Transferring Mind-Numbing Riddles to the Masses
If there is a kind of adventure game I naturally despise, it has to be the point-and-click. Ever since "Escape from Monkey Island" debuted with its irresistible charm and humor, every code-sucking schmuck has attempted to duplicate or even surpass it. In Adobe Flash, the tools and design materials provided for developers grant practically everyone with a basic understanding of coding to create their own point-and-click adventure games. A lot of them are not very good. In fact, only a few avoid being utterly deplorable. So, what does JonBro's latest adventure game, "Riddle Transfer", have above the relentless horde?
Well, for those who followed his previous "Riddle" series, "Riddle School", know that this is technically the sixth game released... yes, that's quite true. People who haven't played the fifth game might be a little confused in the beginning, wondering where these kids came from and why they befriended a gray, but therein lies the trap with writing a story that connects each game together: newcomers are leery of playing a series that started well before they decided to play a recent sequel. Other games, like Final Fantasy, Avernum, and the Legend of Zelda do not share this limitation, which is probably a key behind their success stories. Even so, JonBro sets the "Transfer" series in a new setting, derives the best game elements from previous episodes from the "School" series, and gives all players the chance to experience a new story that does not really require a background in the other games.
"Transfer" picks up where "School 5" left off: victorious over the sinister, despotic gray physicist Viz, Phil Eggtree and his friends are returning to earth. However, a sinister agency based in "Zone 5.1" manages to ensnare their transport and imprison each kid inside the facility. Phil must help his associates escape this dungeon and find a way to preserve the secrets behind their mission in deep space, lest any corrupt or unthinking interests apply that knowledge.
First thing off the bat: "Transfer" is bigger than any of the previous "Riddle School" games. It is filled with nerve-wracking puzzles, gallons of clean wit, and pokes fun at a number of cryptid lifeforms. It even includes a cameo from NG user Goat-Man's titular character. The soundtrack is a bottomless pit, all derived from the Audio Portal, and the feel of the game is far sleeker than most graphic adventure titles. The game should keep you around for at least one hour, perhaps more if you're not perusing a walk-through or cheating in some fashion. Production values and overall presentation are top-notch.
The problems should be obvious. Although it doesn't affect the game directly, needing some familiarity with previous "Riddle School" games might affect someone's desire to play it now. And if they play it after going through the other games first, they might be exhausted or their collected experience will affect their impressions about this game. Depending on their take on Graphic Point-and-Click Adventures, that might be an unsavory one.
The Puzzles come in at a close second. The real issue is their inconsistent difficulty ratings: some are too simple, while others are just mind-numbingly frustrating. It takes a great deal of investigating before you stumble upon a new key item and, like many graphic adventures, they operate by their own seeming logic, with few hints between. "Riddle Transfer" isn't just the hardest "Riddle" game out there. It's one of the hardest point-and-click games out there, period. Ordinarily, I would imagine the puzzles get harder in a linear fashion, but being an open-ended adventure, JonBro probably could not pace the game accordingly. That, above everything, is one of the reasons why I shy from point-and-click games: the solutions often serve to frustrate the player beyond hope. I want to be challenged, true... but I also want to WIN!
"Riddle Transfer" took half a year to produce. Let's hope the next one takes less time to address the faults of the first one. It's too promising a series not to.