Monday, January 17, 2011

Classic game review: Valley of the Kings

In this action-adventure set in the ancient Egypt, you guide a character animated through a maze of passages, collect valuable items and fight or manoeuvre around to an array of guards, trolls and other beasts. Documentation is well written. Nobody should have no difficulty in knowing what to do. Adventure consists of three distinct phases. In the first phase, remove you all valuables and arms that are found in adventure. In the second phase, you travel through a maze of crossroads that double back on themselves. And, in the third phase, you try to outwit a couple of crazy creatures that you want to zap back to the first room in the phase III. This game has a number of features that make it interesting and somewhat different from most adventures. Firstly, the character that you move has internal animation (even if it is a single color).

Then game manufacturer has designed a smart way to reveal clues and the identity of objects you: simply pass the character on the object and its identity appears in the text window. The message of the text window continues to re-emerge, even if you don't want, until you clear the object. If the object is of some use or value, it is automatically added to your inventory.

Thanks to a technique of programming called "page-flipping", rooms, passages and other places appear fully drawn. Just move your character to the left coast and blip! It is on the right side of the screen in a place brand-new. Of course, this also works with right, top and bottom. Places and characters does not adequately convey or carry Egyptian adventure theme. For example, what is a troll on a bridge in Egypt? With a bit more thinking, the author could use appropriate mythical characters. And it might have decorated the borders of the rooms with Egyptian motifs, such as leaves of Palm trees and hieroglyphics. As it is, has nothing onscreen to really enhance the theme of the Egyptian framework for adventure.

The game starts by offering you an option to read a brief summary of scenario. Once past that your character appears on a road with two signs; and you're on your adventure! You read the signs, and then move your character on the pavement, collect coins, rings and swords. Unlike most other adventures, there is no limit to how many you can run. In addition, many objects have values (such as rings and coins) will help your score at the end, but are of no particular use in adventure. Curiously, you get all the points that contribute to your score in the first phase of the adventure.

Therefore, you can only lose points. It is a matter of maintenance for you. The author provides a number of tips for adventures and the top rating. It is to wait and observe the movements of each villain to try out the manoeuvre he never battle with a villain to unless told to do (or you'll get zapper to a room earlier) and, if the bad guy gets too close, running room. You can see your inventory, your score, a list of characters for adventure, or even light a match, controlled by joystick or by typing an appropriate letter. Access to these features with the joystick is a little difficult, the game does not require that you type directions or commands and there is no feature "save game" (nor is there a real need for one).

It is not, I repeat, not a heavyweight adventure. In fact, it can be completed in less than an hour. But this does not mean that it's not fun. It is, and it is probably as much for new or younger adventurers. Adventure conventions, such as find matches (or other source of light) and their use in light dark passages are not considered as puzzles.

Instructions clearly tell you that you have found. And at least one of the places where you use is clearly labelled. However, given that its set value is not derived from solve riddles and puzzles, but rather manoeuvres character on screen, there are lots of fun to be had by replay of adventure to try to beat your last score.

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