Welcome,
Traveller. I see that you are contemplating playing, or perhaps have
already played, my little adventure game. Excellent. Allow me to introduce
myself. I am Baron Horatio Wittard, builder extraordinaire, fanatic
of all things Norseman, and recently deceased. Alas, my latest and
greatest building project, the Utopia, lies in ruins somewhere in
the hinterlands of England. You see, beneath the complex lies an ancient
Norse mystic portal, and trying to break through that portal to enter
and destroy the world is the evil Viking deity Fenrir,
the wolf. So far all Fenrir has managed to destroy is my business
plans with the Utopia. The place is a deserted hulking wreck now.
Which is where, Traveller, you come in. Literally. Since dying I have
gained new powers, and one of these permits me to see that you will
receive a photojournalist assignment to document the crumbling Utopia
complex.

However,
that assignment is merely a ruse to draw you, the Chosen One, to your
destiny which, in brief, is to save the world from Ragnarok, more
commonly referred to in your age as the Apocalypse. How, you say,
are you to perform this crucial task? What special credentials do
you possess? Well, Traveller, in addition to the activation code on
the back of the manual you happen to have just the skills required.
I can see that you love a good mystery, that you don’t mind the occasional
jolt to your senses that glowing noncorporeal beings provide when
they show up in the same narrow hallway with you unannounced, and
most important of all, Traveller, you cherish the opportunity to find
and then solve a good, classic puzzle or two. Without a help system,
I might add. If I provided a help system, what would, after all, be
the point of choosing someone like you? I could let one of my maintenance
workers save the world. Odin
knows they do little enough work around the place otherwise.

You
are an experienced adventurer, Traveller. I sense that. Otherwise
you would be perusing reviews of FPS console extravaganzas right about
now. You know how this game works. You can’t save the world simply
by flipping a switch in the basement. Where would the adventure, the
mystery, the romance be in that? No, you must explore Utopia to find
and solve a couple dozen or so puzzles. Some are easy, some will have
you cursing the day the Vikings invented those confounded rune things.
You see, I understand you, Traveller. I wanted you to feel at home
in my world, my Utopia. I knew you would like being reminded of such
earlier first-person adventures as Riven,
and Traitor’s
Gate, and Shivers,
and Rhem and even recent
games like Rhiannon.
You’re welcome, Traveller.

Ah,
I sense that something troubles you. Is it that you wonder why so
many of these ancient life-and-death mystic challenges feature puzzles
that can best be described as old chestnuts? Why, you wonder, does
the fate of the universe so often hang on one’s ability to solve a
Tower of Hanoi puzzle, or, Odin help us, yet another slider puzzle?
Not to mention Klotski, Lights Out, and the dreaded Chess Problem.
Well, let me tell you, Traveller. Saving the universe is indeed hard,
but inventing engaging, challenging original puzzles is a lot harder.
Besides, if presented cleverly, there is, unlike myself, still a lot
of life left in those old favorites. You didn’t complain while playing
The
7th Guest, did you? Not every game designer is Rand or Robin Miller,
you know.

And yet, still you are troubled. Am I correct in guessing that it
is the rather overall dark look of my Utopia? You feel that the production
values aren’t quite up to those earlier classics? I’m sorry, Traveller.
We are a small essentially two-person operation here (Alan Thorn and
Marlies Maalderink), an independent publisher. We do the best we can.
You will have noticed that the game installer also puts something
called DX Studio Player on your computational device. I know this
sort of thing makes you nervous, Traveller, but it is required to
play the game. It’s not a perfect world, Traveller. Just ask Fenrir.

What
about the in-game music and the sound effects, Traveller? Those are
acceptable, don’t you think? Industrially new-agey without being intrusive.
Ah, I sensed that you would be sensible about that. What’s that? You
admired my own suave voice characterization during the game? And the
other major role, what of her? Ah. I am sorry to disappoint you, Traveller,
but that honey-toned woman is not, as you so quaintly put it, a “babe,”
but in fact a supernatural wolf entity intent on devouring the universe.

I know that you are also disappointed that the game world is not
quite as large or varied as you first imagined. And why only eight
save slots? Now there’s a mystery. The length of the game is
good, though, is it not? I believe twenty-five hours or so is standard
in this age.

And
you noticed the typo in the cryptogram? You say you wanted to leave
no utone unturned? Very droll, Traveller. You know, at the end of
the game you receive a choice. You can choose my way or Fenrir’s way.
You have free will, Traveller, which extends to getting the game either
as a digital download or on a DVD. You will also find that the system
requirements are rather modest, and, even better, that once you’ve
installed the game you no longer require the DVD in your disk drive.
Ah, I knew that would please you, Traveller.

May I inquire what your final verdict of my little game is, oh Chosen
One? You say that despite some production shortcomings no doubt unavoidable
in independent productions you were grateful to be able to play once
again an intelligent, challenging, atmospheric first-person adventure-puzzle
game. And you award the game a final grade of A minus. Thank you,
Traveller, and farewell. Perhaps, sales figures permitting, we shall
meet again one day.

System Requirements:

• 1 GHz or equivalent CPU, Higher Recommended
• Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7
• 1024MB RAM
• Microsoft DirectX 9.0c
• 128 Mb graphics card with Shader Model 2.0
• 1.5GB free hard disk space
• DVD-ROM Drive
• Features Optional Subtitles
• Supports Resolution: 1024×768
• Controls Supported: Mouse, Keyboard