Before we analyze, let's have a bit of context. You play as the explorer and spelunker Pennsylvania Smith...
...*disgruntled groan*...
And you steal artifacts from museums and put them back in ancient ruins where they belong...*mumbles*
Alright, well other than...that...I liked almost everything about this game. Allow me to elaborate:
At first, the game starts out feeling a lot like Trilby: Art of Theft, the game made by the great internet cynic Yahtzee Croshaw. You work your way around security cameras, patrolling guards, and police dogs to activate switches, steal expensive stuff, and progress through the levels.
Unlike Art of Theft, this game is also a platformer. That's an interesting combination: platforming stealth game. This intermingling of genres is something I'd like to see more of. Sure, there are only so many ways to do this before the Cooking Mama RPG graces us, but still...I will say, though, there's no way to take out a guard or two in this game like there is in Art of Theft. Sure, that might not have fit in with the game's mechanics, but I found myself wondering why a man capable of jumping three times his own height is somehow not fit enough to take down a cop with a flashlight at close range. Oh well...
The second half of the game ditches the whole stealth aspect and just becomes Castlevania. Mmkay. I can deal with that. I'm down. Let's see what you got, game.
From then on, the game becomes an only minorly frustrating platformer with an actual storyline to keep you motivated. It was actually very well paced. It all lead up to a tense escape scene with the final boss, which was immensely satisfying...right up until the very end.
*minor spoiler warning*
The final boss, in the very last screen of the game, is standing right on the edge of a cliff leading into a lava pit. There is a hook positioned just right for you to be able to tarzan swing and kick him to his death, which would have been hugely satisfying. Unfortunately, you just walk right past him and win the game...*Sigh*
oh well. The game did have some missed opportunities, and there were some frustratingly designed aspects (like the evil suits of armor that kill me every time or the velociraptors that jump out of the bushes and give you about 0.0000001 seconds of reaction time before they send you back to the checkpoint).
There's lots more I want to talk about, but this post is getting a bit too long already. I guess I can say that the game's best qualities are its conveyance, sense of flow, and art direction (even though I hate pixel art as a concept in the modern world, this was done pretty dang well). all in all, this game is very competently designed and was one of the more enjoyable DigiPen experiences. Good work, guys.
That's all I got for now. Until next time, stay swingin'
Links
I don't feel like coming up with a name for this one: https://www.digipen.edu/?id=1170&proj=25076
