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Surprisingly Fun, Deserving of Updates

So I really wasn't expecting much with this game. After all, it's a computerized board game which by the creator's own admission was rushed and somewhat incomplete. Despite that, however, this was a solidly good game.

VISUALS (3.5)
The visuals in this game look as though they were done well but done quickly. I think they could have been done better. Characters generally looked good but not great, and the board looked fine but could probably look better too. An animated stormy sea or a better rain graphic perhaps. Basically all it truly lacked was some bells and whistles and a few polished edges. The scenes for the maps would especially benefit from such tender loving. Furthermore not all of the events that occur in the game have scenes to go with them, or just have very very short scenes. That can definitely be improved.

AUDIO (1.0)
This is the only real downside of the game. There was a distinct like of good audio. Sounds were very infrequent and didn't fit perfectly when they did occur. Worse though the only real music in the game was chocobo music. This is a game about a man lost for many years at sea, fighting against outstanding odds to get home, and we are listening to chocobo music. It was a massive juxtaposition and I was very unhappy with it. I also noticed during the scene with the sirens, there was no music. Sirens that drive men mad with the sound of their voice and there was no voice given to these fair maidens. It was an obvious oversight or perhaps a lack of time to get it. So Audio needs a massive overhaul. I do realize this game was rushed. I genuinely hope the creator goes back to this project and fixes this though. It is the only bad part of the game.

GAMEPLAY (4.5)
The game is played on a board game style path across the water which you move your ship over by rolling the dice. They are a number of different kinds of board pieces to land on. Blue ones give you points, red ones take points away, and question marks ask you a trivia question about the book for a chance to earn more points. In addition there is a silly little space that reverses the direction you travel in for the next dice roll. I thought this space was a good touch because it really made it feel like I was lost at sea despite being on a one directional board. The final board piece you can land on is an event space. Whenever you pass over these spaces you stop and watch a scene that acts out the part of the book it portrays. This is what made this game feel like more than just a board game to me. It has been a long time since I read The Odyssey and I found myself remembering the details of the book simply because of the scenes portrayed. The game was further enhanced by the use of collected power-ups. Three types existed. A double panel, a double dice roll, and a triple dice roll. Using the triple dice roll power-up, as an example, lets you roll the dice three times before you move. These can also be bought using points at specific points in the game. It was a great interactive touch. I would have loved to see more interactions of that type. Especially during the scenes it would have been nice to control the character. Maybe even play some mini-games or something to earn points and cause the events to occur. Another option that could have helped to improve the game would have been if there were some different choices in path. They would lead to the same places of course but the risk between two paths could have been different. Overall gameplay was very good for this kind of game.

STORY (-)
I don't really think it is fair for me to give a rating on the story since it is exactly the storyline of The Odyssey. I am not rating the creator of this game on his choice of literature. The one thing I will say is that I thought the addition of story scenes to the game was wonderful and only wished he had time to put more of them in. Every event space should have a scene I think and they probably could use a little cleaning up. Also we don't get to see the story from the very very beginning or what happens once he gets home to Ithaca. I would love a great introductory scene recapping why he was at sea, and an ending scene showing how he defeated the suitors and what not. Otherwise, it was a good job.

Final Thoughts
This may not be a revolutionary terrific game but it is good for what it is and definitely deserves to be improved. There is a gem in here somewhere and possibly a great educational resource if the game told the whole story of the book. I can imagine a day when kids can learn about epic literary adventures by playing through them. Plus the details are likely to stick better in there mind then reading in school.

Posts

Pages: 1
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
Thanks for writing these solid reviews! They might not be getting a lot of comments, but people do appreciate them elsewhere. Keep 'em coming for sure :)
author=Deckiller
Thanks for writing these solid reviews! They might not be getting a lot of comments, but people do appreciate them elsewhere. Keep 'em coming for sure :)


No problem. :) I just want to start reviewing a lot of these games that don't have reviews yet. Every game deserves a score.
Pages: 1