Companions Of Xanth
Companions of Xanth is a Point & Click adventure game based on the book “Demons Don’t Dream” by Piers Anthony. If you’ve never read any of his books then be prepared to be very confused at first by the gameplay in Companions Of Xanth. While the game will provide you with all the background information you need and reading any of the books isn’t essential for your enjoyment I think Anthony fans will be the ones that gets the most out of this one. You start the game as Dug an ordinary teen sitting at home staring at the rain through his window. Dug has just been dumped by his girlfriend so when he’s best friend calls him up to make a wager with him he doesn’t really have much to lose. Since Dug isn’t a fan of games his friend makes a bet with him that if Dug likes the new game being send over he gets to go on a date with Dug’s girlfriend. If Dug doesn’t like the game he gets his friends motorbike. Dug agrees and it isn’t long before he’s sucked into the computer game and has to take part in a wager set up between two demons to determine the fate of Xanth.
The gameplay in Companions Of Xanth is pure Point & Click. At the start you get to choose one of four companions that will help you out during the game but this part of the game had me really annoyed. Pick anyone apart from Nada Naga and your game will be over before it’s even begun. The game would have been so much cooler if you really did have a choice of companions and just think how much the replay value would have been increased. If you’ve ever played a Point & Click Adventure before then you’ll know what to expect in this game. Everything is viewed from a first person view with a list of verbs along the left side of your screen and your inventory displayed along the bottom. You interact with the gameworld by putting together sentences like “Open” door or “Take” letter. Overall the interface is very easy to use and finding your way around is a breeze. You also get a handy map feature that will show you exactly where you are and help speed up your navigation. Since this is a Xanth game after all puns play a big part in the proceedings and you better have a high tolerance for them since virtually every puzzle is solved through them. Personally I found this to be highly entertaining but taste differs so there’s bound to be a few people who will grumble at the lateral thinking required to solve some puzzles. If ever you are stuck you can turn to your companion for help and the dialogue between Dug and them can be very funny at times. Since this is such a bizarre world you travel through dialogue with pretty much anyone and anything is hilarious. Overall I found the puzzles to be quite easy and usually everything you need is found within close proximity so there’s no need for endless backtracking or pixel hunting. The game is also fairly linear and you can’t really do something wrong (unless you really try) so completing it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. In fact I finished the game in just under four hours which is a little short in my books. Once again actually having a choice of companions could have added some longevity. The graphics is an interesting blend of hand drawn backgrounds and scenes with digitized actors. The characters and locations are very imaginative and Xanth is a fantasy world unlike any other. The scenes with the real actors look a bit out of place though and they appear fuzzy and indistinct. Most of the locations are pretty much just static pictures with minor animation’s to bring them to life but the game could definitely have benefited from a bit more movement to keep things from looking so flat. You maneuver around via your compass rose at the bottom of the screen but basically this is just a text adventure like Zork spiced up with graphics and without the tedium of typing. The sound is pretty nice and there are some good tunes but a bit more sound effects would have livened things up immensely. In conclusion if you are a fan of Piers Anthony or just like a good adventure game with a unusual twist then give this game a go. If you don’t like puns or prefer games with a bit more challenge then Xanth probably isn’t for you. I had ad lot of fun completing this game although the ending was a bit disappointing and the short length had me wishing for a few more scenes. |
System Requirements
TAGS: Piers Anthony, Demons Don't Dream, Xanth, Legend
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