In the universe of
pirate yarns, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is hugely
influential. The antics of characters like Jack Sparrow and Guybrush
Threepwood owe much to the classic legacy of Long John Silver and his
chums. Versions and reinterpretations of Treasure Island are
numerous. Before I even touched the shrink wrap on the latest Treasure
Island game by German developers Radon Labs, I had watched two film
re-creations and played two Treasure Island based PC games. With so
many piratical goings-on out there, can this latest PC adventure
distinguish itself?
Radon's Treasure Island is a third person
perspective, point-and-click adventure with a serious tone. It retells
events loosely based on those in the novel and introduces new characters ―
including Antoinette, Squire Trelawney's daughter. Antoinette finagles her
way onto the good ship Hispaniola due to the irresistible lure of
long lost treasure, and she is involved in most of the game's new plot
twists.
Well Worth Seeing
Treasure Island's most obvious strength is its
graphical environments, which are wide-ranging and richly portrayed.
Bristol, England is a commendable example of a village come to life, with
unique individuals walking about cobblestone streets, surrounded by
arduously detailed buildings of stone, brick and wood. Later in the game,
water from huge waves sprays across the Hispaniola's deck and
lightning flashes near the horizon. The tropical island sequence reveals
light-mottled jungle paths by day; by night, trails are misty with
fireflies and stark branches silhouetted against the sky.
Treasure Island employs a "tracking shot"
feature to good effect. For example, in the island labyrinth the gamer's
perspective is that of a jungle creature hidden in the trees, watching
from various angles and following Hawkins as he explores. Foreground
objects (leaves and vines) frame the scene and add to the sense of
realism. Remarkably, the various camera angles are never disorienting or
confusing.
The galley on the Hispaniola is beautifully
animated -- kitchen utensils hang from the ceiling, rocking gently back
and forth with the ship's motion. As Long John sits peeling potatoes, a
lantern above him casts a shadow that sways in unison with wooden spoons
and pots.
Hawkins and Crew
The translation of dialogs from the German is
unusually competent (you can often, though not always, click through the
dialogs). As in the novel, the story unfolds from the perspective of Jim
Hawkins, discoverer of the notorious map. Characters interact frequently,
but with no overly long conversations. Voiceovers for the main characters
are good to excellent; those for minor characters are less believable
(e.g. ― an exaggerated southern drawl in Bristol).
Hawkins looks and sounds a bit like the young Cary
Elwes in The Princess Bride. He gives an impression of intelligence
and courage, combined with earnestness. Long John has a rough voice, a
congenial manner, and wears the trademark black pirate hat (though without
skull and crossbones). Character portrayals of the ridiculously effete
squire and the accomplished, brooding Dr. Livesey are also effective.
Antoinette Trelawney gives a spunky performance, though she spends way too
much time posed with her hand on her outthrust hip. This and her cheeky
comments make her sassy and seductive.
The background music is orchestral, sometimes
contemplative, sometimes folksy and occasionally heart pumping. The music
suits the locations well, as do the ambient sounds -- creaking noises on
the Hispaniola, animal and bird calls in the jungle, and seagulls
squawking on the cliffs near the Admiral Benbow Inn.
When You're Hot You're Hot, When You're Not...
In the game's introduction, a pirate appears asking
the following: "Do I want to turn over every stone, search every inch,
just on the hunch that I will find something there? Or do I want to know
exactly what is around and what is worth a look?" The questions suggest a
smart cursor option, with the cursor highlighting hotspots when it is
placed over interactive items. Not so. It turns out that the smart cursor
is available whether you check the "hotspots" option or not. What the nice
pirate is offering (without giving any specifics as to the procedure) is
the ability to reveal all hotspots and exits. The game has no manual (not
even on the disk) and I didn't discover the "reveal all" feature until
after I had played the entire game and was replaying for the purposes of
this review. So be advised: unless you find pixel hunting amusing (I
don't), selecting the "hotspot" option and then employing the space bar
will add to your enjoyment.
Desperate Measures
Treasure Island contains multiple inventory
puzzles -- including item combinations, a few of which are a bit stretched
(Hawkins often accused me of being "desperate" in my suggested
combinations, but obviously desperation works). You'll also encounter
riddles that require gathering information, some dialog based challenges,
and a clever chemical challenge which has a particularly nice payoff. The
single timed puzzle is reasonably easy if you pay close attention to your
surroundings. (If you aren't quick enough, the game automatically starts
back at the beginning of the timed sequence.)
The game contains two mazes, both of which are
actually easier to solve by trial and error than by figuring out the clues
― the information associated with the mazes gives rise to multiple
interpretations. My frustration with the last maze was lightened by an
amusing Easter Egg, probably triggered by how poorly I was doing.
Share the Load
Treasure Island installed smoothly and ran
glitch-free.
Movement in a 3D environment always seems to have
"issues." Here, moving Hawkins by clicking on the footsteps icons works
well enough -- it's sometimes awkward, but it's about as smooth as I've
seen in a 3D game. Double-clicking causes Hawkins to run (most of the
time). Surprisingly in a game this graphics-intensive, there were no long
loading screens.
The "save and load" menu does contain an oddity,
though. The saves (which appear to be unlimited) are positioned below the
Autosave, and seem to be arranged randomly, so that the most recent save
was never where I expected it to be. Fortunately, the saves have a date
and time stamp, making it possible to track them down using the date.
Cover Your Ears for this Scene, Kids
What is the target audience for this game? Well,
Radon's Treasure Island could be an excellent tool for introducing
children to a classic work of literature. However, it may not be suitable
for the very young or the impressionable, as it contains scenes of
violence (particularly disturbing is a close-up of a corpse) and repeated
dialogs between Hawkins and prostitutes on the streets of Bristol. The
developers apparently wanted to add female characters to what is a
famously male-centered plot, but three "courtesans" are an odd addition if
your audience includes young girls.
So if we eliminate the "playing a classic along with
your kids" audience, we're looking at the crowd that wants to play a
somewhat more adult themed Treasure Island adventure. To this
group, I would add adventurers who want a sneak preview of what the Radon
developers are capable of, given the excitement over the upcoming The
Book of Unwritten Tales, which is due to release in English within the
next couple of months. Still, I doubt that this group, though eager, will
compensate in numbers for the parents who would have bought this game to
play with their children if it didn't deserve its "Teen" rating.
Quick List for Treasure Island
A serious version of the Robert Louis Stevenson
classic novel with some plot innovations. Wonderfully detailed graphics.
Third person perspective, point-and-click interface. Significant (though
not overwhelming) amounts of character interaction. You can usually click
through the dialogs. A brief journal keeps track of the plot. About twelve
hours of gameplay. Unfortunately, the game is not appropriate for
children.
Good voiceovers. A somewhat wonky save system. No
problems with installation and no glitches. Note: if you choose the
"hotspots" option, this means that hitting the spacebar reveals all
hotspots and exits. The smart cursor will highlight hotspots even if you
don't select the "hotspots" option.
Inventory puzzles, dialog challenges, exploration,
and information gathering. One timed challenge and two mazes. (The timed
sequence automatically repeats if you don't succeed.) No dying. No
sliders, no color or sound based puzzles. Clues (especially for the mazes)
are occasionally obscure.
Aimed at gamers who enjoy a serious "take" on
literary classics, and those who appreciate sumptuous 3D graphics.
Final Grade: B
What I played it on:
Dell Studio XPS 8000
Windows 7 Home Premium
Intel Core i5-750 processor
6GB DDR3 SDRAM
1024MB NVIDIA GeForce GT 220
Soundblaster X-Fi
GameBoomers Review
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January, 2010
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