One
certainly has to hand it to Telltale Games; the development studio/publisher
understands how to make a game that sparkles with humor (that can be both
obvious and understated). It makes perfect sense, therefore, that Telltale Games
(home to the Sam & Max franchise, as well as Strong Bad) tackled the British
claymation series of Wallace & Gromit.
Episode 1:
Fright of the Bumblebees is the first (obviously) in four episodes that will
comprise Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures. The first of the series is your
basic storyline interspersed with puzzles that will have players progressing the
storyline by solving puzzles. And this is not always as easy as it sounds. What
Telltale manages to do, though, is create a game that seems like it will muddle
your mind but when you tumble on the solutions, they are so basic and easy you
wonder why you didn’t see it to begin with.
The game
begins innocuously enough with a tutorial that gives players the basics for
inventory control and movement, but from that point on, you have to determine
what needs to be done. Of course, in the tutorial, Wallace (the human with the
canine named Gromit – and it could be argued that the latter is the smarter of
the two) interacts directly with the player. He encourages players to get the
hang of the game using the “interact-o-vision” viewpoint, which is the interface
between the player and the game itself. It is rather easy to use: WASD provide
the movement in each level, the shift button opens Wallace’s inventory and then
the mouse interfaces to select items and interact with them.
That’s when
the game begins and the first puzzles are presented. Gromit is in the sitting
room and it’s time to roust Wallace. Wallace fancies himself as an inventor and
as such there are various contraptions throughout the house. It would be easy to
give away spoilers that are tied to the puzzle solutions, but let it suffice to
say the first order of business is to get Wallace downstairs and then, still as
Gromit, to make him breakfast. This involves fending off a food-stealing
squirrel and fixing a broken egg-breaking machine.
You can try
to figure out the puzzles on your own, or you can set the game settings to allow
for hints (either often, seldom or never). The game also has auto-save points
that make it easy for players to work on the puzzles without having to worry
about saving progress. The game is intuitive in that it will save itself at key
moments.
Aurally the
game is a bit of a mixed bag – the music can get a bit annoying as it continues
to loop while trying to figure out a puzzle. The more you stare at the puzzle,
the more incessant the music loop tends to become and the more irritating. The
voice work is well done, but you will have to listen to British accents and that
may involve turning up the volume a wee bit to discern exactly what is being
said.
The graphics
play out as three-dimensional against a two-dimensional perspective. The world
looks 3d, but the camera swings about to present a two-dimensional presentation,
which can lead to some limited views of the rooms and levels, as well as the
simulated 2D presentation.
But that
aside, this is a game that will work the brain cells, and tickle the funny bone
– if you have a penchant for Wallace & Gromit and indulge in that type of humor.
For some, the comedy might seem a bit flat and esoteric at times; but for those
who enjoy a British sense of humor (which can be rather understated at times),
this title nails it.
The
single-player game is a download, and all four episodes (the first and the three
remaining to be released) have a limited time price of $29.95. The game is
subtitled in German, French, Italian, and Spanish, as well as having voice and
subtitles in English.
|
|
Gameplay: 7.5
You cannot
progress until you solve the puzzles in front of you. This may annoy players who
want to move on, but find they cannot because of the linear format. Still, the
load times are minimal, and the control interface suits the game well.
Graphics: 7.8
Solid
three-dimensional look that is hung up by the two-dimensional presentation.
Sound: 7.0
The sound had to
be turned up a notch to hear the dialogue and there was no way to separate the
voices from the music underscoring (well, not quite, but it should have) the
levels. The music can be irritating as it loops when you are staring at a puzzle
and trying to reason through it.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.8
The puzzle
elements are interconnected nicely, and the dev team did a great job bringing
the iconic duo to life within the game.
Overall: 7.7
The puzzles will
have you thinking ahead or scratching your head as you try to reason through
what looks to be right in front of you. The look of the game is solid, though
the 2D presentation of the three-dimensional game can be a touch irritating at
times – especially when you want to swing around to look at something and can’t.
Still the game is true to the license and is a solid puzzle-adventure outing.
