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The Ring
(PC Adventure Game, by Red Orb,1999)
Games distributed by Red Orb always lead to a mixed bag of
emotions. On the one hand, Myst
and Riven
are two of the best selling games, ever. On the other
hand, hardcore gamers have more than their share of gripes about
the gaming genre they created, due to obscure puzzles, a limited
movement interface, and Myst's unforgettable non-ending.
The latest Red Orb game, "Ring," is not
very different, one way or another; if you loved or hated Myst/Riven,
you'll feel the same with Ring, for better or worse.
Ring
does have one unique game concept: it's an interactive opera,
based on an actual stage production by Richard Wagner. Even a
novice in classical music will recognize much of the background
music; all from Wagner's own work. I grew up in an opera-loving
family, so this was the sales pitch that made me curious enough
to buy the title. In addition, there's the visuals; all perfect
renderings that are far superior to most Myst clones
I've played.
Fans
of Richard Wagner's work might not leave completely happy, however.
For one, the play has been modernized, so it can be set in outer
space(?). Second, there's a failed attempt to make the game non-linear
by allowing you to see each of the four acts of the opera in
any order you wish. While this may sound like a good idea, it
comes off like seeing the death of Romeo and Juliet before
seeing the balcony scene. You're at risk of being confused and
bewildered, by seeing results of events before the events! As
a result, It's strongly advised to play the game in the order
of the story itself: Alberich, Loge, Siegmund, and Brunnhilde.
Puzzles are as good as any typical Myst "clone."
In one puzzle, you must make sure words are not spoken backwards;
which is quite thought-provoking, when a word could be either
"raw" or "war" (to use an example not in
the game; I don't want to give away unwanted clues). In addition,
there's the classic picture puzzle with sliding tiles, and inventory
items puzzles galore. Each of the four main characters has a
unique "special power" (like super strength), which
can be used in certain additional puzzles. Whenever you're stuck,
the manual within the CD jewel case includes a complete walkthrough.
The major
problem with Ring is its voice talent, most of
which seems to speak down to the gamer, rather than act out the
scene. The resulting feeling is not like watching an opera, as
much as sitting in while a First Grade teacher reads a story
to her class. When you first hear the game's video camera talk
(???) in the intro --voiced by an adult trying to say "yes
your majesty" like a young child; "yeasss, yoo meejeestee"--
you know the game designer pulled a grating "Jar Jar Binks"
here and there. This talking camera is nothing, however, compared
to two dwarves of Nibelheim. One voice decides his dwarf will
be a geekling who repeats words a lot and mumbles others. The
other will screech a word like a chimpanzee one minute, then
slowly whisper a word the next. IMHO, scratching against chalkboard
would be less annoying.
This is certainly a quantum leap from the worst adventure
game I ever played; an honor best given to Lords
of Tantrazz, Man
Enough, or Darkseed
2. On the other hand, this game is certainly no Grim
Fandango or Curse of Monkey Island, or,
by imported game standards, definitely not a Twinsen's
Odyssey (aka, "Little Big Adventure 2").
As a result, I can only recommend this game to an opera buff,
or someone tired of waiting for a new adventure game.
| All text, Title
graphics, and pix not of reviewed product, are created by Techtite,
copyright 2000; all rights reserved. Screen captures of program
reviewed are discrete thumbnails, used only for the purpose of
review, and by no means represent any affiliation with Techtite and the distributors of that product. For further "legalese"
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