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Sunday, 04 October 2009 21:58 |
Fast, Frenetic, Fun. It’s That Simple.
Written by Ulysses Mockett
Title: Abandon
Genre: Action, Escapism
Developer: GAMBIT
Publisher: GAMBIT
Rating: N/A (AUS) (For All Audiences)
DRM: None
Behind the intent to answer GAMBIT’s research question of churning out animated models within a specific timeframe is a game developed with the sole intention of ensuring those long-hour lunch breaks end up drawn out and productive in the fun and satisfying case. Abandon is straightforward: take your comfortably-clothed heroine through the oppressively bleak, wintry dreamscape of neglected buildings and debris towards an exit-portal without of course, succumbing to the menacing, light-consuming household objects and furniture that loom predatory behind an aura of darkness.
Within this simple premise houses a series of twenty-four levels each connected with a specific theme of escapism whether it involves deciphering a path through a claustrophobic maze, or weaving through a host of objects screaming for your character’s light or even search for that halo required to access the exit-portal. The heroine is fortified with nothing but this halo (at times) and the orb of light that serves nothing but to illuminate her nightmarish world as well as breathe life to these inanimate items.
At first, the introductory levels serve as your helpful tutorial and by way of teasing you into thinking this is nothing but a simple A-to-B game. Well, as way of reassurance, Abandon is nothing but a simple A-to-B game. However, the levels do pave the way into some form of thinking that it’s not just all about running away from the encroaching objects that hound your heroine’s every corner. Certain instances do rely upon the need to ‘bump’ into these objects, which obviously diminishes the orb of light around her and shift the musical tone of the game from a cautious tread to a mad pursuit of electronica. But, in doing so allows the character a chance to slice through the other objects lying dormant in the darkness.
Other strategies rely upon luring these ‘sentient’ items, such as books and traffic cones away from their guarding post so as to allow a narrow, but essential opening in the girl’s pathway. And, as the game’s premise suggest, there’s just times where running flat out (especially away from the fast moving toy robots) is your one and only option. Find yourself invested in this heroine long enough and you, too, will find yourself feeling the dread and fear of being consumed by the ‘lifeless’ enemy.
Besides the fun factor exuded through this frenetic gameplay, the game itself is both well polished from a graphical as well as a musical perspective. While the 3D environment is typical of the class seen in the more recent Tales of Monkey Island series, its opening menus painted boldly in black, white and red splashes that sense of artistic integrity generated by both dedication and effort.
It’s in this reviewer’s mind that even though Abandon is not a game that will blow minds or transcend gaming conventions, it is a well-written game that satisfies its objectives neatly without losing focus of the player’s essential needs of gaming: the need to just have some fun.
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