Evidence: The Last Ritual
A good game that is way too hard for its own good
Tags: Evidence: Last Ritual Categories: PC Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Tracy Erickson on Nov 10th, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence: Last Ritual (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Adventure | No | ||
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Despite the bad rap the adventure games receive, The Adventure Company has consistently excelled in publishing boundary-breaking titles. Syberia was widely acclaimed as one of the best games of 2002 and the more recent Missing: Since January has received praise for innovating within a rather stale genre. Evidence: The Last Ritual not only follows Missing: Since January as a sequel, but also in pushing expectations of adventure games. While its insufferable difficulty prevents it from being widely recommendable, Evidence: The Last Ritual is a solid game that rests at the top of the genre.
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Following directly after the events of Missing: Since January, Evidence tasks you with uncovering the identity of an infamous serial killer known only as “The Phoenix.” A string of bizarre murders bearing his modus operandi points prompts a widespread investigation by the International Committee for the Phoenix’s Arrest (ICPA). The investigation focuses on an enigmatic game crafted by the Phoenix that includes videos of his victims, riddles, and cryptic religious references. Only by playing through the Phoenix’s game can his identity be deciphered and his maniacal murder spree stopped.
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Evidence differs from traditional adventure games in ditching point-and-click mechanics with gameplay that consists entirely of riddles presented by means of live action videos and interactive Flash mini-games. Instead of moving through still pre-rendered environments, you’ll interact with stylized screens to solve puzzles. The game spans eight levels which are each comprised of several puzzles. Within each level you’ll solve a puzzle and then view a video that uncovers a bit of the story. Puzzles start off simple enough; for example, one of the game’s first puzzles has you click on a woman’s face, count how many times she blinks her eyes, then entering the number. Most of the puzzles after the initial level are much more complex, requiring both good logic and Internet skills. Searching the Internet is vital to finding key pieces of information; additionally, by entering an e-mail address you can receive messages from in-game characters that both help your efforts.
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Whereas most games seek to transport you to an alternate universe, Evidence instead blurs the line between gameplay and reality. In playing the game, you feel as though you’re examining real documents, uncovering real information, and interacting with real people and places. Much of this can be attributed to the use of e-mail, Internet clues, and live action video; but even more than these, Evidence possesses a dark, menacing tone that is truly disturbing. Characters are well developed and realistic; hence, seeing them in gruesome poses or hearing their unsettling stories conjure emotion. Without question, Evidence is enjoyable for its ability to draw you in with its compelling story and dark style.
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Unfortunately like so many adventure games, Evidence suffers from a near-fatal flaw: its puzzles are too hard. One early puzzle, for example, presents you with a small, dark picture of a castle from which you are to infer the castle’s name and then type in the name its owner. Using the only the image, you’re somehow supposed to find the castle’s name by searching the Internet. Number games and wordly riddles will tax your brain and test the limits of your patience to it’s breaking point. Evidence is awfully demanding in assuming that you can solve puzzles with minimal clues, such as in this example. You’ll frequently receive e-mails from other investigators on the case, but they often aren’t helpful and simply proclaim their frustration with the riddles. The puzzles are so obtuse and difficult that it isn’t unreasonable to become frustrated or to even quit the game. As intriguing and stylish as Evidence is, the difficulty of its puzzles is a huge barrier to enjoying the game. Sadly, Evidence: The Last Ritual is hard to recommend due to this shortcoming, meaning its wonderful style and compelling narrative are destined to be overlooked.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Incredibly tight story with convincing, realistic characters + Dark, disturbing, and vivid style + Unique gameplay mechanics that are totally immersive |
7.1 |
| What Doesn't | |
| - Frustratingly difficult | |
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| The only thing that holds Evidence: The Last Ritual back is its excessive difficulty; otherwise, The Adventure Company has yet again crafted an amazingly vivid game that breaks expectations of what an adventure game can do. | |
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Tags: Evidence: Last Ritual
Posted by Tracy Erickson on Nov 10th, 2006 and is filed under PC Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
