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Lundaris · 06-30-2006, 07:18 AM

(I was not able to fit my demo review into one post so I split this into two posts, the first part in this post and the second and last part in the next post after this one.)

AL EMMO AND THE LOST DUTCHMAN'S MINE DEMO REVIEW PART 1

HIMALAYA STUDIOS SETS OUT TO HONOR CLASSIC ADVENTURE GAMES

After having just finished Act 1 included with the demo of Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine I have to give my complements to game designers Britney Brimhall and Chris Warren, writer Daniel Stacey and the rest of Himalaya Studios for an excellent experience. These three talented individuals along with the rest of Himalaya Studios were infused with the fire and passion of bringing back classic adventure gaming with Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine, their first commercial game. It would indeed be a shame if adventure gamers did not give this game a chance and simply dismissed it for not being similar to recent adventure games such as Syberia, Runaway, Keepsake and others.

In development for about four years, Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine is its own unique adventure game that brings its own charm and polish to the genre. It succeeds in honoring the classic Sierra adventures and allows us to relive the nostalgia of classic adventure gaming that many of us so fondly remember but with vastly improved graphics, gameplay, voice acting, music and story. It is with this mindset that you will find much to enjoy in Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine. What follows are my impressions of the demo of this game and why it succeeds in what it sets out to do!

GRAPHICS/CHARACTERS/STORY

The game takes place in the town of Anozira, modeled after the intriguing desert and wilderness regions found in the state of Arizona, home state to game designer Britney Brimhall. You will find yourself enjoying how the desert like environments help to set the mood and the atmosphere of this game so well. The graphics do a remarkable job of giving the player the feeling of being in a quiet and secluded town, isolated from the hustle and bustle of larger cities. It is in Anozira that our main character, Al Emmo, finds himself searching for a bride to become his wife, but little does he realize that he is going to get into more than he bargained for. I had my doubts regarding the graphics due to the resolution of 640x400 being used but after seeing the many areas in the demo, my doubts were completely gone. It is obvious that much work and care went into creating the detailed environments within this game. I especially enjoyed the paths away from the town that very vividly depicted the type of terrain and plants one sees in Arizona. It is obvious from playing the demo that research was done in order to create these environments as one might expect them to look.

Special mention must be made of the very beautiful character portraits within the game. It brought back fond memories of the classic adventure games such as the first Gabriel Knight adventure that used them and others. Speaking of characters, I appreciated the personality given to all the characters, as each had their own unique style. Especially hilarious is the store owner and how he pronounces certain words. There is also the mayor who seems to do nothing more than rock on his chair but it is obvious that he at least has a vast knowledge on many subjects. One must not forget Al and how he seems to react hilariously to certain events in the game. One memorable scene I can't forget is when Al sings to a woman named Rita that he seems to have fallen in love with. It is hilarious how it seems that she barely acknowledges his presence after Al sings to her. In this demo, which features only the first of nine acts in the game, it will be up to Al Emmo to find a way to show his love for Rita. From what I have seen in the demo I am eager to see how these and other characters will play out in the rest of the game.

I also loved the use of comic book type panels as seen at the end of the first act to move the story along. These comic book panels are an excellent inclusion within the game and I really appreciated how beautiful they turned out to be and how they just add that extra charm and polish to the game. The way the panels light up as the scene progresses was an excellent technique to use and I hope to see more of these types of comic book scenes in the game. As obvious by these comic book panels, the introduction to the game and through playing the game how the story seems to have been finely crafted as I just wanted to keep playing to find out what was going to happen to Al as he searched for a gift to give Rita and show his love. I must admit feeling sorry for Al after what happens at the end of the first act and all he went through to get something special for Rita. When a game occupies my time as much as this demo has, it is a testament to the power of the dialogue and story within the game. I have only the best of expectations for the story in the rest of the game.

MUSIC/PUZZLES

Special thanks also goes to Tom and Diane Lewandowski for providing us with a soundtrack that complements the game so well. From starting the intro and throughout playing the demo, you can tell just how much the music adds to the atmosphere of the game. Tom and Diane are a talented team and their contribution to this game is appreciated. I can completely understand why Himalaya Studios are offering the soundtrack for sale after listening to the various music pieces within the demo. It is the type of music you just don't get tired of listening but admire for how much effort and dedication went into composing it.

Another favorite aspect that I enjoyed in the demo were the puzzles. I enjoyed one puzzle in which you must make a drink by listening carefully to what Kev, the saloon owner, tells you. If you listen to his words carefully you will be able to figure out what ingredients are necessary to mix for you to complete the puzzle. There is also one in which you must get a bull to do something after you have first completed earlier events in this puzzle. I found that this puzzle as well as the last one illustrating just how much attention was given into creating puzzles that are fun and fair and actually integral to the plot. Some adventure games in the past have frustrated me with poorly constructed and unfair puzzles that had no relevance to the main plot of the game. I was quite relieved to see that the developers took the time to fine tune and reach the right balance with the puzzles in this game. Overall, I am very impressed by how the puzzles were well integrated into this game.

(This demo review is continued in the next post.)

