|
Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle
 Well Brian and Gina are on the verge of returning to our computer screens in Runaway 2: Dream of the Turtle. Having just sampled the whole of Chapter 2 I'm glad that Runaway didn't run away, because it's looking pretty good.
I should point out that the preview build I played is minus the voices, but all the background sounds are there loud and clear. You can hear Brian's footsteps crunching on the sand and clipping on crisper surfaces, there's the sound of the sea, too, when he's near the beach, and he gasps and wheezes and does a pretty good 'Yeeha' when riding the Bucking Bronco. The background music is just fine. It's quite laid-back but it does vary in tempo from location to location. And the cursor has a voice that I did hear, it pops and clicks each time it passes over a hotspot, a little insurance in case you try to miss something.
I didn't get to see Gina in this chapter but Brian soon finds another attractive Bikini-clad babe to take his mind off things. Gina, it seems, may need rescuing again, this time from a rogue colonel in the US Army.
Chapter 2 opens with Brian searching Mala island for Gina when he stumbles across an army camp complete with tanks, hummers and trigger-happy military types. Just what they are doing there is not immediately clear, but they have rounded up most of the unnecessary personnel (read civilians) and moved them from the island. Brian is convinced that the army has captured Gina so he needs to find some way of getting into the camp, getting out again with Gina, and finding a way to escape from the Island.
 Luckily for Brian there are still a few people around who may help him — for a price. There is Lokelani at the beach bar, she has so many ex boyfriends that it's hard to keep track of them all. She also has a pet cockatoo that might ruin your plans if you're not careful. Then there's a strange, and strangely familiar, monk who seems to have taken a vow of silence, and Knife, a surfer from Byron Bay (I can't wait to hear the accent) with his son called Koala and his friend Kai, a laid-back former medicine man who now teaches surfing. There are also a couple of military types who may or may not help you. Perhaps they can be deceived into playing along!
Runaway 2: Dream of the Turtle features the bright and colourful graphics of the first game, and there are some amusing animations and cut-scenes. One action I repeated a few times for a laugh. It also features a plethora of wacky puzzles to test and challenge your imagination and lateral thinking, but it won't hurt too much. Still if you think it's going to be as easy as taking candy from a baby, then you clearly haven't met Koala. There are many items to find and use, and many obstacles to overcome. It's a humorous game so the puzzles are in keeping with the crazy situation that Brian has landed himself in.
If you have played Runaway: A Road Adventure then you'll know what to expect. It's a third person perspective adventure where you control the actions of the versatile and confident Brian as he finesses his way to his ultimate goal. The point and click interface is a cinch to use, and all the dialogue and descriptions are subtitled. Well, they had to be for this preview as the voices hadn't been added, but that was the only thing missing. There is quite a lot of dialogue and it's handled very well, jam-packed with hints. You can always go back and talk to someone and recap on what you've learned if you forget the details... unless, of course, you have Brian's bad habit of not listening! If I had to find a complaint it would be the red writing on a black background for some of the dialogue. Of course it is quite readable, but a more contrasting colour would be easier on the eyes.
I can't speak for the voices, of course, but on the strength of the rest of this chapter, we should all be in for a for a rollicking good time with Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle.
Copyright © Gordon Aplin 2006.
All rights reserved.
|
