Eye of the Kraken

The Good
This one really surprised me. This really is one of the most likable games i've played for quite a while.

Firstly, this is a humorous game but thankfully not just a Lucas Arts clone. The humour is very surreal and littered with clever / pretentious allusions to classical literature and culture. Isn't pretension a bad thing? Aah, why the heck should it be? Humour is a personal thing and personally I found this game to be hilarious. At one point I discovered the games creators drinking absinthe and discussing irreverent (AND irrelevant) topics below the hold of the Glutomax (the ship upon which the entire game takes place). What were they doing there? No idea but I enjoyed talking to them. At another point I found a 'dehydrated minotaur' in a bowl of salad. Upon 'rehydrating' it in the captain's bathtub (in which he sits to navigate the ship) it grew to a full sized minotaur and stayed there until the end of the game. What was its purpose? No idea. On a number of occasions my character would smoke organic items such as a banana or more esoteric foodstuffs in his hookah pipe and experience amusing but nonsensical visions, such as an amorous Cleopatra searching for her 'blonde boy'. Why? No idea. If you are reading this and thinking this humour really isn't for you then basically the game isn't either because it is like this from start to finish.

The characters in this game range from Rasputin to Villon to a Romanian count named Vlad who sleeps in a coffin (but insists he's not a vampire) to Shakespeare's Ophelia. And they get along like a house on fire. Really half of the fun comes from simply listening to their conversations. I don't remember many adventure game conversations that were this entertaining. Although not a large cast that just means that the game can focus on these characters all the more and it often had me thinking "i'd love to be on that journey".

Gameplay is typical point and click, with inventory and chat based puzzles.I found these to be just right in terms of difficulty. I never really got stuck for long and yet I never felt as if my hand was being held either.

Finally, I must mention the music: whilst sure to irritate many I was very taken with it. There are about a dozen tracks which play on a loop throughout the game and I don't really know how to describe them. They are all early 20th century pieces and they are all of the sort you could imagine playing over a really funny / unfunny silent movie from the 1930s. From the moment this music started up on the title screen I admit I was hooked.

The Bad
The game world cannot consist of much more than 30 screens, if that. It's tiny. A little bit more versatility is eked out of it through the inclusion of day and night scenes but nonetheless you'll be looking at the same backdrops a lot. It isn't terribly long either, lasting five game days, which whip along pretty breezily, unlike the laborious Glutomax. This one really is about the characters and the unfolding mystery. Equally, the music and humour that I loved is equally likely to infuriate a different player. If you'll excuse the cliche it really is a love it or hate it game. The music can be turned off in the options but the humour cannot.

The Bottom Line
This is a pretty short, uncomplicated game that delivers on its remit of simply being fun. Its humour can be overbearing and it's a game that I would recommend people play through a demo of first to see if it appeals to them. You'll either be totally smitten with it or turn it off after 5 minutes.

The Good
Eye of the Kraken was developed by an independent game company using the AGAST system. Passage: Path of Betrayal also was designed using that engine, and although it was very entertaining, it was still a bit crude. So, I was mighty surprised to be so thrilled with EOTK.

The graphics are smooth and yet clear for both the surroundings and the characters. The music, reminiscent of the old "talkie" movies, adds a nostalgic feel to the game. The point and click interface is simple to use. In fact, once installed, the CD can be stored away because it is not needed while playing the game. Inventory is displayed at the bottom of the screen at all times and some things can be combined. And .. there are some very usual items to be found! Saving and loading games is a breeze.

But the best part of Eye of the Kraken is the story. The interaction between the characters is so very amusing and creative. You'll find yourself laughing quite often!

The Bad
I missed voices, although I didn't mind reading all of the dialog on-screen. It's not as polished as games by larger development houses and contains no extraordinary visual effects or movie clips.

The Bottom Line
In my opinion Eye of the Kraken is an excellent first attempt by Absurdus, and I look forward to future releases by them. In fact, the ending of this game lead me to believe that there will be a sequel. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure games.