A point-and-click slideshow
game that’s pretty long in the tooth
. . . Is The Labyrinth of Time worth going back to?

Picture this.  An adventure game released waaaay back in 1992/93.  A
first person point-and-click game with slideshow navigation through
a mysterious world which has been threatened by an evil genius.

Now I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking, Ray, why would
any self-respecting, maze-hating adventure gamer ever even pick up
a game that had the word “Labyrinth” in the title?!?  Okay, just
calm down everyone.  Take deep breaths.  This is a maze-filled game
that even a maze hater (like me) could like.

Why?  I’ll get to that
in a minute.

THE DAEDALUS ENCOUNTER

First, the set up.  Your character is living a very grey life in
New York City.  Nothing interesting ever happens to you.  Until today!  What
happens?  Well, you’re minding your own business in the subway when
who should appear to you but Daedalus.  You know, from mythology,
the guy who built the original labyrinth.  He tells you that the
very fabric of space/time is in trouble due to an evil presence that
only YOU can stop.  Hey, it’s an adventure game, right?

Suddenly your world is
no longer gray.  Colors everywhere!  You
venture off of the subway and into . . . Yes!  Into The Labyrinth
of Time!!

At first, the Labyrinth
appears to just be a seedy old hotel.  As
you begin exploring, however, this quickly turns out not to be the
case. 

The game is in a first
person, point and click format with slideshow navigation.  The
art is splendid throughout, and in the course of the game you get
to explore such varied visual environments as a
circus mirror maze, a Minoan palace, an Aztec pyramid, a wild west
town, an art deco theater, and many more.

MAZE-O-RAMA

The entire game area is
one huge maze, with each are being a smaller maze unto itself.  Now, calm down, I said!  Stay with me here . .
. What makes this all palatable is the excellent mapping feature
that the game designers very intelligently (and mercifully) included.  This
map feature expands as you explore more territory, and at any moment
will show you exactly where you are in relation to the other areas
you have explored.

The puzzles are pretty
standard, inventory-based and mild tiddleware.  This
is not the area the game shines the most in, because the puzzles
are not terribly logical.  I’m not a fan of what I call “arbitrary” puzzle
solutions, and Labyrinth is guilty of this sin to a certain
extent.

However, the story, which
is slowly revealed to you through a variety of library computer
files, letters, journals, and museum exhibits,
is pretty nifty.  It’s an entertaining bunch of hooey about a mad
scientist (how many sane scientists have you come across in these
games?) who’s mad lust for power has disrupted the space time continuum.  You’ve
got to find a way to destroy his evil plans.

This game is rewarding
for the patient gamer, because each new area you find, each new
puzzle you solve or door you open, further opens
up this, well, this labyrinthine world.  Adding to the fun are teleportation
devices and journals with content that changes retroactively as you
make changes in the “timestream.”

The Labyrinth of Time is
one of those games that really benefits from having a coherent
visual style that comes from a single artist.  In
this case it’s the talented Bradley Schenck.  He was the art director
on the visually stunning I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,
and Labyrinth really benefits from his work.

Beautiful art, intriguing
mystery, mazes that even a maze hater can tolerate.  Okay, there’s lots of mazes!  Also, the puzzles at
times are fairly logical, involving a lot of backtracking.  Still,
worth the time of the curious adventure game completist.

Final Grade: C

System Requirements:

Minimum:

• 386/16MHz or
  faster
• 640K [512K free]
• 4Mb
  RAM [2Mb XMS free]
• MS DOS 3.3 or higher
• VGA
  graphics
• CD-ROM drive
• mouse

  Recommended:

• MS
  DOS 5.0 or greater
• Double-speed CD ROM
  drive
• SVGA VESA compatible
  video cards [640×480: 512K VRAM]

This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.