A Cure for the Common Cold

The Good
Feeling bored? Depressed? Cold? A Cure for the Common Cold can also be a cure for other common sicknesses that haunt people's everyday life.

I'll tell you my story with this little game (little in fact, as said in the summary, you'll spend 10 minutes at most in it). Here was I, procrastinating everything work-related as always, roaming pointlessly at MobyGames when I stumbled on a forum thread which mentioned this game. I'm a fan of adventure games, but lately I've been avoiding long term relationships with games due to my job, so I saw it, read its description about a guy who catches a cold and needs to get fixed, and I thought: it can't last that long, I mean, my mom used to tell me that a cold, with medicine, takes a week to be cured; without medicine, it takes 7 days... er, I got carried away here, the thing is, I decided to give it a try.

To my surprise, the game just got me hooked up from the very first second of it. It starts with a black screen and the sound of a phone calling. Then someone hangs up and says "Hello". Meanwhile, this gorgeous music is playing in the background. It starts moody, and as the conversation goes on and our main character tells his mom how his cold can ruin his already sucky career, the music grows on you, and suddenly, you feel connected to him and wants to help him. In fact, you start to put yourself into his place. And there you'll stay until the game ends.

The game has just this music playing all the time, but the way it loops it keeps you in the mood. You have to solve the game's puzzles, which consist basically in doing your mom's recipe: fresh air, some flowers, a bowl of chicken soup and a good night of rest. The gameplay is quite intuitive and does the job well: one button to examine, one to interact. As you explore the environment - your bedroom and the kitchen - you'll get to read the witty remarks made by our protagonist. They're not as slapstick as some Lucas Arts' titles, but they'll make you smile. And that's enough. In fact, that seems to be this game's mission: to put a smile upon your face. And that it accomplishes well.

The graphics are cartoonish, so you can't be judgemental about it. They do their job pretty well and fit the whole game's style. As for the story, being that simple is just great: you won't be expecting much from the game and yet, it will give you a good time.

The Bad
Well, I guess saying I didn't like some things about this game would be a bit harsh. It isn't as if I wanted it to be different from what it is, but I guess I could say that maybe the regular adventure gamer won't like its puzzles that much. They're not much inventive, instead, they're quite simple and logical for that matter. The only "less logical" puzzle is a funny one, so you'll forgive it (I mean, in case you're one of those gamers who can't stand illogical puzzles in adventure games).

The fact of being short could also being pointed as a fault by someone, but I guess that's the whole point of this game: being long enough to be enjoyed in its every second and short enough so you won't be bothered.

The Bottom Line
There's not much more to say. When you finish the game, the music changes to another excellent tune which sets the mood perfectly for a healthy (no pun intended) goodbye. Your character is in good health again, you're happy for him or, should I say, you're just happy. That's the feeling this game will leave you with, and that's good.