Amerzone: Part 3
Score: 80% ESRB: 4+ Publisher: Anuman Developer: Microids Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Adventure
Graphics & Sound: Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy - Part 3 wraps up the classic Microids title and gives you the payoff you were looking for ever since your character stumbled upon that old explorer and promised to help him return the large egg to its home in Amerzone. Like the first two parts, both the visual and audio aspects of Part 3 get the job done, and when you consider the fact that the game was originally published a dozen years ago, you can really appreciate the game's graphical qualities. Like I mentioned before, the only aspect that seems to date the game is the NPC characters. While they looked good back in the day, now they feel very plastic and rigid. The voices behind those characters though definitely do the trick, however. While the acting isn't stellar, it definitely gets the story told. Both background music and sound effects play a big part in Part 3 as the scenery feels a bit more alive around you with the animal sounds coming out of your mobile device.
Gameplay: Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy - Part 3 takes you through the last three parts of the game and to your final destination. Unfortunately, this part starts you off in an area that you can easily get lost in and you will have to do a bit of backtracking before the game is done. While this third definitely feels like the better part of the apps, this aspect detracts from it a bit. While the game's overall story is a fun adventure, there are definitely some high and low points to it. Considering, though, that Amerzone is a pre-cursor to some bigger adventure titles like the Syberia games, Amerzone becomes a bit of adventure-gaming history. While I wouldn't put it on the same level as the 90's LucasArts adventure titles (i.e. Monkey Island, Sam & Max and the like), it is something that most fans of the genre should play through and remember how things used to be. One detail that I have enjoyed throughout this game that I failed to mention previously is the game's use of floppy disks, 5¼ to be specific, in order to move the game along. Since you typically use these in the strange vehicle you use to move between the game's islands, the fact that you typically had to change CD-ROMs when you put a new disk into the ship was a nice touch.
Difficulty: Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy - Part 3 has some tough parts in it, the main one being the ability to easily get lost fairly early in this app. In fact, the first part of this app is essentially a maze that you will have to explore fairly thoroughly in order to get all of the items you will need in order to accomplish your goal. Outside of these lengthy walks, the game presents some fairly basic puzzles that are more or less straightforward. All in all, this particular segment of Amerzone can take an hour or so to get through, and that's provided you don't get too turned around.
Game Mechanics: As a final part to the old Amerzone game, Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy - Part 3 conveys everything nicely to the iPad. It isn't a wonder that Microids has been re-releasing some of their older titles in this manner. I don't know what kind of effort is involved in porting the game to the iPad, but since they have released several titles in this manner, they must have a system that doesn't make it too difficult for them. As a result, they can re-release some of their older products to audiences, both new and old, and at what I would imagine is a fairly low cost to themselves. Amerzone makes a solid choice on their part as a game to release in this manner, and it definitely seems like something that both gamers who remember playing it on the PC or PlayStation One and those who are just now getting into adventure games will want to download and have fun with. My only real problem is the somewhat pointless Part 2 and I can easily see gamers who accurately remember that middle part simply not downloading that app, and those gamers that do download it feeling a bit let down. At least before, your motivation was reaching the end. Here you reach a drop-off only to have to boot up Part 3 for the same pay-off. Either way, Amerzone, in general, is a good purchase for the iPad for fans of the genre. While it wasn't the best game of its type to come out in the late 90's, it was still good, and actually, its a bit better than some new titles I've reviewed lately. In the end, I would recommend all three Amerzone apps in order to get the whole experience.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links: Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy - Part 3 || iTunes Game Vortex’s Amerzone Coverage
Treasure Seekers 3: Follow the Ghosts Revenge of the Titans