Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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82 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unique, fun, and short., November 27, 2004
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
This game starts you off on a remote island where you are lost. You have to eat, which is a puzzle in itself. Then you explore the island, trying to find a way home. Most of the puzzles in this game are logical, except 2 or 3 which involve you tinkering with it until you get it. I had to look at a walkthrough for 1 such puzzle, because the clue they gave didn't make sense.
The graphics are beautiful - and they are not still shots like in many other adventure games. Each shot has something moving in it -- anything from a butterfly to a monkey hurling rocks at you.
A couple of scenes involve your quick thinking. Hang around too long and you're dead. But rest assured, if you die, it resets to just before that scene (so no worries if you forgot to save).
Another great thing about this game is that there are multiple ways to do almost every puzzle. You can assemble things and make different chemicals, weapons, foods, etc. It's nice to have some flexibility in the game, especially if you didn't find an object that's needed to make something.
The ending is quick and sudden, but exactly what I expected. The surprises came in the middle of the game. The game is based on a Jules Verne novel -- but don't expect the same quality of story line. It's good, but not a classic novel by any means.
The real downfall of this game is the length. It is considerably shorter than many other adventure games - even shorter than Syberia. Still, the price tag makes up for that fact. The game's price debuted at a mere $20 list, whereas other games are $40+.
For this price, you might as well pick it up and play this good, though short game.
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69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine game, what there is of it, December 9, 2004
A sweet and engaging little game, with just enough challenge to keep your brain working and some cool places to explore. If the plot is a little far-fetched, well, that's a computer game, right? Graphics are excellent, and the music is lovely; acting and writing both work very well. Puzzles are of the constructing-a-battery-out-of-lemon-juice variety. There are very few timed puzzles, and those aren't difficult, even for fumble-fingered players like me. No violence or anything else objectionable, but some of the puzzles might be a little challenging for kids under 12 or so.
The only real drawback to the game is its brevity. This is one of the fastest games I've played in a long time. There are multiple routes to reach the end, but that doesn't increase playability to the point where you'll want to play the game more than about twice. It's a shame, because the environment is so attractive and the characters so much fun that I wanted to explore it more.
Going to keep my eyes on these guys and see what they come up with next!
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short But Worth the $$$, March 15, 2006
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
As many other reviewers have noted, this game is very short. However, I found it compelling, easy to navigate, and in short, a lot of fun to play. To give you some context, I was a big fan of adventure games back in the Sierra and Monkey Island days, but haven't played any in the past 5-6 years (ever since first-person gore-fests took over the world).
These days I like the Nancy Drew series, but Return to Mysterious Island was a really nice break from the Nancy Drew format. RtMI is pleasing to look at, has great music, and not too much pixel-hunting: most items are in plain view, and the ones that are "hidden" usually require looking up at the sky or down on the ground, as opposed to scanning the area in front of you in super-slo-mo.
The inventory puzzles are fun and at times challenging. You can definitely finish the game without figuring out uses for a lot of your inventory items, but according to one walk-through I read after I finished the game (and was still being haunted by questions like "what the heck was I supposed to use X for?"), all items in the game are useful ones.
I think it's great that there are many different ways to attack the same problem. For example - how to start a fire? So far I have found around 9 different ways to do so, using different combinations of my inventory.
In summary, I only paid $10 for this game, but thoroughly enjoyed the 10 hours I spent playing it.
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