skybluerobIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 10
Joined: 25 SEP 2006
Status : Offline |
Hello all, this is my first post to the JA forum, even though I have been browsing it for years.
I have just completed Pentari:First Light from Malinche entertainment (www.malinche.net) and thought I would write a review on the game.
I used to play text adventures when I was younger, before technology moved on. I used to be fascinated by the infocom titles, especially the packaging.
I discovered Pentari when I was browsing the Just Adventure (www.justadventure.com) website, and thought I should check it out. I played the Pentari prequel and enjoyed it, so I thought I would order the full game.
I knew there were free games around, but I enjoy purchasing something that I wish to play, as I find I appreciate it more and can also be more critical if need be. Also the game really appealed to me, as do some of the other titles on offer.
I was pleased when it arrived as it had a couple of feelies (not up to Infocom standard but still good to have).
I started playing the game and found myself once again hooked to a text adventure. I was hooked as I captured a prisoner and was sent from Bostwin into Delphin to try to get the city under control.
I enjoyed the Pentari world and thought the writing style was very good, as were the descriptions.. The city of Delphin was very well realised and I enjoyed wandering round, talking to the characters and exploring all of the locations.
The storyline was intriguing and you did feel like part of a story. The rich, vivid descriptions also helped, and the place felt magical and far away. I could tell that the author had put a lot of effort into realising the game locations.
I found the characters interesting and some were amusing. I have always felt that the speech system in text adventures is a bit dodgy, and the same is true here. However when the characters responded, their comments highlighted their personalities. The world felt properly populated, which is always a good thing.
Another thing I should mention is that this is a massive game. Once you have wandered round the surface of Delphin, there are castles, keeps and underground lairs and mountains to explore. I didn’t once get bored of exploring, as I thought the writing style was of a high quality.
There are also some awesome spells to be cast, which is very satisfying when they work.
There are a couple of negatives. I found some of the puzzles were a bit unfair. I won’t go into details as I don’t want to spoil it for potential players, but some puzzles were not immediately obvious.
I suppose you don’t want adventures to be too easy, but when I consult a walkthrough and think “I would never have thought of that”, I am always a bit disappointed.
Also there are a LOT of items to collect, which is fine, but some items double as valuable treasures and also for solving the puzzles. I think it would have been best to leave a treasure item as a treasure item and a puzzle item as a puzzle item.
Having said all that, I managed to solve most of the puzzles by myself and had a thoroughly entertaining time doing so.
Also there were a few spelling mistakes here and there, but I have made a list of them and will send them to Malinche.
Since I have played Pentari I have noticed a lot of negative comments from the IF community about the game, I have to wonder how many that make these comments have actually played it. It is a very good game and well worth the money if you enjoy IF.
I have read some IF fans question why anyone would pay for a game? With that attitude is it any wonder why IF was dying out? If someone spends a lot of time writing, promoting and publishing a huge game like this, then of course they should get paid for it. I wouldn’t work for free.
One IF fan even said that only ‘simpletons’ would pay for a Malinche game. I must be a simpleton then but I had a very enjoyable time playing Pentari, and don’t regret the purchase for a minute.
I have paid far more for atrocious ‘big name’ games in the past that have spent no more than 30 minutes in on my computer before finding themselves on ebay.
Furthermore, I have read good things about the free game Anchorhead, and wonder why the creator of that game hasn’t offered it for sale. Sometimes offering things for free can cheapen the perception of their work. Although I do plan on playing Anchorhead, due to all the good press it has received.
For good free games, it might be worth getting them published by Malinche, to expose it to a greater audience and get some financial recompense. Also it would be good to get the Anchorhead games in a box with feelies (I’m a sucker for feelies).
Anyway, this is one of the reasons I felt I should write this review, as I don’t feel enough credit has been given to Pentari. I intend to put this review on as many IF websites that I can find.
It is good to have a company publishing IF again in a professional way, and if Malinche succeed then maybe the IF scene will take off again.
Rob.
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