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Review
Two
From Tivola: The Little Prince and Robinson
Crusoe
The
Little Prince
Developer:
Gyoza Media
Publisher: Tivola
Release Date: Out Now
Platform:

Review by Randy Sluganski
April 17, 2003
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Tivola, with their current line-up of games like Chemicus and Bioscopia,
will never be a major force in the gaming community simply because
their products are too highbrow and intellectual for the unwashed
gaming masses. But their commitment to quality and high production
values ensures that once their niche audience discovers these products,
they will experience a long and profitable run in this industry.
Consider, for example,
The Little Prince, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. In an industry
that reveres individuals like Stevie Case and John
Carmack as its standard-bearers, how refreshing is it to discover
a game narrated by an Oscar-nominated and acclaimed Shakespearean
actor? So pour yourself a spot of tea and crack open the crumpets ‘cause
we’re gonna get us some class!
If you are already a fan
of The Little Prince, then this is a must-have purchase and if
you are not familiar with Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s
classic and enchanting tale, then this may well be the perfect introduction.
The author, who was tormented by WWII and the state of occupied France,
left his homeland for New York and it was in this beleaguered state
of mind that the Little Prince was created.
It would be easy to dismiss this as an interactive novel, but it
is much more. There are numerous ways to approach this compilation,
but I would seriously suggest, first do the obvious (which is usually
the last thing I do) and read the instructions! I was totally flummoxed
as to how to proceed as the unique opening menu is unlike anything
I have ever encountered in a game. As planets float across the solar
system, the player must mouse-click on the different planets to access
the different portions of the game.
Clicking on the planet
Saturn allows the player to read The Little Prince embellished
with the author’s original illustrations.
If you would rather be read to, then just click-on the swallow icon
at the beginning of each chapter to hear the text read by Kenneth
Branagh as you watch an animated version of the story. Clicking on
the airplane circling planet Earth opens a biography of the author
and visiting the main character’s home world - Asteroid B 612 – opens
an adventure to stop a rose from shriveling away and allowing quick-growing
Baobab trees to destroy the planet.
There’s much, much
more, but some things are best left to be explored and discovered
on your own for essentially that is the
guiding principle of The Little Prince, to stay young at heart and
keep an open mind regardless of your age or circumstances.
Final Grade: B
System Requirements:
WIN: WIN 95, 98 or 2000 and WIN NT 4.x
Pentium 133 PC, 16 MB RAM, 32768 color graphics card,
sound card, CD-ROM drive 4x speed.
MAC: Mac Power PC (120Mhz), System 7.5 - 9.0, 16 MB RAM,
32768 color graphics card, CD-ROM drive 4x speed.
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Robinson
Crusoe
Developer: Gyoza
Media
Publisher: Tivola
Release Date: Out Now
Platform:

Review by Randy Sluganski
April 17, 2003
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|
Trade
for this game at:

Buy
this game here:

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One thing is for sure,
no one can legitimately complain about the plot or characters of
this game. Robinson Crusoe is a mishmash of
a project that is part adventure game and part interactive novel
and while it may not appeal to everyone’s taste, it would definitely
be a wonderful learning tool.
As with The Little
Prince, the player can choose to either read
the text of the novel on their own or have it read to them by narrator
Martin Jarvis. The pictures in the text can be clicked-on to activate
animated sequences that feature real actors in the roles of Robinson
Crusoe and eventually Friday.
The in-book animations allow for a sweeping 360-degree panoramic
navigation of the island and as an added nice touch, island areas
that have been previously visited will have changed in appearance
when revisited later in the game.
Of importance to adventure
gamers though is that pivotal scenes from Daniel Defoe’s
novel are assumed by the gamer as you become Robinson Crusoe and
must now provide the means to survive on the
island.
The player is given the tasks of constructing a raft, collecting
useable objects from the wreck of your ship, building a shelter,
making medication, catching a parrot and baking bread. While the
experienced adventure gamer might find collecting the necessary inventory
items and combining them too easy, these simplistic puzzles are a
wonderful introduction for a newbie and could encourage a lifelong
passion for adventure games.
I think that a great way to approach these interactive novels is
not as an alternative to reading, but as a tool that enhances the
original novel and provides an enriched learning experience for those
willing to dig a little deeper.
Final Grade: C
System Requirements:
WIN: WIN
95, 98 or 2000 and WIN NT 4.x
Pentium 133 PC, 16 MB RAM, 32768 color graphics card,
sound card, CD-ROM drive 4x speed.
MAC: Mac
Power PC (120Mhz), System 7.5 - 9.0, 16 MB RAM,
32768 color graphics card, CD-ROM drive 4x speed.
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