After playing for some hours, I can't deny the game is fun. People may have expected a bit more leading to some dissappointment. But with a bit of work, this could end up being a pretty solid and fun albeit limited experience. It's not the Total War of rioting and it won't be. But there is some definite "there" there, and as you play a bit more and get used to the somewhat clunky controls you can probably find it. As I said, after my initial dissappointment I got a taste for the game as I played more. At the core is story mode, which leads you through a series of protests and confrontations with police in different settings (like Indignados in Spain, Arab Spring in Egypt). Players can play as both protesters and police and have a range of attributes at their disposal to help combat each other, either through peaceful, not so peaceful, or downright violent means. The game requires a little bit of experimenting to understand best practices here, but there are definitely some interesting strategies to use in combination with them. Gameplay itself can be a bit clunky, and the game can use some finetuning in that department. Often when trying to attack units onscreen, you inadvertently select your own units, and it can be difficult as police to really come to some sort of synchronous action, although even here it seems that you definitely reap some of the chaos you sow - treading lightly can seem counterintuitive, but can make the difference between ultimately getting the job done with just the right amount of violence or things spinning out of control and you being at the short end of it in the numbers game that unfolds. Also, this game really NEEDS a replay option. Some of the events that develop onscreen are rather interesting (especially when playing police IMO) and it would be nice and helpful to be able to watch the action afterwards. All in all, this game is interesting enough and has enough content to warrant it's price as is. But it can be better still.
So where does the fun part come in? I've had the frustration part. I can deal with the frustration part usually, but I'm trying hard to find out why I would even want to bother with this one. Everything about the game seems clunky and uninviting. So when does the fun start?
Played this in the mid 90's on a Mac and it blew me away. From the intro right up to Atlantis' thingamajig core this felt like a true adventure. So many places to visit, so much fun doing so and to me as a kid the game really invited me to explore and be amazed at the story and the locations. Great story, carried pretty well by the design and different puzzles. Got it on Steam about a year ago and did notice that the music was not what it had been when I played on my old Mac. Read something about this having to do with the SCUMM engine and that it could be solved by downloading something. Haven't tried it myself, but will do so on the next playthrough. Worth the try, because the music is really something I never forgot about this game. Excellent. All in all, my first experience with The Fate of Atlantis was the most memorable gaming experience I've ever had.
