Preview MYSTERIOUS JOURNEY II (aka SCHIZM 2) Developer: Detalion Publisher: The Adventure Company Genre: Adventure Release Date: December 2003 Platform: Preview by Red Egnes December 2, 2003

There's nothing better for me in an adventure game than the feeling of being "in" another world. The greatest adventures of all time, for me at least, all have something in common in that they quite literally cross the frontiers of imagination and drag you through the monitor into someone else’s dream. Among these games I count Syberia, The Longest Journey and Riven in my all-time top three. But in early 2002, another contender came along with just as much imagination and visual verve, coupling rock-hard puzzles and visuals that'd make Gaudi proud.

Schizm was a great game. Truth be told, for me it was only worth playing the DVD version with it's high-resolution graphics and extra animations and puzzles. It's probably the closest a developer has ever come to creating an interactive dream, with a fluid feeling of movement and bizarre, towering shapes underneath spectacular swirling starscapes. Its only real problem was it's over-reliance on complicated math-based puzzles, which were mind-warping to say the least and left many an adventurer reeling at their complexity. However, because they were so damn hard getting past them really gave you a feeling of satisfaction and the scenery that finishing them revealed was reward enough.

A plot by Australian sci-fi writer Terry Dowling also lifted it above the norm for what was, essentially, a Myst "clone", although the frankly risible acting did bring the story down a notch for many players. However, Polish developers Detalion should be congratulated for creating an adventure with such a unique visual style and epic scope.

Thankfully the game was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Schizm 2, or Mysterious Journey 2 depending on the country of release. It is now finished and is going to be winging its way to stores soon. I've been fortunate enough to get my hands on a pre-release copy, and can give you a brief JA+ exclusive hands-on preview of what to expect from what I believe is a ground-breaking title.

Upon loading the game, you're introduced to a slick presentational screen that leads into a classy intro. The story involves a man named Sen, who awakens after a 214-year suspended animation in a pod on an orbital station only to find it completely trashed. A hologram informs him he's the one to blame for a disaster on the nearby planet of Sarpedon, and that his cryo stasis was punishment for what he's done. Before it can finish the story, however, the hologram is destroyed and the game begins.

The intro showcases the move of the Reah/Schizm series of games into full 3D. The station's exterior design is both elaborate and intriguing and definitely a product of the same imagination that fuelled the previous titles. The modeling of the characters is also quite slick, as is the animation, although the costumes are quite bizarre and almost medieval in style. But the true magic occurs when the camera positions itself as the eyes of Sen, and you take over...

Never in the history of first-person adventures have you been able to take such a trip around such complex and rich scenery with so much control. The game plays very much like an FPS without the guns or twitch-reflex requirements and those scared of direct control will be pleased to know you can actually move around with just the mouse if you so wish. The interior of the station is rendered in great detail, with well-chosen textures wrapping themselves around complicated models, and thankfully the same weirdness seen in the previous games is ever present. The game is very much "on rails" though, so although you have the freedom to look where you want you are kept within the strict parameters of an adventure environment.

Graphics-wise there's nothing here to worry the Half Life 2's of this world, but it does come pretty damn close and creates the required dreamlike atmosphere that is needed in a title like this. Later scenes, particularly on the planet, contain lush vegetation coupled with structures reminiscent of those seen in Schizm during the closing scenes, and although the actual areas are relatively small the sense of scale is just right. Those still stuck on pre-rendered games are in for a pleasant surprise when they realize how close this comes in places to the same kind of quality.

Those worried about voice acting can at last allay their fears as thank goodness, although played a bit flat, the characters are well portrayed and about standard from what you'd expect from a video game. Thankfully, the animators seem to have paid some attention to the physical acting that gives the player something to look at, even if some of the speeches are quite long. Then there's always the scenery to look at...

Lastly, the puzzles. Those I've encountered early on vary between the reasonably quick to finish to the incredibly difficult. The puzzles are, however, logical and despite straining my brain muscles I managed to overcome even the most difficult, eventually. Due to the puzzles I have noticed some gaps in the physical logic of the world, like not being able to cross a bridge that, in the real world, would just require a step up or down to mount.

Possibly the most difficult thing many gamers will have problems with is the performance. To truly enjoy the opulence of the Mysterious Journey 2 universe, you’ll need a beast of a rig. I've got a reasonable high-to-mid range machine, and in places it was really struggling to keep up the frame rate. Luckily for those with a lower spec, there are options to play it on a low resolution with no special effects, and it still looks pretty good. From what I've seen, however, don't expect silky-smooth frame rates - but seeing as this is an adventure game with no reflexes involved that’s not a huge problem. Those with motion sickness fears need not worry either - both walk speed and mouse sensitivity can be appropriately adjusted.

To sum up, what I've played on it so far is enjoyable, beautiful and difficult. Detalion has done an excellent job. When compared to the recent Uru, Mysterious Journey 2 has been developed on a far smaller budget and looks just as good, if not better. Look forward to a full review soon on Just Adventure +... if they can pry it from my cold, clammy fingers first...