Dr. Chase - A trio of new throwback video games about an Ann Arbor legend
One of the most interesting characters in all of Ann Arbor history was Dr. Alvin Wood Chase. Originally from New York State, Chase came to Ann Arbor in 1856 to study at the medical school, but his lack of knowledge of Latin or science kept him out of the University of Michigan. Instead, he got a degree in "eclectic medicine", a 19th-century form of healthcare that dealt with botanical remedies and alternative medical practices.
He became a great collector of these remedies from around the country, printing them in his book Dr. Chase's Recipes, a book so ubiquitous that it was second in sales only to the Bible in the U.S. He extended his success by establishing his own printing house in Ann Arbor (Dr. Chase's Steam Printing Plant), first to print his own book, and then a local newspaper, and then most of the handbills, posters, and pamphlets in town.
Yet somehow this success wasn't enough for him and, fearing his health was failing, he sold everything--even the rights to his own name and the copyright to his book--to another wealthy Ann Arborite, Rice Beal, and moved away. As Rice Beal became even richer reprinting Chase's recipe book, Chase's health did not decline but his fortunes did. He attempted to re-establish himself in Ann Arbor by publishing a new edition and was promptly sued out of business. He spent the end of his life selling remedies by mail, struggling for success despite being the author of one of the country's most popular reference works.
So what do you do with an unusual character and a story like that? Well, if you are us, you make some fun video games out of it! We approached three local video game developers to try their hand at turning Dr. Chase into the video game hero he was clearly always meant to be (if natural remedies and printing plants don't scream video game adventure, we don't know what does).
You can learn more about Dr. Chase's life, read either (or both!) his Enlarged Second Edition of Dr. Chase's Recipes or his Third, Last, and Complete Receipt Book, or just jump right in and play our collection of games based on him below!
Dr. Chase's Adventure
Dr. Chase's Mean Steam Machine
Dr. Chase's Mean Steam Machine is a throwback arcade puzzle game inspired by the style of the Game Boy Color. Sort and bind chapters of esoteric knowledge to educate the public (and turn a profit)!
Steven Zavala is an indie game dev and app developer currently residing in Ferndale Michigan with his wife Sarah and their dog and cat, Bella and Chelsea.
Chasing Glory
Chasing Glory is a narrative puzzle Game Boy game. Play through Doctor Chase's final days, selling recipes by mail as he desperately tries to rebuild his business
Lily Valeen is an independent game developer and creator of BOSSGAME: The Final Boss is My Heart. She lives in Ann Arbor with her wife Emma.
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Miscellaneous
Ann Arbor 200