"Gemini Rue" Review

Publisher:  Wadjet Eye Games

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  On a gang-run planet, a weary assassin-turned-cop searches for information.  Elsewhere, an amnesiac prisoner tries to escape a mysterious facility where graduation means a new personality.

Gameplay:  Pretty much all interaction uses right-clicking, which lets you look or touch or kick and also opens the inventory.  I wish that had been split up a bit, maybe by setting looking aside as its own action or offering a separate way to open the inventory.  Unless I missed something, there wasn't any way to look at an inventory item without interacting with something else, which was a little irritating.

The puzzles generally don't stand out as bad or good, although I did get a bit tired of combination puzzles.  There were also several times in the game when it wasn't that obvious what to do next.  The game also features actual action-sequence gunplay, which felt well-integrated and varied but not too complex.  I liked it and felt like there was just enough of it.

Style:  Graphically, the game looks fairly rough, which must be a stylistic choice, since it came out in 2011.  I suppose it works to give the setting a run-down and serious air, but it can be jarring when coming from an adventure game with brighter and clearer graphics.  It also makes some of the puzzle elements harder to spot.

Story:  When it comes to "Blade Runner"-esque adventure games with action shooter elements, it's hard to top the amazing actual "Blade Runner" game by Westwood Studios.  And this doesn't!  But it does have an excellent story of its own with some good twists (as you might imagine with mindwiping in play as a plot element.)

I'm usually pretty good about picking up background understanding about a setting, but this was one of the few games where I wanted more establishing information.  I still got the general gist of things, and that's all that's needed, but I would have liked a way to read up and clarify more.

Also, and I know this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but a solar system is not a galaxy!  It's just that the mistake is consistent throughout the game, so by the fourth or fifth mention I got twitchy about it.

There are several instances where the dialogue gets overly philosophical and tells what's already been more subtly shown, especially near the end.  And while I was impressed in the beginning at having such a large area of city available to explore, at the end my suspension of disbelief was shattered as everybody on the planet possibly needing contact lived within a two-block radius.

Of the two plot threads, I preferred exploring the rainy streets of a downtrodden city to navigating the sterile facility, but I appreciate the ability to switch between the two (and they converge nicely in the end.)  I do wish there were more options, though that's a purely personal preference.  It just seemed like there were several moments in the game where a player choice could have been integrated.

Conclusion:  Although it has its quirks and weaknesses, "Gemini Rue" is overall a good adventure game with an interesting story.  I had fun!

"Dreamfall: Chapters" Review

Publisher:  Red Thread Games

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  In the cyberpunk future, Zoe Castillo awakens from a coma, but has no memory of the traumatic events that caused it.  As she tries to make a life for herself, she is haunted by this.  Does she really want to remember?  And how does all of this tie into the popular Dreammachines?

Meanwhile, in another world, Kian Alvane finds himself considered a traitor to his people.  He is enlisted in aiding the rebels against them and in helping the oppressed magical peoples of Marcuria.  Will this be his redemption?

Gameplay:  The puzzles are fairly simple and involve finding things and occasionally combining them.  Sometimes there are timed events.  I enjoyed them, overall.  More enjoyable were the numerous choices in the game, several of which influence later story elements, although the general story does not change drastically.  Still, there is enough difference to make another playthrough a distinct experience, and that is appreciated.

Movement sometimes seems sluggish, especially without a run/walk toggle.  I really, really miss the ability to save on command, although the game does autosave frequently.

Style:  The graphics are pleasing.  I really love being able to explore the the cyberpunk and magical cityscapes, especially when I can compare locations that appeared in previous games.  I also love how the title screen changes for each chapter.  Overall, however, the interface doesn't stand out.

Story:  My summary looks complicated as it is, and I'm not sure it even starts to cover this game.  I can't imagine how "Dreamfall:  Chapters" plays to somehow whose first experience with this universe starts with this game.  It's very much a continuation of "Dreamfall" (so much so I could argue they are two halves of one long game) and that game is very much a sequel to "The Longest Journey."  Although there are some unanswered questions and some plot threads that I felt could have used more or less time, overall I feel this game ably wraps up this saga.

Personally, I found Zoe's tale more interesting than Kian's, but there's probably a bit more of his here (which is only fair, I suppose, given he had a lot less to do in "Dreamfall.")  But more interesting than either of those was the tale of Saga, told in interludes between the chapters.  But in everything there are memorable moments and characters and sorrow and laughter.  It's a worthy journey and I'm glad to have had it.

Five Worst Game Endings

Endings are hard.  To wrap up all the plot threads neatly so stories end satisfactorily, or to leave a few hanging just so for future possibilities, and to do it all conveying whatever sense of accomplishment or poignancy needed is a difficult task.  Some games have done it excellently.  But today I'm going to talk about the games that really, really blew the landing.

These are the worst endings I could think of from games I have personally finished.  I am judging based upon the endings themselves, the final scenes.  The endgames, the player's final actions leading up to the ending, are a different matter (and perhaps a list for another day.)  Although obviously the endgame and ending influence each other, it is possible to have a great endgame and horrible ending and vice versa.

Many of these endings are somewhat ameliorated by sequels that provide the answers or hope that the previous games' endings lacked.  And while I'm thankful for that, that shouldn't be an excuse for a poor ending (especially when it can be unknown years until a sequel appears.)

Another commonality is depressing endings.  While I generally prefer happy endings, I'm not opposed to a sad or melancholy ending in principle.  But in these endings, the sadness is unexpected, unlike what has come before, and a poor match for the game.  The end of the game is not the time for a sudden twist in tone.