Posted on: August 21, 2018
CharlieLima79
Zweryfikowany użytkownikGry: 638 Opinie: 149
A different type of adventure game from Dave Gilbert
Dave Gilbert's first game under the Wadjet Eye Games banner might have been 'The Shivah', but his claim to fame was definitely the renowned 'Blackwell' series. The 'Blackwell' games were so good that they had become part of the standard, against which modern point-and-click adventure games are measured. Needless to say, after the fantastic 'Blackwell' series ended, there are high expectations for Gilbert's follow-up game, 'Unavowed'. I purposefully did not follow Gilbert's development of 'Unavowed' because I fear I might develop unrealistic expectations for it. Gilbert had set himself such a high bar for his writing, and combining the supernatural into his mysteries, that I expected similar level of quality in 'Unavowed'. He did not disappoint at all, especially with the twist he dropped with aplomb during the game's climax! In 'Unavowed', players assume the role of a character of their creation: male or female, who had a career in acting, law enforcement, or bartending. This would affect how the story of 'Unavowed' begin, what the player character might say, as well as how some mid-game events unfold. The player character is silent, with supporting protagonists respond to the players' chosen dialogues. In that sense, 'Unavowed' is a point-and-click adventure game with some role-playing game elements. Players of the 'Blackwell' series had got to know Rosa Blackwell and her spirit guide, Joey Mallone, very well after five fantastic adventures. With 'Unavowed', Gilbert had the daunting task of making players care about the supporting protagonists in one game. He deftly did this by having these characters banter amongst themselves mid-mission, as we “eavesdrop” on their conversations. I particularly enjoyed hearing the backstories of Logan (a spirit medium, or Bestower of Eternity), Eli (a Fire Mage), and Mandana (a Jinn of mixed Jinn and human heritage). The backstory of Vicki (a former police officer) unfortunately fell just a bit short. The focus of 'Unavowed' is the conversations. Conversations with characters unearth new clues, which in turn open up new set of dialogue choices. That plus investigating items of interest would help you understand the nature of the demonic phenomena that had been plaguing New York City. Each case or mission would culminate with a moral conundrum. Your moral decision would have an impact on the outcome of the story, though not dramatically. It is these moral conundrums and facing the consequences of your decisions that make 'Unavowed' a gem, not necessarily the individual puzzles that preceded it. Given that, 'Unavowed' allows for replayability. Aside from your choice of your character's previous profession affecting the story's prologue, your choice of two of four supporting protagonists, who would join you on missions, would affect how puzzles could be solved. For example, Logan and his spirit guide could get clues from ghosts, but other team members could not. Your moral choices would also affect how you would solve the last few puzzles. I replayed 'Unavowed' twice to explore the impact of different team configurations and the moral decisions I make. At the time of this review, 'Unavowed' has some graphical glitches that are a bit distracting, but not game-breaking. The GOG version of the game does not have achievements, too. While this may annoy achievement seekers, I personally prefer it. I do not want the quest for achievements affect how I make in-game decisions and dictate how I should play the game, especially given the way it is designed. As a huge fan of Gilbert's 'Blackwell' games, I highly recommend 'Unavowed' even though it plays quite differently from them or other gems produced by Wadjet Eye Games. It is the differences in 'Unavowed' that make it a unique title in Wadjet Eye Games' catalogue.
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