Drowned God: Conspiracy of the Ages
Point and
Click
First
Person
Light
inventory
No action
No death
When we start to play a game with special expectations that we
formed through watching previews, listening to descriptions and
looking at pictures, our subconscious forms a certain idea of what
the game would be like. Because of this, sometimes we get
disappointed. By our expectations, we limit ourselves and lose that
part of the adventure that leads us to unknown territory, to the
anticipation of the strange, the eerie, the amusing, or the
frightening. We think that we should see and feel this and that,
just because someone else said so. We should be amused when we are
not.
As with each daisy, every gamer is different. We like or dislike,
according to our own personal make up. We are amused or irritated,
each according to our own taste. That is why I always think that
each review should be taken with a pinch of salt and the reviewer
should talk more about the game and less about personal feelings.
After saying all this, I think I will indulge in spreading my
opinion about an unusual and much maligned game that people either
love or love to hate.
Drowned God was published sometime in 1996 and sailed forth to
wreak havoc on the composure of
many of the prophets of adventure gaming. It was anticipated with
great expectation, in that it would give insight into mysteries
which arose at times when there were no explanations forthcoming for
unusual events. Like the stories of the Bermuda Triangle, everybody
has a theory but no one has the truth (the truth is like opinions,
everyone has his/her own).
The disks come in a folder that looks commonplace at first glance,
but nothing is what it seems. This thread runs throughout the whole
game and gives it a flavor of its own. At first glance, the places,
objects, ideas look familiar, then there is a shift and the strange,
the alien, pokes through. You are caught up in the dark brooding
atmosphere, because the usual reference points are out of kilter.
The dated graphics (only technically dated), the difficulties in
navigation and the linear nature of the game just add to this
unreality. It is a first person point and click. You are alone with
the unknown and you feel it...
Installation:
There are a number of bugs that can be fixed by
Patch 4. You must use the default installation directory: C:/DrownedGod/
else the patch installation fails.
The story (the aliens
are responsible?)
The story brushes on Stonehenge, the meaning of
taro, alien abductions, the Holy Grail, nuclear testing, past
elections and an unusual move all rolled into “mysteries that daunt
mankind”. However, if you expect solutions you will be sorely
disappointed. There are hints, innuendos and promises. That is what
a mystery is, i.e., there are no solutions. I could never figure out
why people expected that Harry Horse, the game's creator, had all
the answers.
This is not a game for everybody. It can annoy or irritate you. It
can make you feel uncomfortable, it may make you feel that you are
rummaging around in the murky psyche of someone you do not quite
like and it can entertain. It will not give answers, since there are
none... yet?
Gameplay
There are three CDs and it does not matter where
you are in the game since you must start with the first CD and than
switch to the CD that is needed to continue the game. There are only
six save slots so you have to transfer your saves to another
directory as not to overwrite.
In a cluttered room with an ancient computer-like
machine there is a contraption called bequest globe. You type in
your name and you find out who you are in this reality and what
qualities make you the right person to pursue this quest. Through
the means of numerology it will inform you of your past lives and
send you onto the next and your search for holy relics begins.
The game is linear and slideshow-like. Its point
and click and navigation is cumbersome at places. You have to hunt
for hot spots more than once. There is at least one blind ally you
meet if you enter a new area without an inventory item. There are
many video sequences. Some are pure gibberish and there is no way to
skip them.
Characters and Music and Sound Effects
There are few characters and all of them are
forgettable. I say this in spite of the fact that you will meet
Morgan le Fey, Newton, Einstein and the Pigman, none of them in a
starring role.
The music, what there is of it, sounds good at
first. But it is so repetitive that there comes a time when you just
do not want to hear it anymore. Other sound effects are all right.
Puzzles
For gamers who like to solve puzzles and are not
too worried how the puzzles fit into the story the puzzles are the
real strength of this game. They are varied, some are unusual, and a
few are really hard. There is no explanation as to the rule of the
“game”, everything is by trial and error and the puzzles reset after
an arbitrary number of tries. At times you are pitted against the
computer without realizing this at first. You have to figure out
everything as you go. Some gamers do find this frustrating. Would
the puzzle be a puzzle if you were told how to solve it, I ask.
Graphics
Slide show-like, dark, brooding, mysterious or
just depressing - take your pick. It is hard to pin down.
The game is sprinkled with a lot of spelling and
grammatical errors that do not help the murky story. I rather liked
the drawings on the cardboard folder the game came in.
Personal
Observations
After
all is said and done Drowned God is just a game and not the gospel
of the church of the unsolved mysteries as some reviewers expected
it to be.
Drowned God is not an easy game to get hold of. I
was lucky to be able to play it through the generosity of a gamer,
who kindly lent it to me. Many thanks for the experience. Oh yes my
feelings about this game are... Never mind!
I played
the game on:
HP Pentium II ~600 MHz
128 MB physical memory
NVIDIA RIVA TNT/TNT2 PRO graphics board
Review
Grade: B-
design copyright ©
2003
GameBoomers
Group
