Theoretically, this game has aged about as well as a carton of milk that's also 20 years old. The voice acting - sans a stellar performance from Charles Martinet - is mostly typical of the time, being hilariously hokey. Overall, the graphics look bland, the controls and camera are quite clunky, and you could argue that the game either holds your hand or leaves you a fish out of water.
And yet, the story and writing are so batshit in the most brilliant way, and there's a massive "a-ha!" factor that plays into puzzles and plot elements you can figure out on your own. There's a satisfaction to exploring around and talking to people, and realizing "oh yeah, this plays into something happening elsewhere!" Not to mention, even if you screw up and run out of time, you have the power of knowing what to do more efficiently and the foresight of letting you skip cutscenes you've already seen. I did "have" to look at a walkthrough two times, but both times with a reaction of "of course, I should've thought of that earlier!" Puzzles in this game are insane, but not in the moon logic sense - within this game's rules, solutions always make complete sense.
Also, while I do think the graphics lack color, there are some really cool effects and animations for the time, such as weather, clothing textures, and particularly, certain time periods utilizing "filters". 1902 has a monochrome overlay, the 1580s look sepia, yet all the while, Eike is in full-color. It's really cool.
It's a game that could totally use a massive polishing-up, but none of its flaws really make me want to walk away. It has this strange energy that makes me adore it, make me want a movie, even a remake. As long as they can get Charles back, that is.
And yet, the story and writing are so batshit in the most brilliant way, and there's a massive "a-ha!" factor that plays into puzzles and plot elements you can figure out on your own. There's a satisfaction to exploring around and talking to people, and realizing "oh yeah, this plays into something happening elsewhere!" Not to mention, even if you screw up and run out of time, you have the power of knowing what to do more efficiently and the foresight of letting you skip cutscenes you've already seen. I did "have" to look at a walkthrough two times, but both times with a reaction of "of course, I should've thought of that earlier!" Puzzles in this game are insane, but not in the moon logic sense - within this game's rules, solutions always make complete sense.
Also, while I do think the graphics lack color, there are some really cool effects and animations for the time, such as weather, clothing textures, and particularly, certain time periods utilizing "filters". 1902 has a monochrome overlay, the 1580s look sepia, yet all the while, Eike is in full-color. It's really cool.
It's a game that could totally use a massive polishing-up, but none of its flaws really make me want to walk away. It has this strange energy that makes me adore it, make me want a movie, even a remake. As long as they can get Charles back, that is.