Finished "Willy Beamish" in 5 aggravating hours...

I should have received a real cup, finishing this game...

I finished The Adventures of Willy Beamish in five aggravating hours. Don't get me wrong, I like the little guy. But what a game! If this was made today, it might still contain death scenes but I'm sure you would automatically respawn to try again. The final sequence of the game has some timed sequences where it's a matter of clicking fast and correctly. I do appreciate that sense of urgency and danger, but manually saving and restoring every step of the way isn't of our time anymore.

Why exactly did I need to go into this Buttcrack Bar?

So, after escaping from the Humpford mansion, I learn that my dad has been kidnapped and I need to hurry and save him. So I need to find a way into the Sludgeworks. Only, the strikers are blocking the entrance. It took me quite a while to figure out where to go and what to do. Thankfully there were limited possibilities this time, but I still had to look for some outside assistance for this puzzle. And even now I have no idea how you were supposed to figure it out without some inside knowledge.

Looks like my cooking pot when I try to make chocolate mousse...

So I finally found my way inside the factory, only to be confronted with a series of timed action sequences. I had to save in every room I entered, and had to reload every one of them at least five times. Perhaps it's because my previous playthrough had been a while that I couldn't figure out what to do with all the control panels I encountered. Turned out I had all the answers in my inventory...

Not exactly LeChuck's fortress, but still quite impressive...

All in all, I'm glad I played through this game again, but I wouldn't exactly call it fun. The first half is definitely okay. It's easy going, quite cozy even, with obvious things to do. The second half is a lot of work, with trial and error, saving and restoring, quite non-intuitive puzzles even. But it's a decent enough story, quite the adventure that really fits in with all those animated movies I used to watch as a kid (and sometimes still do...) If it had been a bit more forgiving, I'd recommend it more, but as it is I'd only play it if you're really looking for a challenge.

"Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "A series’ “beach episode” is generally just a whimsical aside where familiar and favorite fictional characters leave their comfort zones to engage in far different activities than their everyday routines, literally by going swimming, surfing and playing tourist. Just a To the Moon Series Beach Episode might start off like that, but it soon adds other elements to keep you on your toes: there is more going on here, but the question is, will you find out exactly what? In my view, this elevates the game above a simple yet fun diversion. It is still fun, as the mini-games and some free choices ensure, but the overarching storyline for these characters takes a huge turn as well, making it an important addition to the series. We don’t yet know where this particular story will end, since there is still one more episode to come, but for series fans this is a wonderful day out with the SigCorp team and dramatically sets the stage for what lies ahead."

"Arsene Lupin - Once a Thief", my Adventure Game Hotspot review

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot.

Excerpt: "Although I expected to play only as Arsène Lupin himself, the playful way in which the narrative’s chronology is broken up between Lupin carrying out his heists and Ganimard trying to figure out how he does them is very fun. Some of the puzzles are fairly straightforward and overly forgiving, with unlimited tries and no repercussions when you do something wrong, but the more traditional investigative puzzling is rewarding to solve, and whenever I succeeded in linking evidence correctly, I felt as if I was donning a black cloak and top hat of my own in plotting my latest heist. The music is great, the isometric scenes fun to rotate and explore, and the supporting cast just begs to be fooled by Lupin. Since I’ve read some of the Leblanc books, I recognized some plot elements here and there, like how Lupin escapes his unavoidable arrest, but it’s certainly not necessary to know anything about the character going in. Just like his more famous British and Belgian contemporaries, Lupin is a character straight out of literary fiction who was long overdue a lead role, and I’m sure he will charm his way into the hearts of those who aren’t already familiar with his antics as well."