Following Freeware: August 2011 releases

This month you can play a horror novelist living out a real-life horror story, a Boston detective searching for a serial killer or a paralysed man escaping into dreams. For something with a more fantasy feel, you might penetrate an enchanter’s castle to retrieve a magical stone or wander through the Forest of Eyeballs looking for a book. If tales of siblings are preferred, become a young man researching the life of his estranged sister or two extremely different twins forced to share the same body. Alternatively, you could have a collection of quick adventure fixes in twelve different games, all made in just a week. All these await you in this month’s round-up of releases from the freeware adventure scene.
 

The Book of Living Magic

Raven Locks Smith lives in the city of Dull in the Holy Corporate Beaurocratocracy of Yawn, a place full of banking institutions and motivational speakers. Much as she wished otherwise, Raven could only see a future descent into a boring life as a good Dull citizen. Then came the day a dream drifted away from Oneiropolis, the city of dreams, and paused by her bedside. It whispered into her ear about The Book of Living Magic and Raven instantly knew she must leave her mundane home behind and set out to recover this fantastical tome. Little did she know what strange beings, mystical locations and dangerous adventures lay in wait for her on this quest.

Once again Jonas Kyratzes has produced a game that is both fun to play and thought-provoking. The graphic style is line-drawn with simple shading. With the bright colours used, the overall effect is reminiscent of a children’s book, a style that suits the fairy-tale setting well. This is not to say that the illustrations are simplistic, as some scenes such as the market stalls contain a wealth of detail. There is no animation but with the storybook presentation, the static display feels natural. The background music consists of bright and cheerful tunes that complement the graphics nicely.

The setting for this adventure is undoubtedly a surreal one. The first scene includes a Gnarf (Half-Gnome, Half-Dwarf) trapped in a bottle as a result of an unspecified incident with a member of the opposite sex. You’ll go on to meet a lizard barkeeper, monkey and duck stallholders, and a cat running a circus full of performing humans.

Control is point-and-click, with inventory items highlighted for use, and almost every hotspot interaction generates a response. This includes individual descriptions for the various “plants” in the disturbingly literal Forest of Eyeballs. You’ll need to converse with the diverse locals to garner clues as well as make good use of your inventory. There is a significant amount of text to read here, much of it not directly relevant to your quest. However, if you are prepared to put in the time to read it all, there are both fun inventions like the terrible Monsterbeast and thought-provoking tales such as the fate of the Demon Eyeball to be found.

The Book of Living Magic can be played online at JayIsGames.

The Far Corners of the World: Chapter 1 – The Book, The Box and The Key

When they were both young, Jeffrey Carter and his sister Suzie had many wild, imaginary adventures together. When he left home he swore that he would keep in touch. Now, many years later, that promise has long been broken and one day he receives a message from a hospital in London. His sister has fallen into a mysterious coma, leaving a cryptic message behind for him. With her strange letter, an apparently blank piece of paper and a peculiar metal coin the only clues to go on, Jeffrey starts investigating Suzie’s recent activities. The things he discovers, however, may have long-term repercussions for his own life as well.

This first chapter in a proposed new series from Wesray is much more than a teaser, being a substantial game in its own right. The graphics are done in a simple cartoon style, though in a realistic setting. Whilst there are some perspective issues, these are not bad enough to make items unidentifiable or significantly affect gameplay. The main character is reasonably well animated and there are also various background movements as well, such as fish swimming in a tank and a child playing with a portable console. The soundtrack varies by location, with a muted tune for the hospital and a more grandiose piece for a museum. There are also sound effects, including a chime that indicates when the player has scored points by solving a puzzle.

Using the standard four-cursor point-and-click interface, this game sets up what promises to be an intriguing story. The background of the siblings’ close childhood serves to provide a compelling reason to get involved, as does Jeffrey’s guilt over failing to keep his promise to maintain contact. The search for the titular book, box and key, as well as the unnatural nature of Suzie’s illness, speak of grand conspiracies that will hopefully be followed through in future episodes. Whilst some obstacles like a broken loudspeaker preventing a doctor hearing a call feel a little contrived, the puzzles are generally well integrated as story-based challenges. There is also amusing follow-through, such as the janitor turning up to fix the same loudspeaker only after the player has resolved the issue themselves. As well as inventory and dialogue puzzling, players will have to think carefully to interpret Suzie’s cryptic instructions. A points system gives regular rewards for puzzle-solving, as well as providing an indication of progress through the adventure.