|
Publisher: Viva Media
Developer: Daedalic Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP SP2/Vista; 2 GHz CPU or better; 256MB graphics card; 1 GB of RAM; DirectX 9.0c
Genre: Adventure
Release date: Available now
Having just played The Whispered World, I have one thing to say: It’s about time! It’s been ages since I’ve played a classic point-and-click adventure like this. I grew up on this type of game, and if nothing else, it has a lot of nostalgic value to me for that reason alone. The Whispered World takes place in Silentia, where you take control of 12-year-old Sadwick the sad clown as he attempts to find an explanation for his recurring nightmares. In his dreams, he is chased by a mysterious blue orb as the world around him collapses. His worst fears are confirmed when he consults Shana, the old wise woman. Not only does she prophesy the end of the world, but that Sadwick is the cause of it.
Poor Sadwick just can’t catch a break. His older brother, Ben, who is in charge of the three-man traveling circus, thinks Sadwick is useless, and his uncle is senile, always mistaking Sadwick for Ben. Not to mention the old man’s idea of cooking (in Sadwick’s words: “Petroleum soup. Inflammatory to the stomach, flammable in general, and a hazard for low-flying birds.”). And yes, you do eventually find a use for the petroleum soup. Even Sadwick himself is accustomed to being a failure; he is genuinely surprised several times when he manages to do something useful. His only real friend is Spot, his pet caterpillar. Spot can take five different forms, which are unlocked as you progress through the story. Each of his five forms are required in different situations during the game.
 The Whispered World’s story encompasses four acts that should take most gamers about 25 hours to complete. All the artwork is hand-drawn and animated; the game features a 2D scrolling viewport with parallax layers to give an illusion of depth. The game can be played exclusively with the mouse; simply click to move somewhere, or hold down the left mouse button on one of the objects you can interact with and choose one of three icons representing “look,” “talk” or “use/pick up.” Inventory can be accessed with a simple right-click; you can pick up an item and drag it out of inventory to use it somewhere in the game world, or drag it on top of another item to combine them. You can hold down the space bar to highlight items with which you can interact. Spot’s various forms can be accessed by moving the mouse to the upper-right corner of the screen and clicking on an icon. So, the learning curve for this game is practically non-existent.
Before I get to the bad stuff, I’ve got to say this: the graphics make this one of the most beautiful adventure games I’ve ever seen. The subdued soundtrack is generally excellent and unobtrusive, and whoever translated the game from German into English did a phenomenal job. The story is superbly written and genuinely touching; I’m probably going to lose a few man-points here, but I confess to getting misty-eyed once or twice.
 I have a few complaints about The Whispered World, and one of them is common to all adventures: a lack of replayability. You do the same thing on each playthrough (some of the puzzles are randomized, but what it’s supposed to look like when you’re done is always the same), and there’s only one possible ending, which removes any real incentive to play again. The dialogue can be excessive; I found myself clicking through some of it as fast as I could read it. And some of the puzzles are rather implausible. For example, in one scene you need to grab a pair of pantaloons off a rooftop. “Hey! I have a ladder! I can use that!” No, you can’t. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just tell you that the solution involves a sock and a mouse. To some extent I can excuse the implausibility, since it turns out that Sadwick’s world is, literally, a dream world.
The Whispered World is one of the best adventure games I’ve played in a long time (which isn’t a major achievement, since it’s the only adventure game I’ve played in a long time; the pickings in this genre have been rather slim for years). The hand-drawn scenery and characters are beautifully rendered, and the love that went into the artwork is obvious. The writing is absolutely splendid, though the voice acting is sometimes erratic. If you’re looking for an adventure designed in the classic tradition, this is a must-have for your collection. Even if you’re not, it’s still worth playing.
Our Score: 
Our Recommendation: 
|
You made me want to buy it. That is until the moment when you said “To avoid spoilers” in one sentence, and then “it turns out that Sadwick’s world is, literally, a dream world” in the next one. =(
I just played the demo, and I kinda like it except for one thing. The voice of Sadwick is _HORRENDOUS_! It doesn’t sound like a boy at all. It sounds like someone with very little voice acting ability is trying to talk like a boy. It fact it sounds a lot like Cartman from SouthPark, only more whiny. Haven’t they ever heard a child speak?!
I do wonder about that, Alaric. You’re not the first to notice the voice acting. I wonder if the other releases have the same problem? (It came out in Germany a year ago, so probably had different actors.)
So, Avault:
The recommendation is to “Play It!” OK. But your recommendation system makes no sense. How am I supposed to “Play It!” if I don’t “Buy It!?” I am more than open to explanation. Because I can’t wait to learn where I can “Play It!” yet not “Buy It!” And spare me a response that refers me to a demo. Your recommendation is regarding the full game, not the demo. If the recommendation was to “Try It!” then a referral to a demo would make sense. How in the world do I play a game without buying it, Avault?
Katherine
Here’s the official line: There’s lots to like about these games, but there’s enough wrong with them that you’ll probably be better off renting them. If there’s a demo available, try it first before you buy. From About Our Scores: http://www.avault.com/announcements/scores/
But I think you make an excellent point. I think we should establish a relationship with a download site to link to demos. Thanks for the honest feedback.
I think this system is great for console games, which one can rent. PC games, on the other hand, are not rentable, so maybe some other system for them?
We’re looking into perhaps adapting the rating system to be more “PC friendly”, but the system was set up to accomodate those titles that while “good” games are either not “great” or worth paying full price for. These titles might best be acquired by borrowing from a friend, waiting til they go on sale or into the bargain bin, or through a “rental” system like OnLive.
Post a Comment