Following Freeware: April 2011 releases

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I Have 1 Day

The prince has captured the Black Wizard that has been plaguing the kingdom. In recognition of his service to the land, the king has decided to step aside, the coronation set to take place this very night. Meanwhile, a young man caught within the castle grounds wakes up in prison at the very start of coronation day. Filled with a certainty that something is terribly wrong, he must escape his imprisonment and get to the castle. But time is not on his side. He has but 1 day.

This game from Cellar Door Studios has a feel that suggests its writers are fans of King’s Quest. The look is reminiscent of Sierra’s early classics, displaying a medieval setting in a somewhat pixelated form. The music also adopts a Middle Ages style, with a different piece playing at each location. Control is simple point-and-click with a small inventory at the bottom of the screen from which items can be dragged. To aid any adventurer that has problems identifying the slightly chunky graphics, hotspots highlight when you mouse over them, along with a description appearing on-screen. A journal tracks both your goals and what you have done so far to achieve them. This also acts as a save system, allowing players to backtrack to any hour of the day.

You’ll likely to need to make extensive use of this journal. In keeping with the Sierra influence, the game is littered with game-over events, presented in a pop-up window with a description of your death. More importantly, to finish the game you must complete all of your goals by the time of the coronation. Many puzzles have different solutions, but these take varying numbers of simulated hours, and using too many long solutions will make you miss the deadline. Cunning use of inventory and careful planning of your travel from location to location will be required to succeed, though quick reflexes are not, as only certain actions advance the game clock. There are also a couple of logic puzzles and one challenge that requires real thinking outside the box. The whole experience is played very much tongue-in-cheek, and even includes a couple of amusing instances of breaking the fourth wall. As well as the true victory and many possible deaths, there is also an alternate “good” ending, where you just miss the coronation but still save most of the kingdom.

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