Old Skies

Wadjet Eye have done it again: proved that it's possible to create a really great 2D point-and-click adventure game, if you have a cracking story, characterful dialogue writing and voice acting that is nothing short of stellar. Fia works for an organisation called ChronoZen, which sends rich clients on short trips into the past. Playing as Fia, your job - supported by her remote handler Nozzo - is to give them the experience they want, while making sure that no harm comes to them or to the timeline. Of course, the missions are never as simple as they sound. In one, the client runs off by himself and Fia has to track him down and find out what he is trying to do. In another, the person the client longed to meet, because he was her role model, turns out to be a protection-money collector for one of New York’s gangs, so that Fia has her work cut out to prevent them both from being killed. The puzzles which advance the story are mostly solved through dialogue choices or through use of information gathered from other characters, the environment, or Fia's biographical database. No implausibly large inventories here, and the dependence on conversation, setting and history works to build a rich sense of the characters and the worlds they inhabit. Even when you get stuck on a puzzle, you can get Fia to ask Nozzo for advice; he's effectively a built-in hint system, but one that deepens immersion in the game rather than breaking it, because giving helpful advice is what his character does, so it never feels like cheating to ask him for help. Without being heavy or overly serious - and there are some very funny moments in this game - Old Skies packs an emotional punch, prompting thoughts about meaning and purpose and the nature of a life well-lived. Having played the game through to its thrilling conclusion, I'm not sure whether Fia's story has a happy ending or a sad ending. Perhaps that doesn't matter. I'm very glad to have known her and gone through it all with her.

I have not finished the game yet, but I can already say its brilliant time travel story has got me absolutely hooked. I have always liked Wadjet Eye's fascinating premises and deep characters, but this one might very well outclass them all. The story is really exceptional for a game, exploring time travel in such a complex and coherent way that is rarely done outside of very niche hardcore science fiction literature. Helping to bring the game's world alive is the incredible voice acting, especially for the main character. I do have some minor nitpicks, however. While the high resolution gives us some beautfiul background graphics, I think the character line art does not allow for much facial expression and I liked the close-up portraits of talking faces in prior WadjetEye games much more, especially how they harmonized with the voice acting. The protagonist is drawn so beautifully on the game's cover art - it would have been terrific if we could have gotten that style in animated portraits. Also the new look mechanic where a discription only is displayed while you hover over it and wiggles around with your mouse cursor is an accessibility nightmare. Please add an option where you can get a stable text window by right clicking a hotspot. But on the whole, this is a rare gem in the adventure genre and actually a meaningful work of art.

A very engaging old school point and click adventure game!

... and that of course means, if you're looking for complex puzzles, look elsewhere. There's a notable effort to include more challenging puzzles in the second half, but mostly, you're getting a trial - err and die - try again game mechanic that seldom yields the kind of "God am I so clever" epiphany that point and click adventure game enthusiasts are so hooked on. Old Skies excels in basically everything else. High res backgrounds with impeccable lighting, quirky character specific animation, exciting and gratuitously depressing world building, brilliant voice acting, unobtrusive references to former Wadjet Eye games, and a rocky ride in a twisting and turning storyline that loves to slap you in the face as soon as you think you've achieved something of lasting importance – it's all there. The only truly painful thing here is that we can not possibly wait another seven years for the next Wadjet Eye adventure game. Get a move on, Dave!

I like this game, it has a nice atmosphere and creative story line. I have only played it for a few hours, but I'm curious where the story is going to go. I do wish there was a little more freedom to move between times, as you are limited to the mission (at least so far). I give it a solid 4 stars.