Island hopping in "Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All The Girls"

Life of Ernie...

After escaping from home and spending time at Sorcerer University, Ernie Eaglebeak was the only person left to chase after the thieves of the Sorcerer's Appliance, an object of great magic power. The magical surfboard I swiped from my professor's office wasn't able to take me just anywhere on the map; it could only cover that much distance. So I set course to the nearest island.

A severe game of "Who Is It?"

After I reached the Island of Lost Soles, my next objective was very clear, though I didn't quite know what it would get me exactly. Eighty people had been turned into objects, and only by figuring out their names could I cast a spell on them and change them back. Each name had something to do with the object they had been turned into. This was like solving a huge crossword puzzle in the style of Return to the Obra Dinn and The Roottrees Are Dead. It was quite fun to do, though there were lots of names I had never heard of. Thankfully, once in a while a nymph would come flying by, asking whether I'd seen this or that person. That usually gave a new name to try out all over the place, and in hindsight, I usually saw why it was chosen.

I prefer the women of Themyscira...

Solving this puzzle finally got me a key, but to what I knew not. So with nothing left to do, it was on to the next island. This one was perhaps even more schizo, but frankly easier to solve. Time went backwards here, and instead of typing in commands on what Ernie should do, I had to type commands of what the descriptions told me Ernie had just done. Otherwise the space-time continuüm would rip him apart. That still happened quite often, though... I also learned that saving your game here wasn't that handy. Once I returned, I only got a description of the room I was in, and no longer of what had happened just before. So I had no idea which command I was supposed to type, since I couldn't remember the circumstances...

"You know what I'd really like? A cheeseburger."

But eventually I found my way out, and started to realize that all these places have pedestals that once housed accessories to the Sorcerer's Appliance. They had all been stolen, it seemed! But all these places also had a new spell to offer, so I realized I was beefing up for some final showdown, no doubt. I visited some other places on the map, like an island full of warrior women wanting to do some special "training" with Ernie (so I had to dress up as a woman to escape; and I didn't get a spell on this island, by the way, so I hope I didn't miss it and am now en route towards a dead end!), a busy restaurant where a shark first ate my spellbox (but then I ate the shark...) and the Island of the Gods, where I had to clean up a garbage dump for some reason.

I think I blasted away his cousin in "The Dig"...

During my 9,5 hour (so far!) journey I learned that the thief apparently went to Fort Blackwand, so that will probably be my final destination. Before I could set foot on land, however, a leviathan showed up blocking the way. Now, how to get rid of this fella...

You can find the Spellcasting games on Steam and on GOG!

"The Dark Rites of Arkham", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "As much as I love books, there’s almost no need to read the original Lovecraft stories when there are amazing developers like Postmodern Adventures creating such well-crafted interactive stories based on them. The gorgeous pixel art here brings both the city and its residents to life, and even without voice acting, the writing pulls you forward along its fairly linear tracks, tapping your foot to the raspy tones of the jazzy soundtrack as you go. With plenty of locations to explore, characters to question, and items to find and puzzle around with, The Dark Rites of Arkham is a very traditional yet utterly enjoyable point-and-click adventure that proves there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. As long as the ride takes us to the darkest reaches of our world and beyond, I’ll gladly spend eight hours of my life on grisly creations like this one!"

"Rue Valley", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "Despite some rough edges and shortcuts in terms of technical production, and a disappointing ending that leaves much to be desired, I enjoyed playing through this forty-seven minute time loop over and over again, partly because it very much guides you along the necessary path. Of course there’s repetition, but it’s not frustrating repetition, where you have to do the same tasks over and over again, just a tad differently to get a slightly alternate outcome as I have often experienced in similar games. Here you’re not aiming for that perfect run, you’re looking for all the pieces of the story puzzle, and when it comes to that, Rue Valley’s gaming experience and stylish presentation definitely succeed."

Classic playthrough: "Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All The Girls"

New game!

