Keepsake

The Good
I really enjoyed Keepsake. Here are some of the highlights:

• 3rd-Person Perspective
• An Intriguingly Captivating Story
• Imaginative, Breathtaking Graphics
• Mood Enhancing Music & Atmospheric Sound Effects
• Crisp, Clean & Simple Interface
• Challenging and interesting puzzles
• Lengthy Gameplay
• In-Game Hint System with Puzzle Auto Solve
• Innovative Inventory System
• Viewable Maps

**The Bad**
Wicked Studios should be applauded for such a wonderful first game. But, there are a few things worth commenting on that take points off of a perfect score.

• Lengthy Installation (20-30 minutes)
• "Visions" Graphics aren't up to par with the rest of the game
• No "Load Game" while playing (you can only load an old game with a restart)
• No naming of saved games
• System Freezes in Windows XP (fixed with patch 1.6)
• Voice volume inconsistency (possibly fixed with Language Pack patch)

**The Bottom Line**
There have been so many mediocre adventure games released during the past few years, but fans of the genre are insatiable. They gobble up everything that comes along hoping for one that will satisfy in all categories - story, graphics and gameplay. Enter Wicked Studios, a brand new company on the scene, and surprise! ... Keepsake, their initial offering to the world, gives adventure lovers something to sink their teeth into. All that is different is the same .. or IS it?
Searching a deserted locale, attempting to solve obscure puzzles to figure out what is going on - this premise is nothing new. Neither are beautiful graphics, digitally mastered music or well-integrated, varied puzzles. Keepsake contains all of these things plus the most important element in any adventure - a solid story line with a conclusive ending. Conversations between Lydia and her sidekick, Zak, form the backbone of the tale. As the game progresses, players learn about Lydia's background through that interaction - her life, her history and her feelings for her lost friend, Celeste. We all know it is rare and difficult to invoke player emotions within a game. Well, in the end, players may find that they actually care about Lydia and what has happened to her friend. Several other aspects make this game shine above other 2006 releases. Keepsake brings some new innovations to the table that make gameplay a pleasure. For one thing, objects placed in inventory are used automatically - mentioned when necessary in conversations and applied to appropriate puzzles. While viewing your inventory you can see vague, faded-out versions of the objects you have yet to find. This provides incite and clues. Another intuitive feature is the in-game hint system. During gameplay, click on the "?" icon and you will be shown your next objective (what you should do and where). While inside the puzzle-solve window, you can receive 3 hints .. and decide to "auto solve" (something I admit having to do on several of them). It's a major plus when a game containing all of the key elements also works well. Unfortunately, some companies simply ignore problems and move on to the next project. Wicked Studios didn't hide or abandon their customers. They showed us their integrity by facing the challenges head-on and promptly releasing patches. To summarize - Beauty is not skin-deep here. Treats for your eyes, ears, imagination, your mind, and your emotions await you in Keepsake. Although there are a few things that knocked off points towards a perfect score, I think you'll find, like I did, that the good far outweighs the bad. By the way, the ending concludes this particular story very well - but it also leaves us wondering about Lydia's future at Dragonvale Academy. Is a sequel planned, perhaps? I'll be watching .. and hoping!

The Good
The Game Graphic are very beautiful. The Sound & the voice acting of the game is also superb. The Game contains great backgrounds and stunning scenery. The story of the game itself is also very good. The game takes place in a Magical Academy and the player must search for the disappearance of all the Students & Teachers. The story of the game has some great twists and turns.

The Bad
the game Install process is very slow as it contains over 10,000 files and about 1,000 folders.

The Bottom Line
Great game and a must play for Adventure Fans. It surely give a taste of old "Longest Journey".

The Good
+ Not bad visuals for a 2005 game (but could be better)

The Bad
- Lack of interesting characters, which comes with a lack of interesting dialogues (in fact, there were almost none NPCs till the moment I stopped playing) - No ability to use collected items (everything is used automatically, which is strange for a point'n'click game) - Interesting location at first glance (it's some kind of Hogwarts after all) which quickly hits us with huge, empty and plain boring sublocations - Really hard puzzles that are overly complicated and sometimes not even working (no wonder the authors gave us an option to skip them) - Walking from point A to B is often a long chore, which makes backtracking common and annoying - Unintuitive map

The Bottom Line
I must say, Keepsake is probably the worst and most boring point'n'click game that I have ever played up till now (I played a lot of these). It's not about aging, because need I remind you about a masterpiece called The Longest Journey from 1999, which was so captivating in every aspect? Keepsake simply cannot make me intersted enough to keep going with its bland plot, characters and locations. Don't try this game unless you are a really, REALLY patient gamer that won't get bored with anything easily.