The goal of the game is restore the Balance of magic and science between the two worlds, Stark a world of science and technology, reason and logic, and Arcadia the world of magic. The two worlds are connected with one another only by dreams. People from Stark can only dream about Arcadia and vice versa. The imbalance occurred because the keeper of the balance, the Guardian, is to be replaced. The problem with the imbalance is that it causes the two worlds to collide even without the dreams, which causes chaos in both worlds. The destiny of April is to fix this problem and so we have a game.
The role of April is equivalent to the Matrix’s Neo as in she is also “The One” who will fulfill the prophecies and save everyone from harm’s way.
The graphics, well, it is so 1999. That’s all. The pre-rendered cinematics are so 1999, too.
The sounds are great. The quality of the voice acting is superb. The music is good too but mostly foreshadowed by speech. I did hear some nice ones particularly in the scenes in jungles and ending sequences of the game because those are the parts of the game when April may be quiet for sufficiently long periods in order for me to hear the ambient sounds and music. Moreover, the narrations of the stories are just enjoyable especially The Tale of the Stars narrated by Sa'ena, the little Alatien girl.
While playing, getting clueless as to what to do next is very common. There are some puzzles that are just plain annoying to play out so I used hints from the official website to solve them. In chapter 2, there is this sequence where the player has to unlock a fuse box in order to progress. The funny thing is that the key that unlocks this fuse box is lying on a rail road from miles away.
This is the location of the rail road that has the key
This is where the key is obtained
This is the site where you will use it
The fuse box, miles away
Why on earth is the key that you get from a train station rail going to open something miles away? What’s more is that the player has to use the combination of a rubber ducky, a clothesline and a clamp in order to obtain it. It is nonsensical. Another thing worth noting is the fact that that scene happened in Stark, the world of science and technology, of pure logic and reason.
Playing this game is similar to reading a good book. Both have their good parts and, of course, to keep the balance, dragging parts. In addition to those, they have those words that I never use, thus building my vocabulary. Like bollocks (lol), capisce, obtuse, abode, philistine, subterfuge, etc.
Even with all its downsides, the fact of the matter is that it is fun to play. Again, similar to a good book where the reader just wants to keep reading, the player will just want to keep playing to know what happens next.
Because of its nice pace, it is relaxing unlike FPS or RTS games. It is playable even after long hours of work.
This is a long and solid game. I spent around 40 hours of gaming time for this and it is totally worth it.
Approaching the end
Some lines from the game:
Vestrum Tobias: In your world, in Stark, there is no room for magic. That is, and has always been the curse of science, the fallibility of logic and order. They leave no room for the imagination. If it does not fit into the narrow perception of the laws of nature that your world adheres to, it's a fairy tale. But then, magic has its downsides too. It's unpredictable. It invites chaos in a way that science alone never could.
April: I need some information.
Burns Flipper: So visit the fucking library. Or go bother the Oracle, or whatever. The Flipper can't help you.
