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BacardiJim · 11-06-2004, 04:27 PM

Salammbo was one of the last games to come out of Arxel Tribe before they folded. Like most of the other Arxel Tribe games, it is as much about ideas as about story or puzzling.

Phillipe Druillet, co-founder of the French adult comic magazine Metal Hurlant (which became Heavy Metal in he United States) wrote and designed the graphics for the game, basing it on his graphic novel of the same name. This, in turn, was based on a historical romance epic by Gustav Flaubert. The story follows the adventures of Spendius, a slave in Carthage during the time of Hannibal. Spendius manages to escape from the slave pits with the help of the beautiful Salammbo, daughter of the Carthagenian ruler and high priestess. She aids Spendius so that he will deliver a message of love to Matho, a mercenary general camped outside the sity gates. It seems that Hannibal hasn't paid the various mercenary forces he recruited in his most recent campaign against Rome, and the unhappy armies are camped around Carthage, blockading the city until they are paid. The time is right for revolt, and Spendius is just the silver-tongues devil to strike the match.

The game is fairly short, but a lot of fun. It incorporates traditional adventure game puzzling along with a couple of easy action elements (there are a couple of targets that you must shoot with a bow and arrow) and even a couple of simple turn-based strategy sequences. It isn't too challenging on any level. However, it is one of the few games in which dialogue puzzles are actually puzzles. There are occasions when Spendius must know exactly the right thing to say or the right way to mistranslate an exchange (he sometimes functions as an interpreter between the various generals) or he will find his head on a pike.

If you've played Ring, then you already have some idea of Druillet's artistic style. Graphically, Salammbo blows away his work in Ring. The mixture of fantasy elements and dark medieval Carthage and warfare were wonderful.

The only negatives to the game are:

1) Too short. Then again, it's usually easy to find new copies pretty cheap.

2) The final sequence is... not timed, but one of those where you must complete it in a certain number of steps or die. In fact, there are several places where you can die.

3) Not very tough. But I found the relative ease of the game was compensated by the variety of gameplay elements and sheer fun factor.

Below is one of the many things to like about the game:

11-06-2004, 04:27 PM	#16
BacardiJim Banned User Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,346	Salammbo was one of the last games to come out of Arxel Tribe before they folded. Like most of the other Arxel Tribe games, it is as much about ideas as about story or puzzling. Phillipe Druillet, co-founder of the French adult comic magazine Metal Hurlant (which became Heavy Metal in he United States) wrote and designed the graphics for the game, basing it on his graphic novel of the same name. This, in turn, was based on a historical romance epic by Gustav Flaubert. The story follows the adventures of Spendius, a slave in Carthage during the time of Hannibal. Spendius manages to escape from the slave pits with the help of the beautiful Salammbo, daughter of the Carthagenian ruler and high priestess. She aids Spendius so that he will deliver a message of love to Matho, a mercenary general camped outside the sity gates. It seems that Hannibal hasn't paid the various mercenary forces he recruited in his most recent campaign against Rome, and the unhappy armies are camped around Carthage, blockading the city until they are paid. The time is right for revolt, and Spendius is just the silver-tongues devil to strike the match. The game is fairly short, but a lot of fun. It incorporates traditional adventure game puzzling along with a couple of easy action elements (there are a couple of targets that you must shoot with a bow and arrow) and even a couple of simple turn-based strategy sequences. It isn't too challenging on any level. However, it is one of the few games in which dialogue puzzles are actually puzzles. There are occasions when Spendius must know exactly the right thing to say or the right way to mistranslate an exchange (he sometimes functions as an interpreter between the various generals) or he will find his head on a pike. If you've played Ring, then you already have some idea of Druillet's artistic style. Graphically, Salammbo blows away his work in Ring. The mixture of fantasy elements and dark medieval Carthage and warfare were wonderful. The only negatives to the game are: 1) Too short. Then again, it's usually easy to find new copies pretty cheap. 2) The final sequence is... not timed, but one of those where you must complete it in a certain number of steps or die. In fact, there are several places where you can die. 3) Not very tough. But I found the relative ease of the game was compensated by the variety of gameplay elements and sheer fun factor. Below is one of the many things to like about the game: __________________ Time flies like the wind; Fruit flies like bananas.