Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator Case 1 - In Search of the Skunk-Ape (Deluxe Edition)

The Good
I've played the first Ben Jordan and I was really curious to see what the Deluxe Edition did to the original game. I mean, extended storyline, new graphics and voice acting are good improvements, no?

Remember, Ben Jordan is a young paranormal investigator, graduated in International Relations who didn't want to work in the local grocery. Well, in the Deluxe Edition, we learned that he loved since his childhood everything having a link with the paranormal and aside his grandfather, his family didn't like this passion.

His first case will lead him in the Everglades Florida (still without Horatio Caine and his crew) where rangers are murdered. The culprit would be the Skunk-Ape, the local Bigfoot. Ben investigates the case but what he will discover is more than simple murders.

In fact, basic storyline didn't change. But with new locations and the possibility of voice acting, we can have new point of view, new questions and mostly new ways to solve the enigma. For example, in the first BJ, you had to make a fake picture of the receptionist trying to kill a local celebrity, leading an environmental activist to have a word with him or her and distracting him or her long enough for you to take a shark tooth. Well, in the Deluxe Edition, you can't do it like. You have to find another way to distract the receptionist and to lead the activist to have a word with him.

Gameplay is still the same old-school one but you have a new action: speak to people (icon !), dissociated from interrogate (icon ?). But you still have to have walk selected for walking, etc..

A new feature is the map in the inventory. The map is in fact the only way to go to a place to another. It's very easy to use and you don't need to find the good "exit" to go to another screen.

Graphics are indeed enhanced. Even the story is told with drawing (like a Max Payne for example). So, it's nice to see the same location than in the original game but with different design. The Visitor center is the most spectacular change.

And soundtrack? Well,new tracks were created, like the music in the rangers station and it's very great to hear them. But the major feature of the Deluxe Edition is the voice acting. You can hear Ben, Ernie, Rick, Lloyd, etc. speak to each other and it's very good for a small game to include it. The actors are not professionals but still, they did a good job.

Like the other cases, Ben Jordan is still a free game, even if the Deluxe Edition is a little more than 30 Mb to download. But it's really reasonable and small dial-up can download it fastly, without problems.

The Bad
Well, even if the lifetime is extended, BJ Deluxe Edition is still too short. One hour for playing is really the maximum. But it's not a game which want the players to bang their heads on their keyboards after hours and hours playing and being stuck. That's why the shortness is forgiven.

And as usual, for players who aren't used to select a walk action for going where they want, this kind of gameplay can be confusing.

And last but not least, in a world where some people think that graphics make games, they will certainly not give a try to an old-school game with "ugly" graphics (well I don't think like them). If you're a graphic purist, Ben Jordan is probably not for you.

And if you don't understand English, Ben Jordan doesn't propose another language. Still, you can go to the official forum and ask if you can translate it.

The Bottom Line
The Deluxe Edition made promises and didn't let players down: Voice acting? Check, it's working. Extended Storyline? Well, yes and no, I mean, yes, the story is bringing more things to do and more talking but some passages were modified, making the Deluxe Edition a new story in how Ben Jordan solved the mystery around the Skunk-Ape. New Graphics? Check, yes, it's less pixelised and more colored. Final verdict? Well, try the Deluxe Edition. Give a try to the original game and the Deluxe Edition for playing at the game of the 7 errors. You'll be not deceived. And it will be a great break.