With a parody style that is akin to slapstick, this adventure game has some great quips that showcase the developer's sense of humor.

With a development company by the name of Absurdus, you can expect something just a tad different from their game Eye of the Kraken (EOTK). EOTK definitely pokes fun at itself and gaming in general, but does it in a unique and stylish way.


Eye Spy

I guess the best way to start this review is to tell you about the music in the game because it is the very first thing you encounter when you prepare to start one. The music reminded me of those silent films on television. You know the kind, the silent black and white films that have the musical soundtrack playing in the background while everyone is chasing each other all over town in an unnatural frenzied pace.

The classic phonographic style brought to mind Groucho Marks, and Laurel and Hardy movies. Needless to say the music gave it an energetic pizzazz, but one that I just could keep the pace with because after a while it made me feel like I had just drunk 15 cups of espresso…all in a row. Thankfully, Absurdus gave me the ability to turn off the music or I just might be foaming at the mouth and rocking in the corner somewhere babbling like a blithering idiot.

The game is relatively easy to play, and because it is an independent title, the manual comes right on the CD. EOTK is a 3rd person perspective game with a protagonist by the name of Abdulla. Abdullah, a self-proclaimed ambassador is sailing to Hyde Island and is aboard a ship with some very ‘novel’ characters; try Ophelia, a Minotaur, Odysseus and many more colorful characters.

The graphics in the game are basic and not of high quality, but based on a game that is poking fun at the gaming industry it seems to fit the mold nicely. There are some graphical oddities such as, the “hanging staircase” that seemed to go nowhere and looked as if they stuck straight up out of the floor, but it turned out that they actually did take you up to the next level - when you stood in the right place.

The interface is easy to use as is entirely point and click and the inventory system is readily accessible. This would be an easy game for beginners, but is a title that would generally appeal to more of the hard-core adventure gamer, the ones who will appreciate the nuances and forgive the lack of production quality.

Absurdus is a French Canadian company. The translation in the conversation trees were not always precise, but even with the incorrect usage of a word, the point came across clearly enough to get the jokes.

I think the title shows some promise, and Absurdus is hard at work on some other titles at present. I think with some elbow grease and some money for upgrade development Absurdus could find its niche.

Review by Michelle Whicker.