Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle

The Good
Nice, clear, colourful 2 dimensional visuals

The Bad
It tries to relive the point n click adventure genre that once dominated the nineties...

The Bottom Line
..unfortunately it fails. Let me explain. R2TDOTT tries to mimic old point n click games and adds a little flavour to it. The genre is long gone since they eliminated the complete command system such as "pick up" or "give to" and adapted all commands under a single mouse click. What made this genre so great was that you could visit almost a hundred screens at a time, combine a full inventory of red herrings and lots of objects, and then I really mean lots. And you were practically clueless because of all the possibilities.

Here it feels like the complete opposite, except for the addition of zillions of bogus dialogues. There is very little you can do, there aren't that many screens you can explore because you are often stuck to a small location and Brian Basco doesn't mention much unless you are supposed to interact with certain objects. The way you work yourself through the chapters is pretty embarrassing, I mean for example.. how many times can you use soldier O'Connor or the Lemur as a solution to just about everything??

You know what's a big problem with this game? For most of the time, it feels like watching a movie more than playing a game. There are ginormous cut scenes that you just can't click away, why not shut up and let me play? Or at least let me skip them. If I wanted to watch an animated movie, i'd pick up the incredibles or something like that. But no, I purchased a game so please, I want to play!

The story is pretty forgettable too. Again they borrowed too much from Indiana Jones cliches such as discovering the mysteries of old artifacts and traveling around the planet and the way Brian can escape from his foes is so fictional that I rather take every James Bond installment for real. The way you must trigger certain events is pretty stupid too, you can't do action x unless you have mentioned something about topic y; this makes the game extremely linear. And the way Brian always has to say something smart every time he does something really annoys me.

Two dimensional graphics look awesome, but the animation simply isn't. For example, Colonel Kordsmeier talks like a sock puppet and sound like a drunk pirate. Voice acting could have been done a lot better though, since you are obliged to listen to a million lines of nonsense.

It never gave me a pleasant feeling and after a while I was playing against my will. After the fourth chapter I couldn't bear it anymore and I quit playing. I can enjoy a lot of old point n click games, but this one simply fails to deliver.

The Good
It has been quite awhile since I played a game that made me laugh out loud. This game did - and often! Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle is full of bizarre situations, wacky characters, and off-the-wall humor. Sure, some of the jokes are corny and quite a bit "off color", but that just adds to the charm of it.

When I play a point and click adventure, I've come to expect the gameplay aspects to be simple - and this game fit the bill. It has simple cursors, a clean and crisp interface, and no-bother game saving and loading. The game is completely controlled using a mouse and both mouse buttons are used. (Right-clicking on an object or person presents possible options such as use, open, push etc.) Other pluses include being able to name your saved games, limitless saves, and options to adjust graphics and audio for your needs or taste. In addition, Runaway 2's manual is colorful, entertaining and a pleasure to read. A mini-walkthrough is included to help you get through the first parts of the game.

You play Brian Basco, the star of the previous game, who needs to go around the world and back again to find his beloved Gina. It seems that Brian as a million obstacles in his way, all of which he must overcome, of course, before he can get to Gina. The story is wild and evolving - it keeps you guessing right up until the end. Each of the 6 chapters has its own unique ambiance and challenges. The locations are varied and interesting - a jungle (complete with quicksand), a secret military base, a tropical village, beaches, an ancient temple, snowy Alaska, and a private yacht, to name a few.

The graphics are sharp and clear with bright colors and clean lines. Cut scenes are very well done. (The underwater scuba diving scenes are especially good.) The music is in keeping with the game, is very cheerful, appealing and changes with each chapter.

The characters are so very entertaining and each has his (or her) own unique personality. The dialog scripts were very well written. In the U.S. English version the voice-acting is excellent, and I commend all those who acted out their parts. Lip synching to go along with those voices was great too. I particularly liked the French accents which were very believable to my American ears.

Looking back, I must admit that my inventory contained some of the most unusual objects ever found in a game. (Who ever heard of a "seven-tailed dragon's tongue", or the "essence of female bear in heat", I ask you?) Brian has a comment for every object and sometimes hints at its suggested use. Sometimes items need to be combined to create another, even more crazy item. (And, everything has a use in this game - no red herrings.) I also liked the way Brian "emptied out his pockets" at the end of each chapter, getting rid of "excess weight", as he put it. That left the inventory uncluttered and fresh. Only occasionally were a few items brought over to a new chapter.

This is definitely not a "puzzle" game in the sense that some others are. All of the puzzles are what I would call "situations" that are solved either by conversation or inventory use. There is only one "true" puzzle at the end of the game and it is simple.

The game is decently long and will keep you busy for, say, a good week - possibly longer if you don't use a strategy guide. After you finish the game and the credits finish rolling, you are treated with some additional ending scenes.

The Bad
No, I didn't find the "adult" innuendos to sex and drugs offensive. (Parents, most kids won't "get it", if you get my meaning.) The "scantily clad" girls didn't bother me - in fact, they wore more than many seen on television and in movies these days. I didn't even mind the so-called "offensive racial stereotypes" that some reviewers referred to.

I'd say my biggest beef with this game is the excess dialog. Even though the conversations are interesting, you must go through each and every topic (sometimes several times) and listen to long, drawn-out answers. Some of the cut-scenes contained an extra amount of talking, and there is no way to skip them.

There is a lot of watching without participation here, and that is my second dislike. Sure, there's plenty of actual gameplay, but many scenes begged for interaction when there was none to be had.

Getting stuck in an adventure game because of lack of real clues is never good. It is normal to examine each screen carefully for interactive spots so as to not miss any. Patience is the key here, and sometimes I lost mine and had to refer to a walkthrough. "Think outside the box", I kept telling myself, but my imagination often wasn't good enough. Many times the answers are so outlandish that only the designers could have thought of it. Creative, yes, but frustrating at the same time. I found it helpful to play this game in shorter spurts to give me a new perspective and new ideas.

After writing all of the above, I decided I'd better re-read my review of the first game, Runaway: A Road Adventure to see what has changed between games. They are very similar, and it is surprising to me that so little was different. Making this one in DVD meant no disc changes - a definite plus. Also, items in Dream seemed easier to find for me this time around. (I never changed anything in the Options this time, so I don't know how that compares.)

The Bottom Line
To summarize, Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle is a well-designed game that should please fans of the adventure genre. Graphics, music and sound are all excellent and the interface is easy to use. It has a meaty storyline with twists and turns in the plot. Humor is of the "tongue-in-cheek" variety similar to a situation comedy on television. As can be said about any attempt to amuse, some jokes are funny than others. Unfortunately it suffers from some of the same problems as its predecessor with its strict linearity that can result in frustration and the consulting hints or a walkthrough. Additionally lengthy cut-scenes with too much conversation could turn off some players.

All of the above doesn't mean that I didn't thoroughly enjoy Dream - quite the contrary. I loved it, despite its flaws. Since pickings are thin these days for comedic adventures for the PC, don't pass up this title.