Voyage
Score: 90% ESRB: Teen Publisher: The Adventure Company Developer: Kheops Media: CD/2 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure
Graphics & Sound: I have been an adventure gamer and an avid reader since I was little, so every time one of these games comes out that is either based on one of my favorite stories or one of my favorite authors, I am one of the first ones in line to pick up a copy. When I heard about Voyage and that it was inspired by Jules Verne’s book, “From the Earth to the Moon,” I was excited. I only wish my excitement had paid off better. Voyage uses pre-rendered 2D and 3D graphics that you really can’t move too much in. You move from one location to the next, which was made famous by Myst, and you explore that part of your world and then move on to the next location. At each location you can look in every direction, but you have to click to the next location to actually get anywhere. Maybe I have just played too many adventure games, but this type of movement in the environment is getting very old and dated. Voyage does have some very good cut-scenes throughout the game and one of my favorite parts was the use of old-time illustrations. It reminded me of the illustrations in some of my favorite books that I read when I was a kid and it gave me a sense of nostalgia. I am a sucker for antique books and magazines. Early in the game, Voyage uses these illustrations in some of the story exposition that added humor to the story, and they really were a nice touch. Where the graphics of Voyage tends to get a little rough is with some of the creatures and aliens that you meet on the moon. It was almost like they didn’t have enough of a budget to complete the game, so they started to cut corners on graphics quality. Sound wise I was impressed with Voyage. The ambient sounds don’t distract you from the heavy thinking you will be doing to solve some of the game’s puzzles, and it adds to the unknown atmosphere of the surface of the moon. The voice actors did a good job with the characters, adding humor to parts of the story. I do think they should fire the chicken though. What chicken, you ask? Play the game to find out!
Gameplay: Step into the world of what people 100 or more years ago thought the surface of the moon might be like. Would there be breathable air? What nasty creatures would want to eat us for lunch if we ever went there? As Michel Arden, the hero of the novel, you get to go beyond the pages of the book, because they never reached the moon in the book. You do get there in Voyage. Well, that’s if you can solve some of the first puzzles in the game. If you can’t, get used to your moon capsule and your companion because you will be there for a very long time. Don’t worry, the puzzles won’t be impossible to solve, but on some of them you will be scratching your head for a while. Also, you will be utilizing a lot of inventory items in this game and using combinations of items. So if you can pick it up, pick it up. You might just need it later. What I enjoy about Voyage is that it does give you a starting part of a story, and it does kind of point you in the direction of what you need to accomplish. I have played many adventure games in the past where they don’t tell you a thing; they just drop you at a location and let you wander about until you stumble on what you’re supposed to do. After you arrive on the moon, you interact with many different forms of life; different aliens, and even things that are not what they seem. You will have to use your noggin to figure out what you need to do next, and that doesn’t always mean that you have to find something or talk to a certain character. Sometimes, like I mentioned before, you have to use some of your inventory items the right way to move forward in the game. You can only pick up three items at a time, so after you have picked up these items, make sure you put them in your inventory spaces so that you can use them later. Also, don’t forget to give your hero a drink and a meal every once in a while.
Difficulty: My idea of the difficulty of Voyage might be different from some people. I will freely admit I am not the fastest puzzle solver. Sometimes I have to try a puzzle numerous times before I figure it out. There are disguised hints in the game if you know where and how to look, so the game does try to help you a bit. The challenge of Voyage will not only be in its puzzles, but there are some points where you have to be quick with your mouse at the same time. I won’t mention how many time Michel Arden died under my control. Yes, I hang my head in shame.
Game Mechanics: Voyage is a very simple point-and-click adventure game, using a format that we have come to know and love. You use your mouse to pick up items and click on certain areas of the landscape to move to the next location. You have seven different cursors that you will see in the game as well. Don’t get discouraged if something does not work at one point in the game, you might have to do something else first before that item can be used. Case in point, you have to figure out how to land on the moon before the latch on the capsule door will work. I hope that doesn’t come as too big of a surprise. All in all, Voyage is a great game. After you start the game and are immersed in the adventure, you forget the small things that might bug you about the graphics, and you simply enjoy the ride. For the adventure gamer, Voyage will be a nice addition to your collection. If you don’t like adventure games, there is nothing in Voyage that will sway you.
-Wickserv, GameVortex Communications AKA Eric Wickwire
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, Pentium III 800 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 64 MB DirectX 9 Compatible Video Card, DirectX 9 Compatible Soundcard, 16x CD-ROM Drive, Keyboard, mouse, speakers   Test System: Windows XP, 3.00 GHz Pentium 4 Processor, Integrated 5.1 channel audio 1 GHz of RAM, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 9002
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