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Synapse's last game and also its most ambitious, Mindwheel
unfortunately ends up as an ideal example of a great concept that is horrendously
botched by frustrating puzzles that are not illogical, but are poorly integrated
with the amazing storyline. Written by Robert Pinsky, one of the most acclaimed
young poets in the 20th century, Mindwheel simply has one the best and most unique
sci-fi plots you'll ever come across, with many layers and metaphors that will
take repeat playing to appreciate. At its most basic level, the game is about
telepathy: you will time-travel into the kaleidoscopic minds of four deceased
geniuses. You will encounter the Cave Master, inspired father of the primary visions,
retrieve the Wheel of Wisdom, civilization's one key to salvation, and witness some
of the most crucial moments in history. Unfortunately, this wonderful premise is
shattered by absurd puzzles that bear no relation to the game's larger plot. Most
of the game's puzzles revolve around finding words to complete the various sonnets
posed by different characters, and answering obscure riddles. The problem is that
it is often almost impossible to know if you have found the right word, and why.
Worse still, some words are written only in the manual/novella that comes with the
game, with almost no clue to the effect. The parser is decent, although its range
of synonyms are very limited (for example, in one case it will only understand LADY
but not WOMAN). |