I'm VERY glad I didn't read a single review of this game but saw it rated very positively here which prompted me to get it in the latest Humble Bundle because most of the reviews are blatantly spoiling one of the best twists in the early stages of this game which blew my mind and which make this game VERY different from the Jules Verne affair which was fantastic in it's own right. This game does take heavy inspiration from the Jules Verne novel but adds it's own unique twist and spins a narrative around your actions that is VERY compelling.

You start as Passepartout, the valet of Phineas Fogg who has just made a wager where he must travel around the world in 80 days. As the valet, you must plan your travels across the major cities on the globe and ensure you meet the goal and win the bet for your master. You must decide upon your mode of transport from one city to the next, manage your finances, go to markets and buy and sell goods which will fetch you some profit with which to pay for passage to the next city. You will face many situations and forced to make choices along the way which shape the narrative of the game.

What sets this game apart is it's one of the first games I have played which is narratively focused where your actions will ACTUALLY AFFECT THE OUTCOME. As enjoyable as the Walking Dead series by Telltale games is I never feel as if any of my choices leading up to the end ever mattered leaving me only with a binary choice of some meager description. This game is so refreshing in it's beautifully written world which changes as you make choices along the journey and in the cities you visit. The way you interact with people you talk to, the decisions you make, the items you buy, the paths you take, every single one of them shapes how your journey goes and whether you actually return to London, the city from where you begin this epic tale, on time to win the wager for Phineas. There are also so many references to the original which are done brilliantly yet subtly which I absolutely loved.

For all the praises I have been singing about this game, truly there is but one, though enormous, demerit to this game. One that would almost make me not recommend the game. For all this amazing story-telling along the way, what they give you at the end of the journey as a "journal" of your travels is so pathetically sparse and idiotic in it's presentation that I almost don't feel like playing it again. What happened to the grand tales of my fight on a train, my almost missing a boat, my meeting the owner of a freight company and other such amazing little stories? All they show you are logs of what happened and the date AND THAT'S IT!

If it weren't for the pure joy of seeing your journey unfold before your very eyes and the amazing number of branched paths that are possible and events that you may face which I very much look forward to finding, I would have completely stopped playing yet I find myself wanting more. I want to experience that thrill of exploring and finding people, nooks and crannies that show me new things along the way. And grudgingly, I will go through the game many more times and will surely forget the issues along the way because this game truly is a joy to play.