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Last time I reviewed a Spanish piece of software, it turned out to be one of the most satisfying adventures I had played in ages. Just like in Runaway, you can tell right away from the beginning that the people behind The Westerner are genuine fans of classic adventures. It’s even more evident here for a number of reasons you'll learn in a few moments. The whole adventure scene from Spain has, in general, a very old-school feel, which, to hopelessly nostalgic people like me, is extremely appealing. With Runaway, The Westerner and a few other games, which I will hopefully review in the future, Spain is, from my point of view, carrying the torch of adventures right now. Now, let’s get on with business: perhaps you remember Fenimore Fillmore from his previous adventure (or perhaps not as it was seemingly unknown outside Europe), 3 Skulls Of The Toltecs (http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/3_Skulls/3_Skulls_Review.shtm). Well, that game left a bit to be desired, but now Fenimore is back with a vengeance! Just Like In The Movies
Very much like the most iconic western movie, you get to ride a horse, rob a bank, exchange a few bullets with the villains in turn and drink up to the point of cirrhosis at the local saloon bar. So is the tough life of a cowboy! It soon becomes apparent that plot isn’t the focus of The Westerner. The whole story can be told in a few lines: Fenimore arrives in town, just in time to witness some intimidating looking men harassing a farmer. Being the hero he intends to be, he intercedes and somehow manages to scare them away. As a gesture of gratitude, the farmer, Bannister, invites Fenimore to have dinner with his family and puts him in the know of the town happenings: the bad guy in turn, Starek, who literally runs this place, is obsessed in getting rid of every single farmer, either by incriminating them with made-up felonies or just shooting them. Obviously, he's also pulling the strings of the local sheriff. As you're probably assuming, Fenimore accepts to help the farmers because if he didn’t, to put it bluntly, there wouldn't be a game. Now, I have no idea how they’re going to translate this, but there’s this common plant in Spain, which is widely used in foods. Fenimore has some kind of allergy of it and, by his own words; he could die if he ate one! Well, according to my handy dictionary it’s the “artichoke”. I’ve never tasted one and with such a name I’m not intending to. There are a couple of funny jokes with the artichokes during the introduction, which, if I may say, was very nicely done. There's a whole cinematic feeling to The Westerner and every single cut scene is fantastic. Back to the plot: Fenimore learns that he must solve three tasks (sound familiar?) to help the farmers stand up to Starek: get one more man to help defend the farms, weapons to have something to defend themselves with and somehow stop more Starek's henchmen from arriving to town. Of course, the story isn't complete without a damsel in distress and, in this case, she's (surprise!) Starek's nephew Rhiannon. Too bad Fenimore falls in love with her before knowing this. Not only does she have a mean uncle, you can’t imagine the dork she's about to unwillingly marry! In one of the game's most enjoyable moments, Livy, Rhiannon's servant, helps Fenimore to sneak inside Starek's mansion to meet her loved one and express his feelings. No, I'm not going to tell you what happens next, but this is a family game. Like with Monkey Island, which once more seems to be most obvious source of inspiration here, the absence of a plot is made up with way too funny situations and memorable characters. If there is one area where The Westerner truly shines, it is the characters. They are so charming and well animated that you'll think you're watching a cartoon picture. This combined with the colorful 3D world is, my friends, a real feast to the eyes. The expressions of Fenimore have to be seen to be believed. The rest of the facials aren't on par with him but Rhiannon and Livy deserve a mention of honor. Livy is probably the most likable character after Fenimore, although conversations with her can be reeeally winded-up. The dialogues are some of the best I've heard in a while and each character has plenty of lines. Thankfully, the voice acting is very good, if not great, in this Spanish version. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they'll keep this level of quality or improve it for the English version. All in all, The Westerner brings a whole new meaning to the term “guilty pleasure”. Just Like The Old Days
Just to clarify, the interface isn’t an experiment like Gabriel Knight 3, in which you controlled both the camera and character with mixed results -- it’s a classic interface done in 3D: point a hotspot, toggle between “look” and “use” and click. In the case of The Westerner, the “look” action actually works as a “zoom” action that brings up a close-up of the object or person in question. This also brings a couple of problems. One of them is that sometimes something is on the way of the close-up, either Fenimore himself or the door of a closet. The other problem is an evident lack of feedback from the character. I’d love to hear Fenimore comment about some things but, alas, all I get is a closer view of them. An example of a weird situation this brings: in the town you find a bull behind a jail, something quite strange I’d say. I was really wondering about this and it would have been great to have Fenimore accompanying me in my curiosity, perhaps with a silly remark, as I didn't know what to make out of it until later. The interface works great but, of course, it’s not perfect. For instance, you have to click on the ground to make Fenimore move around. It would have been more comfortable to just make him move toward the direction you point since sometimes the ground or floor you wish to walk are behind something, like a building, and you have to wait for the camera to switch. Hardly an issue. You also have the usual camera problems with angles, but those are akin to 3D games in general. Anyway, this is a living testament that 3D and direct control doesn’t necessarily have to be married together. It seems that Revistronic is not afraid at all to acknowledge their influences as there are some classic Lucasarts jokes thrown around. For instance, after the game ends, there is a big red message urging you to insert CD 2 (which obviously doesn't exist). For the youngest adventurers, that was a very funny Easter egg from Monkey Island. There's even an insult fighting puzzle! This kind of acknowledgment can be also appreciated in Pendulo’s, the makers of Runaway, first adventure Igor Objective: Wacky... Kiwi... Uikokahonia, which will be soon reviewed at your favorite adventure site. Besides being clearly inspired by classic adventures, Fenimore seems to vaguely resemble Woody from Toy Story although I can't really tell whether this was intentional or not. There's also a nod to The Wild Wild West movie as you happen to find a robot and an odd mechanical contraption in a fair. Now, I will do my best to transmit my feelings about one particular thing. You have to move around a lot in The Westerner and you do this using the quintessential element present in nearly every non-linear adventure: the map. The map, by definition, is an overview of the current gaming area. So, you generally click on the location you wish to visit and then you travel to it, perhaps witnessing a previous cut scene. The map in this game works all the same. As a matter of fact, there's nothing special at all about it, but it has the exception that is the best frigging’ map ever!! No, wait -- allow me to rephrase that: the best damn friggin’ map ever!! Mostly because it’s in 3D and it has a cool “warped” effect when you scroll through it that makes you drool all over your keyboard. And it has such a lot of detail, I don’t know. I mean it’s... its like total w00t! The music could have used a bit more of work but, at the least, it never gets in the way and that's enough. The only memorable tune, and the one you will probably find yourself whistling while playing, is the "default" walk-around tune. As a matter of fact, I'm whistling it right now so it has to be the tune that most clearly identifies the game. That or I need more sleep. If you despise 3D in your adventures, this is the game that will make you embrace it like the most gorgeous thing ever. The Westerner puts you in a charming and very lively world without intrusive controls or scarifying any gameplay. Too good to be true? Keep on reading.
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