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Strange Adventures in Infinite Space Review by Old
Rooster "Explore the Galaxy in Twenty Minutes or Less!" This rather peculiar-sounding claim is touted by a small (three guys working part-time) developer and a publisher of admittedly inexpensive titles—Cheapass Games. Employing a session playing time of 5 to 20 minutes, Strange Adventures (SAIS, for short) suggests, with the vocabulary and subtle humor evident throughout play, that you can: "Sail the high seas of stars in your own deep space exploration vessel. Explore exotic star systems, seek out new technologies, artifacts and lifeforms; boldly blow up stuff where no one has blown up stuff before!" On the surface, SAIS looks and acts like a poor man's version of Masters of Orion or Star Control 2. It's a turn-based strategy game, emphasizing exploration, with battles settled in real-time. It's solo, not multiplay, with variable difficulty settings and infinite replayability by using random map generation. Available for your enjoyment are 21 different ship types; 69 different weapons, shields, and artifacts; 18 alien lifeforms; 17 different planet and star types; and 7 unique alien races. SAIS plays on a PII 350, uses only 16 MB of hard drive space, and costs only $15. This may sound like a "no-brainer" kind of deal for gamers with this kind of genre disposition. Yet, all is not perfect, and I do have some hesitance in giving an unqualified recommendation. Let's explore that a bit. "An Intriguing and Dangerous Proposition" The premise for SAIS goes like this (all in text in the game; no vocals): "Despite your erratic record as a pilot, Lextor Mucron has offered you a scheme so potentially lucrative it could set you up for life! It's a long shot. It's risky and unlawful. But, you find the idea of adventuring for profit irresistible. He rents you a military corvette and crew. Upon your return, the costs of the mission will be weighed against any discoveries you bring back." Given this charge, your challenge, in 10 game years (which may last all of 20 minutes), is to visit planets, find all the good stuff you can, and get back with enough points to pay back your initial loan and have a bit left over. There is no carryover from mission to mission in that each brief game is self-contained. Points are awarded at the end, and a running tally kept, so you can compare your score against your own or others. For the first few missions, you will likely get the failure message, "Your career as an adventurer in Infinite Space is at an end," or the "can't pay back your loan" greeting, "Mucron seizes everything you own and you assume a new lifestyle as a robot maintenance worker, a position more appropriate to your status and wealth!" Along the way, matters can become interesting. There are random encounters with peculiar aliens (peculiar to humans, that is) who may offer a trade (often without a lot of obvious logic as to comparative values), offer to ally with you in your travels, or desire a battle. In the case of a fight (assuming you don't retreat, which is an option), a point-and-click, Asteroids kind of exercise ensues, the outcome of which is dependent on the relative outfitting of your vessel, allies if present, a bit of tactics, and the power and numbers of the enemy. Essentially, that's "all" there is to the game, with some variations, ship and equipment modifications, alien contact and planet discovery options. Graphics are clear and serviceable, not inclined to tax your system's abilities. Sound effects are adequate, and the music is pleasant. Speech is absent. "Hope Is a Shining Pearl in the Blackness of Space" SAIS, to be really involving and enjoyable, needs to depend on your imagination. The dated graphics won't do it for you. The authors have contributed to that prospect by creating text, messages, statements that are articulate and often tongue-in-cheek funny. "Hope" is your home planet, from the system "Glory." Alien races to be met in your travels include the Muktians, who are fickle and cautious; the Garthans, who are aggressive and brutal; and the Tan Ru, who are oblivious to biological life! However, it was during one of my early encounters that I began to smile and appreciate the writing and humor. After doing quite nicely in exploring, I came upon the Urluquai—"large luminescent hemispherical floaters who feed on fear and death, with a demeanor that is malevolent and thoroughly evil!" However, I didn't take this manual description seriously, since I was greeted with this: "We call to you with songs of praise and peace. We are buoyantly trembling with the anticipation of our happy congress (oh, my). In a play of colors we will dance joyfully." Needless to say, the resultant congress produced utter destruction for my ship and allies. In summary, my 15 hours or so with SAIS went something like this. Initially, I thought it was likely a shallow little game, almost of a shareware type, about 10 to 15 years out of date—graphically, sonically, and gameplay-wise. After a bit, I began to appreciate the brief bouts of fun and variety—depth, really—present in the play, and found myself smiling (a relative rarity) and often fooling with it between lengthy sessions of Warcraft III or Morrowind. Finally, I backed off a bit, not to the initial shallow impression, but rather to a more balanced view, I think. If you take SAIS for what it is, a little time-waster with funny and interesting twists, and don't think of it as the second coming of Privateer or complex space strategy, you may well find it enjoyable, kind of inventive/creative, and well worth 16 MB of your hard drive space. What I Like Most About the Game
What I Like Least About the Game
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The Verdict
The Lowdown Developer: Digital
Eel Available for: Four Fat Chicks Links Screenshots
System Requirements PII 350 (PIII 600 recommended) Where to Find It Cheapass Games $15.00 |
