Similar Mountains

After visiting Mystery Falls in one of my last reviews (CLICK HERE), now it's time to play Similar Mountains, that despite the name it's a sort of sequel of the other game.
Like that one and Deadly Woods, this is a short adventure game set in a mysterious small town of America, but unlike the other two games we do not play as a FBI agent looking for a missing person or a murderer, but a normal guy (Bob) whose girlfriend disappeared some days ago.

But there are also many other differences with Mystery Falls and Deadly Woods: first is the isometric view and the particular style of the charsets that (are custom of course, and) resemble those of the old adventure games like Maniac Mansion (the chapter that is linked to the Mansion is an obvious homage to that game! Also one of the quest givers is identical to Syd), Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders or Leisure Suit Larry... and yeah, I said Larry because these were adventures for adults, and this is no different! Unlike the two other games, Similar Mountains has several adult scenes and moments (even if it's all on the pixelated level, nothing more!).


No way! You are Yoshikage Kira! Everyone knows this!

For the most part the game plays like Mystery Falls: go around, talk to people and solve quests! The town is little but luckily this time we have a map, even if sadly it cannot be bought or taken but you have to find it inside some houses and check it to know where are you and where you are supposed to go. But it is not too bad since the town is rather small and there is even a fortune teller that can help giving direction if you are stuck!

The game also differentiates itself from Mystery Falls with the presence of side quest that will actually change the ending, depending if you complete them or not. The previous game had only two endings that depended from a last minute choice, here there is still an importal choice to make before the final chapter, but from what I noticed there are probably four or more edings (first I got Bad Ending C, then Good Ending B... and I liked them both!)
But these optional quest are actually useful because they will awars some bonuses like free healing items, the Pele' shoes that let you run (and that's extremely useful, since Bob, unlike the agents of the two other games, has no car!) or the access to some hidden or special locations (that are also useful to unlock and solve other quests! So exploration is clearly rewarded).
Oh, and like in the other games you can also play the arcade and even pool, but the most interesting quest is the one where you have to convince a man not to suicide himself through the right dialogue choices (it's simple because the scene changes, so after some tries I guess you will find the right path!).


Look we have here! Agent David Parker is back from Mystery Falls... did you play that game?

Ok, I mentioned healing items before, but this game has no combat encounters in the usual jrpg sense, so how this works? Well first there are some places where enemies (both humans and monsters) and some objects (like spiky traps or landmines) can damage you, so they have to be avoided and that's all! Later, you will acquire a gun (like in Mystery Falls) so get ready for some shooting during the final parts of the game. Unlike in Mystery Falls the traffic cannot damage you (luckily!) but like in Mystery Falls you can heal for free interacting with the vending machines. Anyway be ready to stock some consumables because you will need them during the final parts of the game!

Now, what I did not like? The game is pretty good and a serious improvement over the previous Mystery Falls. I had a lot of fun with it even if I am pretty sure I did not explore every corner... for example: how do the boat/submarine quest works? I don't know! Also I didn't know how I won the racing minigame since I was so bad! Finally there are some small errors like typos and untranslated text. Finally there are some occasions where the game is harsh towards he player, for example it can be possible to be cornered by some enemy and have no way to escape... so it's Game Over! Other puzzles/tasks are also just a matter of luck (like the birds one), anyway this is something that fits the mood of the game.

What I instead loved of the game were exactly the mood, the distinct graphic style and the weirdness. Expect to meet Enrico Pucci (near the church, of course, he was a priest!) and other characters from Jojo, references to the X-Files, Twin Peaks, Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid. There is also a barber and a clothing shop to change Bob's appearance (temporarily) and a lot of funny easter eggs like the shop with the unlockable action figures (some from other games, like Mystery Falls or FF7 Before Crisis).


Thanks a lot! Let's kiss, and nevermind if the sweet girlfriend is away/kidnapped/lost or worse!

The Final Verdict
Similar Mountain is a nice addition to the series and it's probably a good idea playing Mystery Falls before this one (the presence of Agent David Parker is an important reason to do that!). I did not mind the adult scenes since in most cases are linked to humorous moments and situations, and they provide a contrast to the general mood of mystery and gloom of other scenes.
The game has a lot of variety compared to Mystery Falls for what concerns quests and minigames (but it is still smaller than Deadly Woods), it's bizarre but entertaining and pushes the player to play and reach the end. There is just one thing I absolutely hated about the game: Bob's friends!
Yeah, these friends appears often from nowhere providing useless dialogues and casually follow the protagonist, sometimes blocking the way and in the end they are a real nuisance. They can also have a bad ending, but since they are less simpathetic than most quest givers, I did not mind that at all! I'd have preferred if they were listed as "party members" uttering a word of two during the quests to comment the situations, or maybe having a supporting role like Agent David Parker. But no, they are totally annoying (and never do or say anything remotely useful).

Ok, but despite this and other little flaws, there is a lot of improvement and I ended liking this game more than the previous one.
The truth is out there!!!!