I've never played a game by Legend Entertainment before. I didn't even know this company existed until I read about it in The Guide To Classic Graphic Adventures. It's part of why I started doing classic playthroughs for this blog; I definitely wanted to finally fill that gap in my knowledge. And so that particular personal quest starts with Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All The Girls. A game that probably wouldn't see the light of day in our current times. I mean, just look at that cover; this is Porky's or Revenge of the Nerds except with magic. We're definitely not in that 80s frame of mind anymore...

Such an overwhelming UI...

I'm Ernie Eaglebeak. Suffering a violent stepfather, it's my intention to enroll into Sorcerer University, learn some cool spells, whoop his ass, and finally win the heart of my nextdoor girl of my dreams, Lola Tigerbelly. And perhaps those of several others as well, since I'm basically a horny teenager, it seems. The game starts with me locked up in a room, and I need to escape. After some time has passed, a buddy of my stepdad shows up and carries me off to work for him. Game over. 

Finally arrived at Sorcerers University!

This game is a melange of user interfaces. It's a text adventure, but it does have graphics as well, even with some small animations now and then. It's not only a text parser game, because it also supports a point 'n click interface where you can choose the necessary verbs and hotspots from on-screen lists with your mouse. But it's pretty overwhelming, because there are over one hundred different verbs to choose from, and the hotspot list not only includes everything there is to see in a particular location, but also your entire inventory. I often forgot whether I was already carrying an object with me or not.

This university is huge and I have no idea what to do!

It took me a whole hour to finally escape not only my room but also my street - where stepdad's buddy would still grab me - and reach chapter two where I suddenly find myself at the Sorcerer University. I had to restore and even restart several times because that guy kept showing up and dragging me with him. Apparently there's an in-game clock with fixed events at set times, and every action you perform takes five minutes. So my strategy is basically just exploring, trying out stuff, restoring when necessary, until I've figured out what it is I'm supposed to do and then go back to the start of the chapter for  a quick and efficient playthrough.  

The plot has thickened!

It took me another two and a half hours to figure out what I'm supposed to do at that university, since the place is huge and there's lots to see and do. I found a kind of magic-VR-room to practice spells, located some frat houses and brought a girl back to my room (to keep her safe from the other boys, I promise!), had to deal with a professor's wife coming on to me (what is it with the women in this game...) and discovered a maze which actually wasn't that hard to navigate for a change. Then suddenly the university is attacked, a very special magical object stolen, and I find myself all alone. With a modified surfboard in hand I'm supposed to travel elsewhere, I guess, but I haven't figured out yet where. I had a feeling this was going to be a difficult game, but it still blows the mind...

You can find the Spellcasting games on Steam and on GOG!

Finished "Perfect Tides" but missed lots of content...

A very Willy Beamish type street...

After playing through summer and fall, and as the ending of Perfect Tides drew near, I had a feeling I had missed out on lots of stuff. At first I was a bit frustrated by that, since I'm more into linear adventure games without optional content and where you can't miss anything that's important.

First time I'm able to enter this room...

But I realized almost immediately, this is exactly the way it's supposed to be. As a teenager - but actually as an adult still - you don't really know what you're doing. You're living your life improvising all the way through. You can make plans, but they won't always work out. You don't always have obvious goals. And there is stuff you will miss out on or fail to do, very often because you weren't even aware of them. That's just what life is like.

Love the winter version of this game!

As soon as I entered the harvest festival, I realized I should have planted the seeds I found at the start of the game. But I never seemed to have a chance to do so; the story just progressed. I failed to get my mom a gift for Hanukkah for the same reason: I never seemed to have the chance to find anything for her. Then I started thinking perhaps it was linked to those photo negatives I developed at school, but I never seemed to have the chance to go back there and actually develop the photos themselves. Other things kept getting in the way, you might say.

I'd have dumped him for his driving style alone...

