| The initial idea of a UFO crashing into my home and then having the daunting task of getting it back into the air and off my futon didn’t sound like something I or the masses would clamor towards. However, as adventure gamers, we have explored caverns, islands, ages and planets, but, in my somewhat limited knowledge, never have we explored an interplanetary luxury liner. The idea then, at second glance is intriguing. It must be stated that this idea was indeed the concept of genius fiction writer Douglas Adams, of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame. His familiarity with text adventures is an apparent thread throughout this, his newest interactive accomplishment. Upon entering the vessel your first order of business is to "press the button", manually instigating a fantastically rendered opening credit that heavies the burden of the mission greatly. This ship has crashed, perhaps due to sabotage and it is up to you and only you to fix the craft and restore order to a handful of "bots" that have more than just one screw loose. The puzzle integration in this game is quite good. Not once are you put in front of a puzzle that must be completed before moving forward. The puzzles would disappear all together (with the exception of two, blatant mind-benders) if it were not for the lack of sub-plots and frivolous environs to explore. The interface is brilliant but needs polishing. Borrowing from the personal interactivity feel of the text adventure, the interface uses a concept for communicating called the P.E.T. (Personal Electronic Thing). To ask a question, answer or comment you simply type. This creates a true communication between game and player that revolutionizes adventure games. I hope that with polishing more games will use this type of interface. It erases much of that "wandering foreigner in a strange world" feel that you get from today’s point and click adventures and takes you back to that "who is that little man in my computer, telling me these things" feel that the text adventures were so famous for. However, due to the fact that the bots dialogue depends wholly on what you ask and when, clues and critical lines may be lost to someone not asking the proper question, or merely phrasing wrong. The player must be incredibly patient and persistent to continue to ask the same questions again and again, in as many forms as is possible. The bot’s answers also alter depending on their varying and individual moods. The navigation is seamless. Although the blurred hyperspeed at which you rush forward to the next node is annoying, and for the more sensitive, it is nauseating. Literally. However, since there are no shortcuts, no magic wands or maps to hyperlink you to the desired locales, the speedy travel is entirely necessary. The use of more nodes would have lessened the confusion of navigating to the elevator and lobby. You travel by means of foot, elevator, pellerator (horizontal elevator) and gondola. This, I thought was going to be tiresome and dull, but, in fact added to the plot and virtual aspect of the game more than any other feature. Having to take the elevator to the thirty-ninth floor for the ninety-third time gets laborious, but no more than it would had you reserved a stay at the Embassy Suites downtown. The ultimate feeling of tedious transport is an intrinsic factor to the satiric nature of the game. The overall ambience of this game is magnificent. Although this is a decidedly science-fiction comedy, you are placed in a hotel-like atmosphere with which you are most assuredly familiar. You can almost smell the polished pine in second class. The architecture is clean, and modern. Though certain elements are implausible, they are very believable due to the ambience and structure. The detail is immense, mostly due to the texture. You will find yourself mesmerized by the experience of the gondola and the changing seasons in the arboretum. The use of light and reflection is breathtaking. The sound and music are better than most. The change in volume, when you move closer to, or further from the origin of the sound is a great touch of realism. The graduated change in music while riding the elevator from the third to the first class is enough to impress. It is the cohesive quality of the music and effects that make the sound exceptional. With voice talents such as Terry Jones and John Cleese (Monty Python), you can expect some hardy laughs. Because a good number of the puzzles are indefinite and therefore somewhat forgettable, this game does indeed have replay value. There are not a great many stones that go unturned throughout the game, but the communication interface allows you to vary the experience from game to game. In Conception, the story line, like many of the points of interest, is sparse and uncluttered. Minimalist at best. This makes the puzzles stand out and uphold much of the integrity of the game. Unfortunately, many of the puzzles are ambiguous and difficult, needing the logic of Douglas Adams to solve. While you get the very real feeling that the ship is gigantic, there are a surprisingly low number of different discoverable locales. This does reinforce the fact that there is a lack of depth. The game does not unfold upon itself. Never do you fall into a secret passage, or find a world of gnomes when you look under the bed. Overall, however, I feel that if you are looking for a dryly humorous, satiric, inventive, original mind-bender you will likely be satisfied. Although dissected Starship Titanic appears to have quite a few imperfections, in its entirety it is as enthralling and aesthetically pleasing as the current balance of James Cameron’s bank account. But that is a whole other review…. |