06-30-2006, 07:18 AM	#1
Lundaris Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 6	Al Emmo Demo Review (I was not able to fit my demo review into one post so I split this into two posts, the first part in this post and the second and last part in the next post after this one.) AL EMMO AND THE LOST DUTCHMAN'S MINE DEMO REVIEW PART 1 HIMALAYA STUDIOS SETS OUT TO HONOR CLASSIC ADVENTURE GAMES After having just finished Act 1 included with the demo of Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine I have to give my complements to game designers Britney Brimhall and Chris Warren, writer Daniel Stacey and the rest of Himalaya Studios for an excellent experience. These three talented individuals along with the rest of Himalaya Studios were infused with the fire and passion of bringing back classic adventure gaming with Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine, their first commercial game. It would indeed be a shame if adventure gamers did not give this game a chance and simply dismissed it for not being similar to recent adventure games such as Syberia, Runaway, Keepsake and others. In development for about four years, Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine is its own unique adventure game that brings its own charm and polish to the genre. It succeeds in honoring the classic Sierra adventures and allows us to relive the nostalgia of classic adventure gaming that many of us so fondly remember but with vastly improved graphics, gameplay, voice acting, music and story. It is with this mindset that you will find much to enjoy in Al Emmo and The Lost Dutchman's Mine. What follows are my impressions of the demo of this game and why it succeeds in what it sets out to do! GRAPHICS/CHARACTERS/STORY The game takes place in the town of Anozira, modeled after the intriguing desert and wilderness regions found in the state of Arizona, home state to game designer Britney Brimhall. You will find yourself enjoying how the desert like environments help to set the mood and the atmosphere of this game so well. The graphics do a remarkable job of giving the player the feeling of being in a quiet and secluded town, isolated from the hustle and bustle of larger cities. It is in Anozira that our main character, Al Emmo, finds himself searching for a bride to become his wife, but little does he realize that he is going to get into more than he bargained for. I had my doubts regarding the graphics due to the resolution of 640x400 being used but after seeing the many areas in the demo, my doubts were completely gone. It is obvious that much work and care went into creating the detailed environments within this game. I especially enjoyed the paths away from the town that very vividly depicted the type of terrain and plants one sees in Arizona. It is obvious from playing the demo that research was done in order to create these environments as one might expect them to look. Special mention must be made of the very beautiful character portraits within the game. It brought back fond memories of the classic adventure games such as the first Gabriel Knight adventure that used them and others. Speaking of characters, I appreciated the personality given to all the characters, as each had their own unique style. Especially hilarious is the store owner and how he pronounces certain words. There is also the mayor who seems to do nothing more than rock on his chair but it is obvious that he at least has a vast knowledge on many subjects. One must not forget Al and how he seems to react hilariously to certain events in the game. One memorable scene I can't forget is when Al sings to a woman named Rita that he seems to have fallen in love with. It is hilarious how it seems that she barely acknowledges his presence after Al sings to her. In this demo, which features only the first of nine acts in the game, it will be up to Al Emmo to find a way to show his love for Rita. From what I have seen in the demo I am eager to see how these and other characters will play out in the rest of the game. I also loved the use of comic book type panels as seen at the end of the first act to move the story along. These comic book panels are an excellent inclusion within the game and I really appreciated how beautiful they turned out to be and how they just add that extra charm and polish to the game. The way the panels light up as the scene progresses was an excellent technique to use and I hope to see more of these types of comic book scenes in the game. As obvious by these comic book panels, the introduction to the game and through playing the game how the story seems to have been finely crafted as I just wanted to keep playing to find out what was going to happen to Al as he searched for a gift to give Rita and show his love. I must admit feeling sorry for Al after what happens at the end of the first act and all he went through to get something special for Rita. When a game occupies my time as much as this demo has, it is a testament to the power of the dialogue and story within the game. I have only the best of expectations for the story in the rest of the game. MUSIC/PUZZLES Special thanks also goes to Tom and Diane Lewandowski for providing us with a soundtrack that complements the game so well. From starting the intro and throughout playing the demo, you can tell just how much the music adds to the atmosphere of the game. Tom and Diane are a talented team and their contribution to this game is appreciated. I can completely understand why Himalaya Studios are offering the soundtrack for sale after listening to the various music pieces within the demo. It is the type of music you just don't get tired of listening but admire for how much effort and dedication went into composing it. Another favorite aspect that I enjoyed in the demo were the puzzles. I enjoyed one puzzle in which you must make a drink by listening carefully to what Kev, the saloon owner, tells you. If you listen to his words carefully you will be able to figure out what ingredients are necessary to mix for you to complete the puzzle. There is also one in which you must get a bull to do something after you have first completed earlier events in this puzzle. I found that this puzzle as well as the last one illustrating just how much attention was given into creating puzzles that are fun and fair and actually integral to the plot. Some adventure games in the past have frustrated me with poorly constructed and unfair puzzles that had no relevance to the main plot of the game. I was quite relieved to see that the developers took the time to fine tune and reach the right balance with the puzzles in this game. Overall, I am very impressed by how the puzzles were well integrated into this game. (This demo review is continued in the next post.) Last edited by Lundaris; 06-30-2006 at 10:53 AM.