Adventure Forums - The Labyrinth of Time

For now, I'll keep this review short:

The Labyrinth of Time is archaic, and I mean that without intending to pun the name. It was spawned in a time when most PCs were still using or basing on DOS, and all the images are accordingly pixelated and low on CPU usage.

The first thing someone has to realise before they rush off to buy this re-released game is that it is, in essence, a puzzle game merged with a text adventure. It's true, there are images, but the game is set up like a text adventure - there is no intro video, but an introduction story, and your game feedback consists mostly out of a single line of text just above your navigation bar.

Your navigation bar?

As I said, this is built more like a text adventure - but instead of entering "turn left", "turn right", "walk foward", "inspect <item>" and a couple of others, your are greeted with a rudimentary visual interface: At the bottom of your screen there are several buttons, and you're actually expected to play the game moving your mouse over that navigation. The images are eye-candy. The game is played almost entirely on level of that navigation bar, except for the occasional answer to What? questions, like What do you want to use the item on? and What do you want to open?, et cetera.

A puzzle game?

Yes, all you character-interaction fans, you should leave this game well alone. Unless walking through a desolate, dead labyrinth, searching for clues and solving puzzles whilst meeting no soul on the way causes you joy, stay away. The loneliness within the walls of this Einstein-mocking world will make you cry.

The Labyrinth itself is a construct where any door might take you into another time. One moment you are standing in a cheap mirror maze - and a moment later, before a scifi teleportation device. Yet, still, there is logics even in this world. Your actions have immediate results - be careful what you do whilst walking through the past.

Be careful, actually, with anything you do. There are multiple ways to forever ruin your game with a simple mistake - occasionally, you will notice you've made a mistake only after playing for another hour, and then you stand before a wrecked path with a most incredulous look... and cry, because you didn't save. :frusty:

The game summary is simple to do:
* low-resolution graphics (first person perspective)
* background music that does not run simultaneously to the sound effects (if you open a door, it phases out)
* text-adventure-resembling navigation
* zero character interaction
* many nerve-wrecking puzzles
* you can inspect almost EVERYTHING, whether it helps you or not!
* the causality of the different eras can cause you to make mistakes...
* ...and those mistakes can ruin, forever, your game, effectively giving you a game over without the satisfaction of being told that you have lost.

It is agony.

And that is why I love it.

Rating Do I have to be fair about this?
Interface: 4/10 - not intuitive to the gamer of today, however, once you've found your way into it, it doesn't give you any surprises.
Graphics: 3/10 - archaic, seldom truly detailed, but it has a feel to it, and that feel does not break - so it's not too bad at all, if you don't mind it pixely.
Sound: 7/10 - I really enjoyed the background music of this game - the big downside is that it cuts out when there are soundeffects, so I can't give this as high a rating as I'd like to.
Originality: 8/10 - the whole "intersecting eras" concept isn't new, but I think the causality is rarely this clear, and, well, I'm a sucker for the continuation of old greek myths.
Gameplay:
(1) 0/10 - For the average person, this game probably will have zero appeal. I can't neglect that fact, and it should be mentioned.
(2) 9/10 - For the masochist, or alternatively, the person with too much time on their hands, this is a great game. I'm not sure if I'm former or latter. Or both.

Overall:
4.4/10
Good lord, what a bad game (semi-objectively speaking)! Good LORD, how much I LOVE it.

...

I need mental help.