Amerzone: an excellent though compact game

I started Amerzone yesterday morning and finished it just before midnight last night (had a few breaks during the game). Visually, musically and even narratively, I found this game to be one of the most enjoyable I've played. It is short, some say too short, but I even enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to play it over several sittings.

The puzzles and obstacles you have to figure out all fit in with the story and none of them were so outlandish that you can't see the relationship of what you have in inventory versus the task at hand. I also liked the fact that after you finish a chapter, the inventory items not needed going forward are deleted automatically. Many a time I've had to sift through old items that were not going to be used any longer just to get to the correct item. There is wonderfully written WT linked on this site but the game is not too difficult even without the WT. I only had to refer to the WT twice for hints, never for constant referencing.

This is a game produced with high quality not only in the visual and auditory sense, it also played without a single glitch on my Windows 2000 Professional OS. I can't say that about hardly any game these days, even those written for Win2000!

Like my copies of Myst and Riven, I'm going to keep this game. When I want to enjoy a wonderful but quick adventure game, I'll now have Amerzone to re-explore. I really hope that Microid's Siberia carries on the quality level I've experienced in Amerzone. From the looks of the excellent screen shots, it sure seems like they will.

Bruce,

I agree with you about Amerzone. I recently replayed it and it stood up well over time. It is short - but the replay time I spent exploring every inch of the delightful and beautiful game environments.

Thank you for choosing Amerzone to review and I look forward to more of your gaming thoughts.

Laura

Really enjoyed your review Bruce, mostly because I completely agree with you. I loved this game and didn't mind at all that it was short. You need a short game once in a while for diversion and this is a keeper. Keep the reviews coming. Nancy

I've heard many gamers criticize Amerzone in the past, and rank it low on their scale of Good-to-Bad, but I was one who enjoyed it. Not long enough for me, but very nice eye candy. Nice atmospherics, scenery, etc. Maybe if the game had been longer, more people would have responded positively to it.

Thanks Bruce! I think this is a lovely little game about morals, and leaves you with a warm feeling. Wish there were more like it.

Hi Bruce...

I really enjoyed your review. Amerzone is one of my favorites and will always be in my top 5. I'm glad someone finally reviewed this little gem.

Because Amerzone is so easily navigated, it was one my 5 year old grandson could handle. He loves the suckerer and the water giraffes. His favorite parts were using the grapnel and giving the girl all the things he found for the egg.

This is a wonderful game for those that need a fantasy break...

~Dee