The Ward

The Good
I’ve never seen such mixed feelings over an adventure game in my life! If you’ve read the reviews posted on over 20 other web sites, you know what I’m talking about. The ratings run the gambit of love to hate, and the reasons for such are as varied as the ratings themselves. Some reviewers criticized its lack of action (true adventures don’t have any action!). Others felt the puzzles were too hard (Excuse Me?) or they were annoyed with the slider puzzles. The timed segments irritated most reviewers, but in my opinion giving a time limit only adds to the suspense and urgency of the moment. What if an evil alien was on your tail? Would you want your enemy to give you all day or what?

Okay, so the concept is not totally new (aliens vs. humans, saving the universe, etc. etc.), but it still kept my interest throughout. After all, this particular human has had a personal “close encounter”, is abducted by aliens and whoshed away to be prodded, examined and dissected. Even after you figure out what’s really going on and your part in the whole scheme of things, the plot thickens and continues its intrigue. There are still surprises up until the very end.

Personally, I like to be challenged. I’ve played my share of easy games and they can become just plain boring. You won’t get bored with The Ward. You’ll be faced with strange alien contraptions and gizmos, intricate control panels, various types of “rearrange the tiles” puzzles, a romp through maze-like ventilation ducts, and a good share of conversation oriented situation puzzles. Sliding puzzles as a whole have been put on many people’s “hate list”, but these particular sliders are really imaginative. There are at least 5 in this game and each one is different.

And what’s wrong with 2D, I ask you? Some of the worst games I’ve ever played were 3D, and some of the very best were 2D. The graphic environment is beautiful and the characters are lifelike in their movements and features. In fact, the entire game is well designed and fluid. Cut-scenes can be replayed from the main menu (and they’re great). Inventory management is simple and intuitive, saving and loading a game is a snap (limitless save slots), and you can load the game from either of the 2 CDs.

The Bad
What didn’t I like, you ask? Well…it’s hard to come up with anything I didn’t like. I must admit wishing Walker would move a little faster (especially when time was of the essence), but it’s something I got used to. Some players might dislike the amount of on-screen text, but I actually liked it. It gave me the opportunity to take notes and reflect on what I was reading. A nice touch would have been to add voice acting in addition to the text, but that’s incidental because I always turn on subtitles when available anyway. All of the great cut-scenes -do- include voices which added much to the realism of those full motion videos.

The Bottom Line
Don’t let other reviews mislead you. The Ward is a worthy play especially if you have enjoyed other science fiction titles like Cracking The Conspiracy or Dark Side of the Moon. If you’re looking for an easy game, this game may frustrate you. But, if you like a challenge like I do, you will enjoy this one. An excellent first effort by the independent developer, Fragile Bits.