The recent trend toward brevity in adventure games is encouraging,
yet at the same time disheartening. Encouraging because even though smaller budgets
and tighter production schedules are producing games that can be completed by
experienced players in under a week, if not a day, novice or first-time adventure
game players will be drawn by the budget price and easy solvability of these games.
Whereas a first-time player might be put off by the complexity and length of a
Gabriel Knight 3, the same gamer might unknowingly appreciate the gentle
easing into the genre by a game comprised of simpler puzzles. Disheartening because
games like Star Trek: Hidden Evil have so much untapped potential that
while a newbie can ease into this game and leave it feeling satisfied, experienced
adventurers will be discouraged by this brief, but enchanting, voyage into an
uncharted galaxy known as Star Trek Lite and will find themselves humming not
the familiar snatches of the Star Trek theme song, but instead refrains
of Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is.

Presto Studios, renowned for
its excellent Journeyman Project series of graphic adventures, was tagged
by Activision to create a product for the casual gamer based on the Star Trek
mythos. It had to be mission-based, it had to be easy, and it had to be on
store shelves by Christmas. On this basis, they have succeeded on all fronts.
If one keeps in mind that Hidden Evil is aimed at a market that would normally
be intimidated by a Trek game based on its implied complexity and prolonged
play time, then Hidden Evil more than delivers what it has promised: a
solid, immersive adventure game for a budget price. If you are a hardcore adventurer,
unless you are a Star Trek fan or a collector, then Hidden Evil will
only serve to whet your appetite until something more substantial is released.

Hidden Evil picks up nine months after the events that occurred
in the 1998 film, Star Trek: Insurrection. (I find this an interesting
choice, for if you are attempting to attract the casual gamer, might they not
also be put off by a game based on a movie they may not have seen or mistakenly
believe that the game is only a recreation of the film?) Your alter ego for this
mission is Ensign Sovok, a rookie cadet assigned to the Federation outpost protecting
the planet Ba’ku. Sovok soon joins Picard and Data on a seemingly routine mission
to investigate some artifacts from an unknown culture that have been unearthed
during a dig to construct a new colony. The remainder of the Enterprise crew is
conveniently written out of the story by remaining aboard ship while it undergoes
routine maintenance. This fact-finding mission quickly develops into (and if you
didn’t already suspect this, then you’ve never seen an episode of Star Trek)
a full-blown crisis, and you’ll soon find yourself dodging phaser blasts and applying
your Vulcan Nerve Pinch to the baddies. The plot is well-paced and self-contained
and does a good job of imparting the “feel” of the series. Though not
epic in scope, as we have come to expect from the Star Trek franchise,
this is one instance where the intimacy of the plot allows us to concentrate on
the characters and not their gadgetry. Story grade: B-.

The action
and puzzle aspects of Hidden Evil have been simplified. Maybe too much.
Auto-aiming allows for the combat impaired (such as me) to easily lock onto any
target. In concession to the adventure gamers, damage to your character done by
the enemies has been minimized while your phaser strength is set at high. The
larger problem in the action sequences is mastering the keyboard-only game controls.
On the flip side, the puzzles are constructed so as to not frustrate the novice
or action player. This is not to say that they are overly simplified, but they
have been kept within the context of the story (would that more adventure games
would follow this “novel” idea). Astute use of your tricorder and the
ability to find and disable a shield generator or activate a transporter tends
to evoke a higher degree of involvement in the Trek universe than is usual
in most games. A familiarity with the characters and their gadgetry is helpful,
but the game has been constructed so that the nonfan can glean the necessary information
without the usual intimidating techno-babble. Another nice touch is that you cannot
walk or fall off the edge of a cliff (-cough-Indiana Jones and the Infernal
Machine-cough-). Overall, the gameplay and puzzle solutions are extremely
linear, as the emphasis is on creating a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Still, a
lessening of the “dumbing-down” factor (will the European version of
Hidden Evil be harder?) would have earned the puzzles a higher grade
than a C-.

Hidden Evil uses 3D polygonal characters against 2D
pre-rendered backgrounds. Though the polygon count is occasionally low, the overall
effect is outstanding, and the real-time movement animation provides a splendid
contrast to the beautiful backgrounds. Everything is viewed from a third-person,
fixed perspective. The camera angles are preset, but there is not the constant
repositioning that was prevalent in Nocturne. Picard and Data are easily
recognizable, and the addition of their mouths moving with the dialogue (though
not always in sync) is a nice addition that immensely increases the immersion
factor. The cut scenes are done through the judicious use of the in-game engine,
and footage from the movie has also been appropriated. Nothing spectacular, but
a solid, colorful effort that perfectly conveys the required otherwordly atmosphere
and earns a grade of B-.

The voice acting for Hidden Evil is
superb, as it should be considering that Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner have
reprised their roles from the series. The familiarity of their voices adds a lot
to the character recognition. The talk interface for the game is simple; there
are no branching dialogues, so you never run across any of those strangely inflected
responses that you receive by asking a question out of order. Sound effects and
music are both stellar. Soundtracks in games have had a banner year with Outcast
and Omikron, and though Hidden Evil does not approach those
lofty heights, its score does add immensely to the overall gaming experience.
The music and sound effects are splendid and highly evocative of the long-running
series. If you were to only hear the audio portion of this game coming from a
room, it would be easy to mistake it for an actual episode of the series. Grade:
A-.

One naturally wonders how much better this game could have been
had Presto Studios been allotted more time and budget. Considering that it is
aimed at the casual gamer, it is a solid product worth recommending. The hardcore
audience won’t find much to dislike, but neither will they find a product that
they can sink their teeth into. Consider this one small step for Presto Studios
and one giant leap for the Star Trek adventure franchise.

Final
grade: B-.

Download the Hidden Evil demo here.

System
Requirements: Pentium 200
32 MB RAM
4x
CD-ROM
Windows 95/98