Mini Review / Short (Mostly Positive) Rant / Speculation / Thoughts

[tbm1986]

I've just finished the game (which took me two days) and I must say, overall, I was blown away. It made the first game (WDDD, I mean) look like a tech demo.

There was so much in the way of traditional adventuring to do, an engaging storyline, beautiful artwork and solid authentic dialogue delivery (top notch from the main two as well).

Forewarning us to say no nudity was a bit of a misnomer, from what I could see. A trend that was started in WDDD, there was plenty of comic boobage (things that weren't boobs but sure as hell looked like them) and even puss. There was also plenty of clothed animation. The guard on the (almost) all-female island certainly springs to mind (and not the only thing that springs at the thought). Then there was the subtle suggestion of triangle trim on the secret agent, the areola exposure and pokies on some of the women.

The references, non-smutty gags etc. and even inventory mechanics were mostly from other franchises, most notably Monkey Island. Whoever thought to put them there has clearly played all five games and the cousin title Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island. This game does make me wonder what Assemble and Crazy Bunch could do with the Monkey Island franchise if they managed to get Disney's attention.

Now, the story and how I felt playing the game. The tutorial chapter felt longer than necessary and tedious but this was more than made up for in the main chapters. It really felt like I was playing Monkey 2 all over again with all the island-hopping and treasure hunting. Loved it. The mechanics of being able to warp to another island from anywhere rather than returning to the raft every time and double-click to warp to next room were strokes of genius that I wish Telltale had thought of with their games. Talking of Telltale/LucasArts, I can see where the tunnel design came from but it was unbelievably long, frustrating and hard to work out without dual screens or a printout.

The characters: loved all the new ones and how the old ones were used so much. Plenty of character development and many of the new ones were hilarious. This game probably won't be on sale in China ever! My favourite is probably the pervert. I'm pleased about how Larry felt about Pi at the end, as I think the player has become very fond of / attached to her by this point as well. Sadly, she had been screwed over story-wise before the game even began.

The game wasn't without the odd bug here and there but nothing game-breaking and to be expected with such a huge/long game. The game seemed a little confused and overwhelmed at some points a few very small plot holes and lacking polish in a few places on the writing side but that is what happens when studios want to pay homage to the greats. Do I consider it worth the price? I think it's worth more but convincing anybody of that who hasn't played is asking for trouble. I just hope the sales are good enough for a third game. Not sure what would be left in scope, though.

Overall 9/10
2D Art 10/10
Music 10/10
Dialogue and voice acting 10/10
Puzzle writing 7/10
Mechanics 9/10
Humour 10/10
Fan service 10/10
Story 8/10
Focus 7/10
Character usage/development 10/10
Length (slightly too long) 8/10

[Assemble_Xer0]

Hi tbm1986,
thank you for the long and detailed feedback.
As you have mentioned, or as clearly to be seen from your scroboard at the end of your post, what do you think would be needed in your opnion, to turn the 7 into a higher number?
More puzzles/riddles? Less? Easier? More difficult?
Thank you in advance.
We really appreciate the passion and ongoing support. Please keep it up and if you have enjoyed Larry's latest adventure, please spread the word!

-cheers

[tbm1986]

It honestly felt like every idea from the brainstorming before writing was included and whenever someone suggested an idea over someone's shoulder during development, nobody could say no. This resulted in a very bloated game ideas-wise. I would say the Monkey Island series was very good at keeping to the original pitch per game (even if Curse onwards strayed from Gilbert's original vision). It was quite clear from the dialogue at the end that you hadn't decided well in advance what to do with Pi. In the TV series world, Black Sails is a good example of having a clear idea for the whole thing before writing and finishing with a very polished product. Lost and Game of Thrones are examples of going with the flow (winging it, no clear vision) and making a mess of things at the end. Star Trek has both. First Contact (film) was very polished but Generations and Discovery have so far been anything but.

Puzzles: the puzzles on the archipelago were very well done. The opening and the tunnel sequence require work. Most tutorials don't spread over several rooms. Having long rooms with exits at either end is frustrating for the player getting around. The tunnels sequence was far too long and should either have had an opt-out or had much clearer routes, with Larry remembering how to reach previously visited locations and having those options presented at the first door. Don't get me wrong: I loved the concept and hark back to the tunnels at the end of Monkey 2 and the Flotsam jungle in Tales of MI but those were smaller and easier to follow. Using the head of the navigator in Secret of MI was also very easy for the player to follow. In Melee's wood, even if the map and storekeeper were not used, the locations could be randomly stumbled upon. The jungle on Dinky in Monkey 2 was half way between these in design. The tunnels in Indiana Jones were a nightmare. I haven't played non-Larry Sierra titles, so I can't comment. The difficulty of the other puzzles for me (as a veteran adventure gamer) was just right but I can see quite a few newbies and casuals readily resorting to walkthroughs. The To Do List app was very good indeed but could have been expanded to include hints more or less subtle as the gameplay and/or player saw fit. Telltale attempted to do this with Tales of MI and LucasArts did this very well with their MI1 and MI2 remakes.

I will attempt to spread the word but I really am not that influential. I think I'm the only person in my homeland who plays LSL. It has an undeserved reputation that deters people who might enjoy it from playing. Like others have said, Larry is about the humour and not meant to be about porn or encouraging men to disrespect women, however this is not understood by people who have only heard of it, never played.