Following Freeware – May 2015 releases
This month a LucasArts fave returns in his long-awaited English language fan sequel. When not travelling between time and space, you could also investigate whether a troubled friend committed suicide or met with foul play, or help settle your grandfather’s estate, revealing mysterious secrets about his past in the process. If you’re up for saving the world, you can wrap your purple tentacles around an artifact needed for a destructive ritual, or try to prevent a cataclysmic meteor crash in just four minutes. You might also travel to a science facility protected by an abundance of security, or crash land with no security at all at a mining camp populated only by prisoners. And for those with Jurassic World fever, you can try out a different take on the dinosaurs-and-humans-living-together-isn’t-a-good-idea theme. All these await in this month’s releases from the freeware scene.
Steve’s Selections
Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space
It has been some time since ace reporter Zak McKracken thwarted the dastardly Caponians. His defeat of the Alien MindBenders should have catapulted him to super-stardom, but instead he finds himself living in the same apartment he had before his brush with extra-terrestrials. Whilst he now runs the National Infiltrator, recent sales haven’t been good, and the tiny office now has a tree growing through it. Meanwhile, his good friend Annie apparently married a man Zak has never met, and he can’t even remember for sure what he has been working on recently. Zak needs a big break to get his life back on track and another alien invasion attempt would do the trick. It’s a pity the protective shield put round the Earth after their last attempt keeps the Caponians out – doesn’t it?
Following on from the LucasArts classic, Artificial Hair Bros’ Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space is an ambitious project that seems to have paid off with the long-awaited English language release. An opening scene has Zak sneaking aboard a plane via the cargo hold full of crates and maintenance gear. This one-room sequence serves as a tutorial, requiring Zak to escape mid-air when the plane is apparently boarded by hostile aliens. Zak subsequently wakes up in his apartment, bemused as to how he got there. The local neighbourhood retains much of the geography of its predecessor, though the bus stop is apparently now out of use due to its sleepy driver. Zak’s new adventures will span exotic locations around the world, and the action eventually takes players aboard some alien spaceships. The graphics are a definite upgrade from the 1988 original, with a huge amount of detail. Zak appears fully 3D at all times, whilst most other characters appear to be rendered in 2D, though still fully detailed. In the numerous cutscenes, full 3D is used for everything. The game is now voiced in English to a decent standard, and there is a varied soundtrack of dramatic science fiction music and appropriate sound effects throughout.
Although not required to play, knowledge of the original game would undoubtedly help with the backstory, and there are numerous references to the original, such as Zak carrying around the bowl of his pet goldfish Sushi. References to other LucasArts games also put in an appearance, including the skull display stand in a wig shop that boasts of how evil it is. Right-clicking looks at items, whilst a quick left-click moves Zak to the selected location. Holding down the left-button on a hotspot for a few moments brings up an action menu. This includes push/pull, talk, open/close, pickup, look and use. Where actions are completely inappropriate for a particular hotspot, they do not appear. Zak soon finds himself on a globe-trotting quest, seeking out a series of lost artefacts vital to protecting the human race, and he gathers a number of items on his travels, which are kept at the bottom of the play screen. The game has the same tongue-in-cheek humour of its inspiration, with Zak himself exhibiting a dry wit. Elvis also returns to the fray, and there are various other bizarre characters to meet, including a cab service with a difference and the Artificial Hair Bros themselves. There is some slightly risqué humour; nothing too explicit, but care might be taken with children playing.
The whopping 3 GB download of Zak McCracken: Between Time and Space can be found at the developers’ website.
Mu Complex: Episode 2
From your lowly entry position in the mysterious Mu Complex, you have risen to a high security level. On your way up you have become acquainted with the AI, Lya, who now seeks your assistance. The main laboratory systems have been completely locked down, and Lya needs you to break through the security to reactivate it. She assures you that only by accessing the facility’s most secret experiment, the “Doors” project, will you be able to understand the complex’s true purpose. But with security systems designed to challenge the brightest minds that worked there, infiltrating the deepest levels will take some doing.
It is highly recommended that you play the first episode of StudioCine’s text adventure series before attempting the sequel. The presentation is displayed as if you were accessing computer consoles within the complex itself. Most interaction is through typed commands, though you can open additional windows that need to be closed by mouse. These include camera feeds and diagrams for challenges you will face. The most important of these additional files is the local network map, the details of which update as you unlock more of the network. Your efforts are accompanied by occasional audio-only prompts and suggestions from Lya, who has a pleasant voice, though with a stilted delivery that fits her artificial nature. There are also a handful of other effects that occur in response to your actions.
Those looking for a simple game they can breeze through easily should look elsewhere. This is a game of extremely complex puzzles in a surprising variety. Examining files will give you clues to some challenges, as well as providing backstory to the facility’s experiments. A recurring puzzle has you writing a string of instructions for a robot. Each new version of this puzzle makes the route to be followed more complex, whilst also limiting the maximum number of commands available. The later iterations even add subroutines, also limited in number, which must be used fully to succeed. Complex codes also await, hiding mathematical challenges to be solved. Some of these are timed, though they can be repeated indefinitely and commands are provided that assist in the calculations. Even so, at least moderately decent typing skills are essential. Players should also not be afraid to think outside the box, with at least one puzzle requiring action beyond the game itself.
Mu Complex: Episode 2 can be played at Kongregate.
The Night Henry Allen Died
The invitation from your old friend, Henry Allen, to come and stay with him came out of the blue. His letter said he needed help, and that you were the only one he could trust. When he greeted you he appeared in fine form, promising to explain everything the following morning after a night attending his sick mother. So it was with some surprise that you found Henry hanged that night, apparently having taken his own life. Will you accept that your friend faced troubles too terrible to bear, or will you delve into the mystery of his death and his family’s tragic past?
In The Night Henry Allen Died, Ludipe offers a strange locked room mystery. The pixel art presentation uses an isometric style, laid out in a strict grid pattern, though straight lines are somewhat softened by the detail. In the small garden stands a magnificent fountain, while the interiors include a grand piano and walls bedecked with paintings. The characters are simply but effectively rendered, the protagonist a gentleman in a tweed jacket joined by others like a figure with a receding hairline. All have simple walking animations, the supporting characters moving about their starting locations when you are not interacting with them. A soft piano piece with an air of mystery plays in the background. Sound effects include footfall changing as you move from surface to surface, and the ticking and chiming of a grandfather clock.
You move around the house using the arrow keys, interacting with objects and characters by pressing S. When you start, you only have a handful of subjects to talk about, centred around Henry and his death. As you investigate, new lines of enquiry become available, requiring you to return to characters repeatedly. Fortunately, the relatively small size of the house makes backtracking not overly onerous. Topics do not just arise from conversation. Examining paintings of Henry’s ancestors allows you to talk about them, and there are secrets to uncover from examining the right things. The inhabitants of the house seem less upset about Henry’s death than might be appropriate, and a lot of research will be required if the player is to avoid abandoning the mystery unsolved.
The Night Henry Allen Died can be both downloaded and played online at Game Jolt.
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