Your character is Constable Zellner, an aging, overweight, and sweet man who doesn't seem to be the likeliest of heroes. In the first scene of the game, you are sitting on the Orient Express reading a detective novel and having a friendly chat with a playful little boy. But when an opportunity comes to investigate the crimes of the "Raven's Heir"—the copycat of a world-famous burglar infamous for daring heists—you are not content to sit on the sidelines.
The Raven creates a fantastic atmosphere that brings old-school mystery novels to mind, and its characters and music are all well written and voiced. This makes up for the clunky point-and-click game interface. When playing on a console, some of the clumsiness of the gameplay is extra jarring. Zellner does not walk around smoothly, and it's easy to find yourself meandering around like a drunk person. There were times when I could not get Zellner to examine what I wanted him to examine. Transitions between areas were also awkward. When going from place to place, Zellner would usually have to backtrack to a fixed point and then proceed in accordance with a pre-set animation.
But awkward gameplay moments won't deter me from finishing The Raven. I love a good mystery, and it's a blast to follow along with the story and make connections between the clues I'm finding along the way. I also love that the character I'm playing is so unusual, compared to most video game protagonists. Zellner isn't flashy, and he's definitely a goofball. But he's also quietly badass. In The Raven, even a man who has never left his home country of Switzerland might turn out to be a keen detective who gets to have a crazy adventure. I love that, and I'm excited to see where the rest of the game takes me.
No comments:
Post a Comment