Summary
Myst gets a worthy follower
The Good
"Amerzone" is
Microids' first attempt for an adventure game (as far as I know). It is pretty clear
Myst has been the chief influence here (heavy atmosphere, lonely landscapes, a handful of mechanical devices with levers to pull, illogical, irrational story/setting/gameplay, minimum of interaction), along with
Cryo's 360-degree atmospheric mind-breakers such as the
Atlantis series (which were, of course, influenced by "Myst" themselves).
"Amerzone" is now sometimes called the first part of
Syberia, and since the latter is a much more known game, I assume some of the players - like myself - played it first. I actually became interested in "Amerzone" only because of "Syberia". The connection between the two games is evident, although it is clear that "Syberia" took a different approach by combining the "mystian" 1st person "lonely" style with classic adventuring à la
LucasArts (not that it was such a successful combination, but that's another story).
"Amerzone" is still conceived entirely under the yoke of "Myst"-clones. What it adds to the usual deadliness and lack of action so typical for this genre, is the very original setting. No wonder, as it was created by the same author as "Syberia", whose main selling point was the setting. Just like in "Syberia" we plunge into the interesting world of mechanical toys, here we explore an imaginary land somewhere in Latin America. The amount of detail put into the setting is considerable: alone the diary of the dead scientists Valembois contains tons of information about the fictional country, including a detailed list of its fauna representatives, and wonderful hand-drawn sketches of the natives. In fact, this diary, which is actually only an inventory item, remains one of the most interesting aspects of the entire game. Once the hero arrives at Amerzone, we encounter some of those strange creatures pictured in the diary. The question that we immediately pose is the same we face in "Syberia": whether this enchanting world is real or not, whether it is science fiction, fantasy, or something else? It is too realistic for fantasy and too fantastic for reality. And it has none of the usual sci-fi clichées such as space travel or robots. Still, this is rather science fiction, but a very special one, a subtle one, not appealing to everybody, but only to those who are able to appreciate one single detail and enjoy a game which is built entirely upon it.
The structure of the plot is also very similar to the one of "Syberia", you follow the traces of a genius scientist, and everywhere you found strange devices which are like testimonies of his presence. One of the coolest features of "Amerzone" is its hydroplane, which can serve as a plane, a helicopter, a crane, a submarine, or a boat. Just like Hans Voralberg of "Syberia", Valembois appears to be quite an original person, with inventions unlike any others we have seen.
"Amerzone" might look like Atlantis games, but you will hardly ever shrug your shoulders upon solving one of its puzzles. It is somewhat tougher than "Syberia" and of course than
Road to India (another game by the same company), but it is nevertheless not a hard game, and is a blessing to every player out there who has better things to do than spending several days trying to solve a puzzle that makes no sense whatsoever.
Since "Amerzone" is very linear, and since you can't die or get stuck in it, the whole gameplay becomes a very natural and pleasant exploring of the unique world, without being frustrated every time we click the left mouse button.
The in-game graphics are good for an adventure game, with a strong similarity to the Atlantis series, with 3d character models looking at times even better. The FMVs are breathtaking. The sounds effects are very well-done.
The Bad
"Amerzone" still could have used a lot of refinement. The way its story develops is not particularly captivating, and until you really get into the unusual setting it appears more like a pale "Myst"-clone.
The biggest downside is probably poor implementation of characters, you meet only a couple of them, they have very little to say and are generally quite uninteresting. Of course, it's better than having
many uninteresting characters with
many uninteresting dialogue lines (*cough* "Syberia" *cough*), so this fact didn't irritate me, but more activity could have helped. The hero of the game is faceless, nameless, and personality-less, much like the adventurers in
Zork series.
Another flaw is the almost complete absence of music (except in the cut-scenes). The story could have also been more detailed, there are interesting features which aren't used enough, such as for example the fact of a dictator ruling Amerzone, or maybe some more background about the few people you meet in the game. You can clearly see that "Amerzone" still didn't manage to fully liberate itself from the claws of the unholy genre.
The Bottom Line
I'm not inclined to recommend this game to everyone, since for many players this game will just seem another "Myst" clone with nothing new or particularly inspiring to offer. However, if you look more closely, you'll discover an adventure with a definite style of its own, that tries to find its own way, where the little things are the ones that make the difference. Only those who can completely forget themselves and flow together with the author's imagination will be able to understand the creative value of the game.
