Review: The Book Of Unwritten Tales

[no1phil]

If the Point 'n' Click genre ever needed a flagship title to get some attention in 2012 then The Book of Unwritten tales will do exactly that. This title will transport you back to the days when this genre was at its peak. This magnificent title stays true to the genre, offering amazing visuals, a hilarious and witty dialog and engaging characters. It also pays homage not only other titles in the genre, but also pays homage to a host of other franchises albeit in a spoof way.

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The games plot line is nothing we haven’t seen before in games, where it’s the whole good versus evil saga, but that doesn’t stop it from introducing unforgettable characters and some top quality scripting. You start off controlling Ivo the elf princess, who tries to free the wizard MacGuffin (who looks very much like Yoda), and without spoiling the story you then go onto to controlling a delightful gnome Wilbur as well as Nate a human rough and his partner Critter. Over the course of the game you will control one of these specific characters or have to freely switch between them, which adds a bit more logical thinking to some puzzles as you will need to guess who can do what. Even the NPC’s will leave a lasting impression from the Yoda lookalike MacGuffin to the beer making master of Wilbur. Then there is the mage and his buddy who is playing a role playing game based on real life - that just cracked me up!

As you can imagine the world of The Book of Unwritten Tales is one of enchantment, and artwork brought to life with their rich colours. I mean graphically this game looks gorgeous, so much so that you want to just grab it and squeeze it tight to your heart at times. Very eye catching hand drawn 2D backdrops look so vibrant and full of life. In fact it looks that good that it can become a case of moving the mouse slowly around your environment just to see what objects are usable since they don’t always stand out. This is not a fault in the game per say, it’s just me expressing how stunning these visuals really are. The Voice-overs are also the best I have heard in most recent games and it really does deserve maximum kudos in this area. Characters feelings are expressed very well in the voice department.

When it comes to the puzzles in the game the beginners of the point ‘n’ click genre will be pleasantly challenged. They are not so difficult as to have you rushing to the net for a walkthrough, yet not to easy that it doesn’t keep your logical brain ticking over. There are plenty of puzzles to be solved with over 150 and more than 300 items to be used and combined. Things are made easy with the classical user interface of games gone buy so people will have no trouble navigating there way around. When it comes to the dialogue you can skip through it if you so wish but you would be missing so much of the game.

The Good Things

• The characters certainly leave a lasting impression.
• Not only is there plenty of dialog which is witty, and really brought to life with the exceptionally talented voice overs.
• Gameplay is a good 15 hours+ and a great soundtrack to listen to while you play.
• The graphics are more than just impressive; they truly bring the world of The Book of Unwritten tales to life.

And The Bad

• Veterans of the Point n Click adventures will maybe find some puzzles not challenging enough.
• The story of good versus evil is nothing exactly new but the way the story is told makes up for the short comings. I especially like chapter 3 and how the roles are reversed in a role playing game that the NPC’s are playing. Instead of a fantasy world it’s a real life world.
• Seriously can’t find anything else bad about the game, this is the point n click adventure of the year.

My Verdict...
Once you open The Book of Unwritten Tales you will feel you have been transported back a decade to when this genre was at the top of its game. This doesn’t only take on a spoof of various titles and films but it pays great homage to the “best of the best”, of adventure games like Monkey Island etc. Overall this game is certainly the best point n click adventure game this year. While the storyline can be a tad weak in places, overall it’s a very enjoyable experience with characters brought to life with great voice overs and leaving a lasting impression. This title really has some of the best 2D artwork I have seen in a game of this type as well.

The Book of Unwritten Tales is available now for the PC and can be purchased from Steam, GOG.com, GameStop PC Downloads, GameFly and many more and by far is certainly worth the price.

The Book of Unwritten Tales is by far the best point n click adventure game this year.