Knowing all that now, Perfect Tides truly has replay potential. But do I really want to? I experienced Mara's story, basically a full year in Mara's life. Or at least my version of it. You can't have do-overs in real life, and for me the story is quite wrapped up. After 7,5 hours, this is the story I got, based on the efforts (or lack of, apparently) I put into it. And I'm fine with that.

My thoughts exactly...

While I wouldn't immediately describe Perfect Tides as a feel-good game, it does fall into the cozy category for me. There's nothing difficult about it, except perhaps regularly needing to revisit all locations to find that one trigger that will progress the story. But the game has depth too; I really enjoyed the narrator's dialogue, going deep into Mara's feelings. While I didn't always understand Mara's behaviour towards others, I certainly recognized that general feeling of being lost in the world, unseen by others. And this is exactly what makes it stand out between other games. It's the interactive version of a young adult novel, of a coming of age story, and I really appreciate the efforts that went into making this.

Happy Hanukkah!

While I might not play its sequel, Station to Station, immediately, I will definitely check it out some day. For now, it's time for another classic playthrough. I'm going to return to the magical year 1990, and this will be the very first time I'll play a game by Legend Entertainment. It has a totally different user interface and gameplay style than I'm familiar with, so I'm sure it'll be quite the experience!

You can find Perfect Tides on Steam and on GOG!

"Éalú", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

 

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt:"Éalú is a wordless brainteaser good for a couple hours of pure puzzling to escape a maze filled with mechanical obstacles, its stop-motion technique bringing a real wooden toy mouse to life working wonders. While I’m usually no fan of labyrinths in games, the sheer ambition of the developers actually handcrafting each room, then photographing each step the mouse makes, results in an impressive production that heightens the cuteness factor as well as the empathy you feel for the little fella. I wanted the mouse to make it to the end, hated each time it died, and thus tried to avoid it for the rest of the experience. And of course I cheered when I finally succeeded and saw my little rodent friend leave the labyrinth in an endearing final cutscene. With such a short play time, there’s no need to rush, taking your time to savor the experience. After all, the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

It's fall in "Perfect Tides", and lots of drama has passed by...

Beaches are cool...

So after my first introduction to Perfect Tides, I slowly started to relate to the main character Mara very much. My first real relationship was with someone I met in a chatroom as well, so I can totally recognize her excitement and enthusiasm.

ASL?

You move through the storyline at a steady pace. Usually it's apparent where you're supposed to go and what you have to do. Sometimes, though, I was afraid I might have missed something. Often when you talk to someone - like Mara's mom, for instance - you can go with them but they'll ask if you're ready or not. Then you have the option to go immediately, or to wait a bit so you can still do other things. But I never know what else to do, so I've always gone with them straight away. So I don't know whether there might be optional tasks you can miss out on this way.

Dreaming of my next cruise...

There are puzzles, but they don't amount to much. The focus lies on playing through Mara's life as a teenager. And once again, it becomes very recognizable at times. I was an awkward teenager as well, with goofy hair and childish clothes. I never really felt accepted at high school, always felt as the outsider. It got better in later years, when we all had grown up a bit. But at Mara's age? Yes, pure hell.

Sneaky ninja...

But playing Perfect Tides makes me glad I'm not a girl. I get very uncomfortable playing as Mara. I'm constantly afraid something bad will happen, that someone will take advantage of her. There are so many boys - and men - around her, it feels like it's only a matter of time. One guy at school actually showing his, ahem, reproductive organ to her during class... Another guy trying to persuade her to kiss him in an alley...

Party time!

The story takes place in all seasons. I've already had spring and summer, and four hours into the game it's fall. Winter is still coming, but I can only guess where the story will go. Mara's online boyfriend Staggle has to be part of it, but I'm also expecting something world-shattering, something far worse then Mara's brother cutting her off from the internet...

You can find Perfect Tides on Steam and on GOG!