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Agharta is a good example of a game that is long on form, but short on
substance. It's an action/adventure like Ecstatica. The plot and style of the game
are reminiscent of Heart of China with a dash of speculative science thrown in: you
are a daring WWII-era pilot hired by a beautiful blonde to find her father, a famous
scientist who mysteriously disappeared during an expedition to the north pole a few
years ago. En route to the explorer's last known location, your plane's equipment
starts going crazy, forcing you to crash-land into the freezing cold. With only your
loyal dog Murphy by your side, you must now continue the search on foot, unaware of
the spectacular dangers and beauty that await. The best aspect of Agharta is the
well-crafted gameworld that boasts many detailed backdrops. The graphics are
texture-mapped 3D. Fog effects are especially good, truly evoking the feel of
mysterious lands and the sub-zero climate of the arctic. Although the characters
(most of whom are hostile animals) are not full 3D, they don't look out of place
against 3D backdrops. Unfortunately, the intriguing premise and great graphics cannot
save the game from its banal and repetitive gameplay. You will spend most of your time
trying to defend yourself against hostile animals that range from penguins, mysterious
arctic apes, to more exotic opponents. You do this mostly by throwing rocks (yes,
rocks) at them, and while you can collect better weapons later on in the game, they
are few and far between. The "adventure game" element is a mix between extreme
pixel-hunting and Myst-style figure-out-this-weird-machine puzzles. |
