Pseudo_Intellectual (66362) on 5/19/2007 6:42 PM · Permalink · Report

Two of the most intriguing-to-me areas in this game can be found around the desert wastes: -- first, a rocky pass of sorts guarded by a series of poisonous snakes, all but one of which can be traversed with a handy sword chop... then you get bitten I do not think it is possible to overcome the final snake (and hazily recall Merlyn's parting words corroborating the dead-end nature of the area), but it definitely seemed to be leading up to something. If only there was some clearer way to distinguish between "this enemy cannot be killed" and "you were too slow-moving to kill this enemy, try again!" The lack of such signage is classic Sierra game design.

-- second, the tunnel at the back of the well on the outskirts of Jerusalem... goes on and on, deeper and deeper into blackness, full of history but containing only a death in the dark from a sharp drop. More extraneous detail, or is there some hidden light source I could never stumble across? It seems like a lot of work to design and implement areas containing nothing that adds to the main game narrative.

I understand that there are a suite of AGI tools now that can probably be used to bust open the game and thrill at the spinning of its inner workings... perhaps only there will my suspicions be corroborated. Those unexplained areas always hinted at more, but certainly nothing in them contributes to game completion.