With all the other puzzle games I've played there's also been a bit of video play to go with them. That's probably not the right technical term, but I mean that Poirot for example would wander around looking for clues, when you talked to someone they would be animated and it'd look like they were talking. Also when they were talking the conversation could be heard.
With this game there is no audible conversation, you have to read it all. The storyline is told via a couple of short 'videos' which are meant to look like old time films, complete with scratchy film and sepia tone.
As different characters speak, their picture lights up in full colour so you know who's who.
Once the murder has been committed you are faced with a map of the ship, and one by one each room becomes available to examine.
After clicking on a room you get a list on the left had side of what you need to find and basically you have to find them. Easier said than done in some cases as each room is packed to the rafters with junk and some of the items are tiny. Sometimes you have to go to the same room more than once, and it becomes a game of memory more than anything else. It's actually something along the lines of spot the difference where you spend ages starring at a picture looking for minute details.
After you've found all the bits and pieces you are then confronted with a small logic puzzle, but these were very simple indeed. You also need to question the suspects, this again is rather dull as all the questions are preset, the game isn't affected in anyway if you ask the wrong thing, and the screen just shows a still picture of the person 'talking'.
There's nothing really challenging about the game, the only thing is that there is a time limit for finding all the items, and some are extremely well hidden. For every section of the investigation you're allowed 5 clues to the whereabouts of the items, and I had to use them a few times.
I started the game at 10 in the morning and had finished it by 3 in the afternoon, after taking time out for lunch and going to Asda. So it's not a long lasting game.
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Aug 9th, 2009
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