Lost Eden

The Good
When I was 14 and had my first pentium (whouuuu) I installed every demo-game of game-magazine-CD I've bought at that time. Rebel Assault 2 was on the CD, too and a game called "Lost Eden". Never heard of it before though I just had started my serious career as a gamer then.

I do not remember any intro or anything else of this game except that I was standing there in a great hall surrounded by the most wonderful graphics I've ever seen and listened to an hypnotic and fantastic soundtrack.

There was not much do to in this demo and so I quit the game and played Rebel Assault 2 instead ;) and Lost Eden sank to the bottom of my subconsciousness.

13 Years passed ...

I got aware of DosBox and D-Fend this year and started all the old good - yes excellent - games and it was more than a pleasure for me. After my mind got back to the mid-nineties it remembered a game about dinosaurs and well a damn good soundtrack. But I could not remember the game's name! I've been searching for months .... but I knew nothing about this game. But one day during work it plopped out of my Brain. - TADAAA - LOST EDEN!!! How could I forget it!

Well I bought it and played it in one rush.

When I installed it, and the sound and the images of this wonderful game materialized as if front of me after 13 years of exile, I sat there in calm devotion. A great moment.

The intro sequence is amazing! Even today it is a feast for the eyes and a paradise for the ears and really pushes the atmosphere. The voices fit perfectly to each character and you really get the feeling of being part in a glamorous epic tale. This effect gets even stronger because one NPC of this games tells your story in flashbacks like a storyteller. The voice of this guy is the best! Eloi.

Well you are the chosen one. Your task will be to retrieve the human and the dinosaur race from their doom. But you are not alone. During your journey through mystic lands you'll find friends and good companions who will follow and help you. I don't want to spoil anything from the story here but I loved the plot. It has so much love in it. And I liked the fact that you are not some kind of blond muscleman. Well you are blond but you are more the type of a "Guybrush Threepwood" or "Luke Skywalker". Nice.

The Gameplay itself has a very easy handling and fits from the design also in the whole environment. One click is enough most times - for walking, combining, looking etc. The movement in the game is not free as in an ego-shooter. I do not remember what this method is called but it's similar to games like "Myst" where you have really nice transitions between your locations. And they are so quick you mostly do not recognize them.

After I finished the game I really got sad that it was over. (It's always the same with games - never finish a good game ;) It has a nice ending though that is worth to the whole plot.

But I was also happy that this unique piece of gold in Video-Games did not pass me.

The Bad
No game is perfect but Lost Eden creates an atmosphere that blurs the rare annoying things in the Game.

If your are aware of what to do to complete the game it's quite simple and can get monotone because the mechanics to solve problems are not so different. But the soundtrack helps a lot for that.

The voices are so real and adequate but unfortunately your ego has none. Well, that has its pros and cons...

Maybe it was my fault but the inventory bar only shows 7 or 8 items and sometimes when you are carrying more Items one could not reach the other items before dropping another.

It makes you sad when it's over :(....

The Bottom Line
If you want an Adventure with excellent riddles play "Riddle of Master Lu" but if you ever dreamed of being abducted to a world of overwhelming imagination visit the land of "Lost Eden".

The Good
Lost Eden takes place in Eden, a place where humans and dinosaurs live together in peace. Well, most of them. It seems that a strange dinosaur named Moorkus Rex and his hordes of Tyrann army have decided that they have the right to destroy everything and control Eden.

Lost Eden is certainly original. In the game, there used to be many citadels to protect Eden from Tyrann, but now only the one in Mo remains. This is where you begin the game.

The graphics are just amazing. Although while playing the game, most characters look like boxcuts, the cutscenes and animations look very real, as do the dinosaurs which seem to reach out from the computer screen. These were major highlights in the game.

The sound and music is also simply amazing. Each characters voice fits their appearance perfectly, and for those without sound cards good enough (rarely any now, but there were before) , there are subtitles. The music was obviously specially picked and created, because some music (like the one that plays while travelling to other areas of Eden) just makes you want to keep doin the thing over and over to hear the music. The music while encountering Tyrann also goes with the theme, and is very good indeed.

The story is thick and ongoing. Many characters will come and go, as some will present their separate surprises. From Eloi the pterodactyl to Dina the parasauraulophous. The storyline is very detailed.

The Bad
Although all other aspects of this game are excellent, one bad thing which stands out is the repetitiveness. Mostly in this game, you do the same thing over and over to the different areas of Eden. Sometimes major points occur which is a change, but otherwise, build citadel here, build citadel there, increase security here, increase security there, drive off Tyrann here, drive off Tyrann there.

The Bottom Line
Overall, though, this game is plot rich and contains enough graphics, music, and good gameplay to keep you playing a long time. I give Lost Eden a solid 5 / 5 .