by JustTheFacts Sat May 10, 2014 5:58 am
I Am Intrigued****
BASED ON DEMO
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The opening scenes of this game are hilarious. Finally, we have a bunny in an ERS game and he’s so delightful! The other truly new aspect of this game is the convincing display of evil. I have never thought any of ERS’s bad guys have ever felt really bad, but this one sure does!
SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Am I right? This is the first time we’ve seen 3D animation in an ERS game? It is certainly very impressive regardless. Flawless in fact. Eldor is seriously ugly and intimidating. The rest of the art is also of a high standard – another imaginative depiction of a fantasy world filled with strange and compelling characters, bright colours and rich sound. The voices are as good as the rest, no lip synch tried, and none needed. The background music has a hint of previous ERS games, and as I’ve said before, this is not a good thing. Original games, original music. A must have.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Your friend has invited you to have a look at a strange ancient book that seems to be unfinished. On closer examination, the words “We are dying, please say you will help us”. With the quill at your hand, you answer “yes, I will” and soon find yourself in the world of the book.
You discover that this land, Torelion, is in danger because an evil mage has kidnapped the king and will kill him unless the guardians of the king’s treasury give him the Enchanted Crown, an artifact of great power. This bad guy rants about seeking revenge, and the fulfilment of a prophecy.
We of course are the kingdom’s only hope. A not very original story, but when it comes to being caught in books/paintings/mirrors, I can never get enough. And it has this – someone is rewriting the book as we play! And not in a way that is at all helpful to us! I love this twist and can’t wait to see what happens with it.
GAMEPLAY
Again, as you’d expect, but add a serious dollop of humour. There are HOPs of the multiples kind, and silhouettes. I notice that there are no standard interactive word lists yet. The puzzles are few, well with only 2 HOPs (one scene visited twice), there are few of them too! In any case, the gameplay is easy and relaxing, with the choice of 3 difficulty levels and a custom. Many will want to turn off the black bar tips – they are dead giveaways.
There is a map with objectives indicated, and which can be used to teleport. There is also a directional hint, and a notebook. No cute companions except our brave friend Liev, and no special gadgets.
CE BLING!
Now this is interesting. You have, according to the trophy room, 18 coloured paint pots to collect. Plus a palette and brush to earn by achievement. Then there are 9 scrolls, each referring to a different story, one being our current game, with the people of Torelion asking for our help. But there are 8 others... which you only get to see after you’ve gained an achievement. Are they all part of this game?
Well, it appears, however we obtain them, we can then paint each on a canvas with our palette and brush and collection of paints. I’m curious!
There are loads of gallery items: wallpapers x 7, concept art x16 (saveable), movies x 14, screen savers x 8, music x 4, pix of ERS team members x28.
The HOPs (16) and mini-games (15) are replayable.
COMBINED IMPACT
I am, as I’ve said crazy about stories that are actually a set of mini-stories, so I am sure to be biased about this one, but for once, ERS has got me intrigued about their CE content, and I am impressed with that ugly bad guy and the idea of a not-so-nice author indulging in a little gratuitous editing.
I recommend this game!
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