson
• Producer - Dave Anderson
• Developer - BBC Multimedia, Studio Fish
• Publisher - BBC Multimedia

References

• The Autons could have their control signals scrambled by the Doctor's radio.
• The Master has Graak steal a Cybermat, an ancient Silurian artefact, and the Zygons' mushroom.
• The Cloister Bell is heard many times in the TARDIS.

Continuity

• This story features the return of the Autons (TV: Spearhead from Space, TV: Terror of the Autons), the Cybermen, (sounding like the Cybermen from TV: The Tenth Planet and looking like the Cybermen from TV: Attack of the Cybermen), the Cybermats (TV: The Wheel in Space) the Daleks, the Ice Warriors (TV: The Ice Warriors, TV: The Seeds of Death, TV: The Monster of Peladon, TV: The Curse of Peladon), the Quarks (TV: The Dominators), the Raston Warrior Robot (TV: The Five Doctors), the Sea Devils (TV: The Sea Devils, Warriors of the Deep), the Silurians (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians), the Sontarans (TV: The Time Warrior, The Sontaran Experiment, The Invasion of Time, The Two Doctors) the Yeti (TV: The Abominable Snowmen, The Web of Fear) and the Zygons. (TV: Terror of the Zygons)
• The Master sends Graak out for many of the Doctor's items, including a Key to the Matrix (TV: The Ultimate Foe), his Stattenheim remote control (TV: The Two Doctors), his Metebelis crystal (TV: The Green Death, Planet of the Spiders) and Excalibur. (TV: Battlefield)
• The Daleks are vulnerable to Dalekanium grenades. (TV: Day of the Daleks)
• A Raston Warrior Robot appears in the Fourth Doctor's brain. (TV: The Five Doctors)
• The Master tells the Graak to obey him, trying to put him under the trance. This was a common trait of his, especially his thirteenth incarnation. (TV: Terror of the Autons et.al.)

Notes

• The 1997 release date of this game followed the release of the 1996 TV movie Doctor Who starring Paul McGann, set in 1999.
• COMIC: Prisoners of Time would later show the Master in the same Gallifreyan-like-cloak.
• Ian Levine began an unlicensed fan project to expand Destiny of the Doctors into an actual episode of Doctor Who featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, with himself appearing as a Time Lord.
• The Master refers to the "seven complete incarnations of the Doctor". This is generally interpreted to imply that the Seventh Doctor has also regenerated by then. However, there is no mention of the Eighth Doctor. And since  the 1996 TV movie in which the Seventh regenerates features a new incarnation of The Master, this game's events would have to have taken place before the TV movie. The City of Thoughts entry on the Seventh Doctor does fall short of mentioning his regeneration and is written as if to suggest that it has yet to happen. The likely reasons are that work on the game was conceived and begun at least a year before anyone even thought about a Doctor Who revival, let alone a new Doctor. For all intents and purposes at the time, the Seventh Doctor was still the current Doctor. However, the live footage with Anthony Ainley referring to the "seven complete incarnations" may have been filmed within the time frame when it became known (even if not publicly) that the show was getting set for a revival and that a new actor would likely be cast.

Modern availability

Destiny of the Doctors cover

Destiny of the Doctors is currently out-of-print. The game was made for computers running Windows 95; due to changes in Windows operating systems over the years, the video segments of Destiny of the Doctors are not likely to function under modern Windows systems (though some degree of success might be found by modern Windows users.) There has been no indication of any plans to release the game in an updated edition, or port it to non-Windows-95 systems. Both developers involved in the game's production, BBC Multimedia and Studio Fish, have since shut down, decreasing the likelihood of any rereleases.

The video footage of Anthony Ainley as the Master recorded for this game was preserved, and it was released as a bonus feature on the DVD release of Survival. An outtake from the recording sessions was appended to the DVD release of The Keeper of Traken in tribute to Ainley; technically an Easter egg, it is not listed in the menus but is instead viewed by allowing part four to play past the closing credits.

External links

• Destiny of the Doctors at the Internet Movie Database