Blackwell Epiphany
Wadjet
Eye
Over the course of the four
previous games, we have come to know Rosa and Joey, the odd couple
investigators of the not so normal. By switching between the two at
will, and using the different abilities of a ghost and a psychic, we
have helped many a poor soul cross over into the next realm, and helped
resolve a few normal world mysteries along the way. Staying tried and
true to its point and click roots, and its pixelly old world look and
feel, each game, and the series as a whole, has been a satisfying dose
of what makes adventure gaming good.
The fifth and final instalment
is no exception.
1. a sudden, intuitive
perception or insight
We start mundanely enough,
outside in the cold at night with a fifth cup of coffee, and soon to
have a reason to be inside. A soul needs helping, and we kick into
gear. We have been here before and we know what to do. Except when it
gets literally torn apart, and helping ghosts move on becomes a whole
lot darker.
Epiphany works as a standalone
game, but there are answers and threads that require an involvement in
the series to appreciate. It does a good job of tying things up,
including some big things, and the end is unexpected but in retrospect
perhaps not surprising. What you think of it will be a matter of taste,
flavoured perhaps by whether or not you have played the earlier games.
Dave Gilbert does write a good
game, which is a whole lot harder (I suspect) than writing good
dialogues or reviews. The details, the trappings and the nuances are as
important as the plots and the big pictures. Kudos to him for Joey and
Rosa.
Kudos as well to Ben Chandler
for the background art. The pixellness can’t hide the style inherent in
the game world, and it’s every bit as impressive as a more mainstream
product.
2. an appearance or
manifestation, especially of a deity
Epiphany does bog down a little
bit after the middle, but generally moves along nicely. It isn’t a hard
game, and can be assisted by having Rosa or Joey cogitate on what their
next move might be. This assists the pace, and the story telling, to
flow rather than lurch.
The puzzling is embedded in the
game and is generally intuitive and down to earth (taking into account
the context). Information can be utilised as much as objects, giving it
the detective feel that an investigation needs. It isn’t perfect, but
it does an admirable job.
The mechanics remain as they are
in the earlier games. While walking through locked doors is good for
exploring, not being able to interact with things (expect for a gentle
puff of breath) means Joey can pass on information but Rosa will still
have to find a key if she is going to join him on the other side of the
door. How you get them to work together is one of the many things that
adds to the Blackwell experience.
It’s a good final instalment and
not everything is. It was probably right to end as well, and not
everything knows when that should happen, or has the courage to do so
(think of way too many TV series you can name and even a gaming
franchise or two). Wadjet Eye has come a long way in not even 10 years,
and on the strength of this will go a lot further yet.
Grade: A-
I played on:
OS: Windows 7
Processor: Intel i7-3820 4GHz
RAM: 12GB Ripjaw DDR3 2133 Mhz
Video card: AMD Radeon
HD 7800 2048MB
GameBoomers Review Guidelines
June 2014
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