This Is It Folks! The Adventure Game We've All Been Waiting For.
A Review of Twinsen's Odyssey
Craig Majaski
Activision has long been known for their excellent adventure games. It's one of the few companies around that can actually release more than one good game in a given year. A few years after the semi-popular game Relentless was brought out, comes the sequel that outdoes its predecessor in nearly every way.
When you begin Twinsen's Odyssey you'll be treated to a great looking opening cinema. It's narrated by Twinsen, the character you'll be playing. He briefly explains what took place in the first game. This time around, there really isn't a noticeable central plot. Your dragon gets hit by lightning and you must find a cure for him, but as you explore the town more subplots open up and you'll be dragged into doing other tasks as well. At first there doesn't seem to be much going on in the world of Twinsun, but before you know it you'll be searching for the Weather Wizard, trying to get into the lighthouse, and confronting strange aliens that have landed inside your town. Yep, it's a bit strange and twisted, but that's what makes the game so fun.
Twinsen's Odyssey is very much an adventure game, except it plays a little differently. Controlling your character differs depending on whether you're inside or outside. When you're inside buildings, caves, and towers, the viewpoint is an isometric ¾ view. This is identical to the way the player moved around in the first title. When outdoors, the camera can be manipulated to show different views. This is somewhat similar to Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 except the camera doesn't follow you around. You can move the camera as you wish, but it doesn't float behind your character. You'll find it is often necessary to look around with the different camera angles so you don't unintentionally fall off a ledge and kill yourself.
Controlling Twinsen is most easily done with the keyboard. The arrow keys move him in the specified directions. Like in the original game, you are able to change his actions by pulling up a menu. If you want to attack an enemy, you'll need to switch over to aggressive mode. To jump or run fast you'll need to be in the athletic mode. Sometimes you'll need to sneak up on a character and you'll need to activate the sneak mode. The whole idea of changing modes is somewhat original, but can become annoying. It seems it would have been easier if they would have just assigned specific buttons (hold down the "S" key to run for example). Throughout the adventure controlling Twinsen is a breeze and becomes second nature quite quickly.
The graphics are definitely a high point. The views inside the various buildings aren't anything to get excited about and are only marginally better than they were in Relentless. The outside views are done extraordinarily. Again, they are reminiscent of Mario 64, with some of the same bright colors and similar views. You can see well into the horizon and there really isn't any pop-up to be found. At the beginning of the game there's a thunderstorm, and the rain and lightning effects are equally impressive. Every once in awhile there will be a glitch and the camera will have to readjust, but most of the time the graphics please. It's refreshing to play an adventure game that's 3D instead of the usual 2D games we're so accustomed to. Expect to see more adventure games take on the 3D world soon (King's Quest VIII isn't too far off).
The music in the game is unique, but also great sounding. It's spooled directly off the CD. What is a bit strange is that the music doesn't play the entire time. Whenever you go to a new location there will be a thirty second clip of music, then all will be quiet again. What little music there is, however, is very good. Another nice touch is that every character you talk to has voice. Most of us have become used to all adventure games containing voice, but the acting is done superbly in Twinsen's Odyssey. There are a few characters in the game that do sound funny, and even lame, but that's been done on purpose to get a laugh out of the player.
The overall challenge of the game isn't too bad. Most gamers familiar with adventure games will be able to solve most of the puzzles and problems without too much difficulty. One thing that does become difficult at times is the fighting. Unlike most adventure games, you'll actually have to fight enemies in this game. Aiming with some of the weapons is extremely touchy, and equally frustrating. With a little patience most people will get the hang of it and will quickly move on to the next area.
Twinsen's Odyssey is a game that will please a wide spectrum of people. It's overly cute looking, but has enough puzzles and action to suit nearly everyone. The graphics are top-notch and the storytelling is done perfectly. You'll hear some good tunes during the course of your adventure, and control is, for the most part, a piece of cake. You'll even get to ride around in your little racecar through the desert. If you played the first game and enjoyed it, then this is a must-buy game. Likewise, if you've been itching for a quality adventure game, Twinsen's Odyssey should fit the bill. You really can't go wrong with this game!
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: | Twinsen's Odyssey |
| Company: | Activision |
| Cost: | $49.99 |
System Requirements:
100% Microsoft Windows 95 compatible Pentium computer system,
(including compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM drive,
video card, sound card and input devices),
16MB RAM, 45MB of uncompressed hard disk space,
256 Color (640x 480) VLB or PCI video card with 1MB RAM,
100% Sound Blaster 16 compatible sound card,
4X speed CD-ROM drive (600K/second sustained transfer rate),
100% Microsoft compatible mouse and driver,
dedicated game card is highly recommended for joystick.
NOTE: The Windows 95 version uses Microsoft DirectX 3a technology,
and requires that your system have the most updated drivers that fully support DirectX.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 5
Graphics 5
Sound 5
Interface 4
Replayability 4
Overall Score:
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