SusanGuild Master
Posts : 5485
Joined: 13 OCT 2002
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Status : Offline | I just played this game and had a blast! First off, it was created by Al Lowe, of Leisure Suit Larry. So of course, this game is full of humor. Another thing I liked about it is the look and feel reminds me of The Dagger of Amon Ra. You've got different icons for walk, look, pick up, etc. You play Freddy Pharkas, gunslinger-turned-pharmacist in the town of Coarsegold. The game has a Western theme which is a nice change of pace from most adventure games. The prologue is a funny sing-along showing Freddy's past and what led up to him being a pharmacist. I thought the game was pretty linear and most of the puzzles weren't extremely difficult and consisted of finding the right items to use or combine to achieve a specified task. I didn't mind this and I think it makes it a good game for those who are still new to the adventure genre. Freddy never leaves the town, so similar to Dagger you become very familiar with your surroundings. Another thing, is that there are about 3 action sequences in the game. Prior to starting each one, you can select your difficulty setting, and then if it gets too difficult, just click the Fast Foward button to skip to the end as if you had won. The game also features a verbal "Score!" every time you get an item or do something that increases your score. Although I completed the game, my score indicated I was missing several points, so it looks like there are still things to do or see.
I only have three complaints about this game. First, is that the copy protection for the game has you filling prescriptions for the townspeople or mixing a concoction to solve some problem the town is experiencing. While this wasn't a problem at first, by the fifth or sixth round it was like, "Enough already!" Second, would be the fact that starting around Act 2 (the game has 4 Acts), you find yourself going from one timed puzzle to the next. This is a good lesson to save often with multiple saved games. The first time through the game, when you're still trying to figure out what to do, these timed puzzles can be a little annoying. The positive end is that you dont have to immediately go and get one item and hurry to the next in order to finish the puzzle, but you can't dilly-dally either. Finally, I frequently experienced the dreaded "Out of Hunk" error message. Although I was able to (thankfully) get past it; usually it would occur if I were mixing a prescription and wanted to look at the items in my inventory. Big no-no. Two other times were in situations where it was crucial to do that scene in order to continue. The first time I got past it by getting rid of something in my inventory (never thought to restore to a point prior to gaining that item) and the other time I just had to decrease the Detail level and increase the speed, after getting a certain inventory item, then it worked fine.
Analysis: Highly recommended. It keeps a smile on your face with its humor and struck a chord with me. Must have been its different approach. How many games have you playing the role of a pharmacist? I think this is the first.
I was eager to play this game after I played the demo. Interesting thing about that demo, is that it contains puzzles you don't find in the full-length game!
I miss my Bubba: 1986 - 2006.
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