Details
- Released December 1, 2017
- Purchased: July 1, 2021
- Discounted at purchase? Yes, 70% off
- Bingo Category: “A solo-dev project”
- Time played: 2.4hrs
Why this game?
I’m not actually that sure this is a “solo-dev project.” Some quick Googling made it seem that it may have started as one. However, looking into it a little more, I get the feeling there is/was a small team who made this game. Oops. Oh well, it was still in the backlog. Still played it.
Review
I grew up in the 90s playing or watching my older cousins play point and click adventure games. Day of the Tentacle. Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist. Sam and Max Hit the Road, which is definitely a classic. Even some Leisure Suit Larry, even though I was probably too young! Plus other Sierra adventure games.
So when I saw Odysseus Kosmos some years back, I got hit with that nostalgia bomb. It’s not like I haven’t played any adventures games since then. I’ve played pretty much all the Monkey Island games, including more recent ones. And some of the Tell Tale Sam and Max entries. But these somewhat recent games didn’t have that aesthetic from the 90s. They’re all 3D. On the flipside, Odysseus Kosmos seem to have it that 90s look in spades. Just look at it!
I played nearly 2.5hrs. This included the “pilot episode,” which is basically a demo. I’m only in episode 1 of 5. So, as usual, not terribly far. But one of the things I liked right off the bat are the puzzles. Namely that they’re relatively straightforward. For example, in the screenshot above, there’s an intercom speaker in the top left. When I clicked on it, I was informed a screwdriver was also stuck on it, which you can’t really see. No clue how it got there. But I know I needed it. On the computer terminal on the desk, I noticed there was a volume control for the intercom. Oh! What if I turn the volume all the way up and use the intercom? It should send some serious vibrations, maybe enough to shake the screwdriver loose. Gave it a try and it worked!
I’ve played some other point and clicks where the solutions were just too esoteric. To me, the biggest offender of that is Grim Fandango. By the end, I had to use a walkthrough to finish the game. The item combos and what they should be used on made no sense. Without a guide, I would’ve never figured out some of those. Unless I was just randomly clicking and trying each and every combo out. It wasn’t fun.
Now being in the beginning of the game, hard to say if this will hold true. I’m sure it gets harder. But hopefully not too much.
One of downsides, which I should’ve expected, is the dialog. P&C adventure games often have a lot of dialog. Corny and slapstick-y. But I feel like here the game is trying just a bit too hard. Obviously not all dialog will be LOL funny. But a lot of it here I’m just like, “OK, just stop talking, I need to figure out this puzzle.
Verdict
I think I’ll come back to this game. It’s not a game I’ll necessarily play through in long sittings. Though I could absolutely see myself playing for an hour or so, then coming back to it a few days later. It seems like a solid, modern adventure game.
And for as cheap as it was—think I paid $4.99 for it—it’s basically a steal. If the goal is $1/hr, one could easily get at least 10hrs out of it. Especially since there are five episodes total.