Friday, May 25, 2018

Day of the Tenticle Remastered - The return of a classic adventure game

As an old school adventure game fan, Day of the Tentacle rates high as one of, if not the best, in the franchise. Even all these years later, it's still beloved by fans and ranks high in classic gaming lists. The remastered edition has all hand drawn artwork along with a re-mastered soundtrack. As this is an existing game, I will rate some of the highlights of the game, even if it's not something that was updated in this classic, but treat it as a stand alone.

I'll touch on the gameplay first. The game, as it was released in 1993, is a 2D adventure game with your standard SCUMM controls with Pickup, Use, Push, Talk to etc as commands to get you through the game. In this remastered version, much of it remains the same, save for an updated user interface a la Sam and Max Hit the Road, with Right Click containing all of your commands. However, if you prefer the original SCUMM button commands, it's easily selectable in the options. Admitted for the Adventure game novice, these games puzzles can seem a bit obtuse at times, making you use any random object on any other random object. But once you get into the flow, you pick it up quickly. I will note that Adventure games are not about quick and action packed gameplay, but focus more on puzzles and storyline. If you are a ritalin filled FPS junky, I will wager that Point and Click Adventure games might not be for you. I will note, that if you know the game, and every puzzle (this is a note for people like myself who've beat this game many times), gameplay is less than 4 hours. But that's blazing through the game, and skipping all the witty banter and cut scenes. If you don't know the game inside and out, estimated gameplay time would be 10-25 hours, depending how quick you figure out the puzzles.

Probably the most noticeable enhancement is the revamped graphics. The entire game is now using gorgeous hand drawn animation (similar to the Duck Tales Remastered). This brings the game into this century of gaming, but maintains the style and feel. And if you're nostalgic for the days of old, you can easily and seamlessly change to the original animation. The animation and graphics of the game, both original and remastered are detailed, quirky and fun. You can tell, just by how the game is laid out, it's not taking itself seriously. Everything is caddywhompus and askew. It isn't long into the game (actually largely noticed in the opening credits) that the game takes on a classic cartoon style, harking back to the days of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones. Again, adventure games aren't all about breathtaking graphics and maxing out your processor. The graphics are just used to give a feel of the world you're exploring, and the DOTT does this masterfully.

The strongest part of any adventure game, is in the world and the story. DOTT is no exception to this rule. The game uses the original audio recorded in 1993 (which is brilliant I might add), and through quirky dialogue and frankly bizarre scenery DOTT tells a story of a mad evil tentacle trying to take over the world extremely well. One of the largest aspects of this game is time manipulation. Now a days, time manipulation is used quite seriously, preventing assassinations, or your own death or something. DOTT takes a more passive approach to the matter. You need vinigar to solve a puzzle, find a bottle of wine, and let it sit for 400 years. You need a tentacle costume, changing the design of the American Flag seems the appropriate method to achieve this. This aspect remains unchanged from the original game, which is good, as altering this would have just ruined it.

I did want to go over some of the games extra features. First, is something that was brought over from the original, the complete original Maniac Mansion game is brought in as an Easter egg. In 1993, this was the first time this was ever done. One of the more unique features, is the ability to switch the game from the remastered version to the original, changing not only the graphics, but the audio as well. This feature is actually entertaining, largely for the soundtrack alone. You can see what the original game was like (which oddly serves as a reminder of how close it kept to the original). There is a complete commentary track with the games originators that you can have on as you play. And there is also a complete storyboard section that you unlock more and more of as you play through the game.

Overall, Day of the Tentacle is a masterpiece. It has withstood the test of time, and remains a quirky and funny adventure game, that you will still want to pick up today. I do want to stress again, classic point and click adventure games aren't for everyone. If you want funny story telling in a quirky world, and are a fan of puzzle solving, this is one of the best. If you're looking for something that's action packed, with the latest graphics and explosions, DOTT has none of that.

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