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archived preview: Martin Mystère
An expert in various fields of science, the occult, and history, Martin Mystère, brainchild of Alfredo Castelli, has been gracing Italian comic books with his enigmatic presence and adroit archeological skills for over twenty years. Starting with his first appearance in the Martin Mystère Monthly back in 1982, and later published by Dark Horse in North America as Martin Mystery, the character's popularity has also prompted an adaptation for a children's cartoon, which is currently enjoying Canadian television's YTV (youth TV) number one spot. Similar to the exploits of Sherlock Holmes, Martin's expeditions lead him to uncover the hidden, the unknowable, the paranormal, the ancient — and much like the adventurous Indiana Jones, bring a little piece of it home. As you might imagine, there are tons of accoutrements that an anthropologist/archeologist extraordinaire might collect in his living space, and nearly each of these comes with a description of sorts. This is admirable work on the part of the developers to keep things interesting, and to clear the way of any confusion, hotspots appear to be differentiated by a comic book frame upon inspection. For example, in searching for the mechanic's number, you come across notes on the refrigerator which, when selected, produce a close-up grouping to showcase what can and cannot be selected for investigation. Martin doesn't appear to be in any particular hurry, as he only walks from place to place. However, if you double-click on another area as soon as you enter a room (referenced by an open-door icon), he will immediately appear in that area. This seems to be an acceptable enough trade-off to his single-gait mode. Martin uses his house phone a couple of times, but other than that, there is little physical interaction in this segment. Java is working the bookshelf with a duster like an obsessive compulsive bent on finding that last speck of grime, and apparently can't be bothered to respond until Martin warrants his attention and assistance. Martin himself has a nice timbre and an English accent. He will voice a description of inventory items, often giving clues as to what to do with them, but all else is described through text. The only dialogue tree in the preview is with Java, and there are a set number of unchanging responses to choose from. There are several scripted moments in the game, such as Martin's phone call in the game's intro, and when you find the mechanic's number and prompt Martin to call and see if your car is ready. The puzzles consist of inventory collecting and combining, then interacting with the appropriate hotspot in the environment. There will undoubtedly be conversation-based puzzles as well, since interrogation is a primary skill of any good detective. While the key challenge I experienced with the demo was in simply finding the items I needed, this task was made somewhat exhaustive by the sheer number of items one can click on for more information. It appears to be less a red herring diversion than an attempt to inform the player of the boundaries of Martin's world. Some players who crave the greater item density of older games will appreciate this for what it is, yet others might be dismissive of this detail and find frustration in their attempts to pare down exactly what is and is not intrinsic to their search. My personal impression tends to side with the latter, as I'd rather have an environment cater to the pace of the story, instead of the story halted by a need to finger the various trappings of the environment. There are only eight slots available to save and load from, which should be sufficient for your quest. Once loaded, your game allows you access to a scrolling inventory at the bottom of the screen, simply by click on the floating "i" information button. For those already fans of Martin Mystère/Mystery, we are told the game will be totally faithful to the comic, its characters and settings. During your adventure, you will encounter more friends like Angie and Travis, and Martin's old nemesis, Jinx. The Operation Dorian Gray story itself is based on one of the comics, though adapted to provide a more substantial gameplay experience. However, for the many who have never read the comics, this game looks to be a nice introduction, requiring no previous familiarity with the source material. This preview is but a small glimpse of what could potentially be a compelling and enjoyable adventure game experience. We'd have loved to see more of the larger adventure awaiting Martin, but for that we'll just have to wait for the complete version. Look for this release by GMX Media soon, and Adventure Gamers' full review! Where to Buy [affiliate links]
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