Practice Makes Perfect

These days, the dedicated
adventurer has to spend a lot of time separating the wheat from the
chaff. Although we are often enticed by artists who design incredible
visuals, it is rare that we are rewarded by developers who create
great games with eye candy, intelligent puzzles, and a good story.

Schizm: The Mysterious
Journey is the culmination of three years of effort by Detalion
and L.K. Avalon. These companies are previously credited with Reah:
Face the Unknown – a visually stunning yet dismal game that ranks
high on my personal list of “worst of genre.” What a delight
to see that this team has evolved to produce Schizm – an adventure
that corrects almost every flaw that made Reah so painful to
play. Perhaps the addition of Australian science fiction writer Terry
Dowling made the difference. Or, perhaps the developers have honed
their skills and are now more skilled at all facets of game design.

Whatever the reason, Schizm
is a quantum leap from Reah. It has a storyline that runs throughout
the entire game. It has logic-based puzzles that are difficult but
solvable by those with adequate time and intellect. And, unlike the
traditional “empty landscape” experience, you have a partner
and are not alone.

Sam
and Hannah Hit the Road

The game begins as Hannah
Grant and Sam Maloney proceed on a mission to explore the planet Argilus
to determine the fate of 100+ scientists who have gone incommunicado.
While sweeping the surface, their ship malfunctions and they eject
onto the planet’s surface in separate pods. They maintain radio contact
while attempting to find each other, but soon discover that they are
separated by more than geography. A shift in the reality of Argilus
allows them to be in the same physical space but in different dimensions.
They explore the planet and are confronted with a variety of specters
– some alien and some familiar – who provide them with history and
clues. Their goal? Find each other and solve the mystery of the missing
scientists.

A CD/ROM by any other
Name

Schizm was specifically
designed for DVD – a medium that allows you to experience the level
of detail that the
developers intended. If you plan to play the CD/ROM version, be warned
that the game has been scaled back. This means that the graphics are
not as crisp as one would hope and no amount of tuning or video power
will change the resolution. However, if you have adequate disk space
(3.5 Gbytes) and do not have a DVD drive, you will still want to play
this game. It is delivered on 5 CDs, but the “max install”
option moves all data to your local drive. This prevents you from
being brought to your knees by the dreaded “Please insert CD
#x” message.

Even with the reduced resolution
of the CD/ROM version, the landscape of Schizm is breathtaking.
Using Detalion’s V-Cruise engine, the game has the simplicity of a
point-and-click interface, coupled with the real time experience of
an action game. Although the directions available for movement from
a location may be limited, you can always pan with full 360 degree
rotation. When you move forward, the transition between locations
is a glide that you experience with both direct and peripheral vision.
Your travel options include passage by balloon, gondola, hanging chair,
train, and (of course) your feet. In all cases, your journey takes
you
through cut scenes that rival anything that Riven or Myst
III can offer.

Einstein would be Proud

Be advised that this game
is exceedingly hard. Not in the way that Armed & Delirious
was ridiculously difficult (i.e., a mind-meld with the designer was
needed to discern impossible leaps in logic), but because you have
to pay a lot of attention. The world of Schizm is filled with
clues – subtle relationships and juxtapositions that only the truly
alert gamer with a propensity for note taking will be able to track.
It is a world where every symbol, sound, and pattern should be recorded
as a potential clue. For those who thrive on intellectual challenge,
it is a welcome step back into the golden age of adventure gaming.
For the average “get it over quick” player, the use of a
walkthrough is suggested.

In an interesting departure
from the standard role of lonely adventurer, you play as both Hannah
and Sam and must coordinate their activities in order to solve a number
of puzzles. In several cases, an action by one character is required
to allow the other character to proceed. The drawback of this approach
is that that the labyrinth of Argilus must often be negotiated twice
… once for each character to move between the same locations.

Inventory is very limited,
with only a few objects to find and use during the game.

Warts and All

Despite the beautiful scenery,
all is not perfect in paradise. The game is very stable and had nothing
that remotely resembled a bug. However, the developers violated two
of Cindy’s Precepts of Puzzle Design: (1) Thou shalt always provide
the player with an immediate indication that a puzzle has been solved
correctly; and (2) Thou shalt always allow the player to save after
completing part of a multi-phase puzzle.

In several parts of Schizm,
you are required to take an action that determines success in a later
section of the game. For example, entering a combination at point
A will allow you to engage a machine at point B. However,
until you reach point B, you will not know whether or not you were
successful at point A. Compound this with the fact that you are not
likely to know what to expect of the machine at point B, and things
get a bit confusing. The addition of a visual clue at point A (a dancing
bunny would have sufficed) to indicate a correct solution would have
been a big improvement.

Likewise, there is a particularly
mind-numbing pair of “beat the computer” puzzles that must
be solved twice each. Not merely two times, but twice each in a row
without saving or leaving the scene in between. For this reviewer,
the only relief was when a 15-year old observer intervened to save
the day.

Finally, the ending left
me with a less-than-satisfied feeling. The story came to a logical
conclusion but left a lot of questions unanswered. Perhaps an email
to Terry Dowling would bring closure?

The Bottom Line

Both Avalon L.K. and Detalion
are to be congratulated for producing one of the finest adventures
of 2001. On a number of levels, the game is simply brilliant and belongs
on the “must play” list for any serious adventurer. Let’s
hope that, in the future, the developers will subscribe to Cindy’s
Precepts of Puzzle Design and make their next attempt a solid “A+”
title!

Cindy’s Final Grade:
Schizm Mysterious Journey CD – A-

If you liked this game…

Read: Hyperion by
Dan Simmons
Watch: Mission to Mars
Play: Rama (if you can find a copy)

Minimum System Requirements:

• Windows 95 / 98 / 2000
• Pentium® II 300
  MHz
• 32MB RAM
• 12x CD-ROM Drive
• DirectX® Compatible
  Video and Sound Card