Reviewed: March 6, 2003
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
Illuminated Lantern
Developer
Peter Nepstad
Released: February 2, 2003
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB: Everyone
8
8
3
9
8.0
System Requirements
Gamers over 30, lend me your ears! Do you long for the days of the classic INFOCOM adventures? Do you want to stand outside that white house and open the mailbox to actually read important game information? Of course I am referring to the classic adventure game, ZORK, that paved the way for modern day adventure games, and even though today’s games feature budgets and high-tech CG imagery that rival the movie industry, anyone who has played these “old-school” text adventures will still smile fondly when they think back and remember having to actually TYPE in their commands. Back then the only mouse in the house was the one that lived behind the refrigerator and the only point-n-clicking going on was with the TV remote.
So where am I going with all of this nostalgia? All the way back to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with the latest interactive fiction game from Peter Nepstad. 1893: A World’s Fair Mystery arrives on the gaming scene like a breath of fresh air at a time when adventure games have become bogged down by technology; where flashy graphics overshadow the story, and where the point-n-click interface has taken all of the imagination and thinking out of the genre.
Your typical modern-day adventure game generally consists of a glorified pixel-hunt where you pass the mouse over every square inch of the screen in hopes of triggering a pick-up or point of interactivity. You then get to experiment with a selection of inventory items trying various combinations until you stumble on the answer. Conversations are either totally scripted or in those rare occasions when you do get to pick your topics, you simply choose from a pre-programmed menu of topics until they are all exhausted.
1893: A World’s Fair Mystery is a hybrid text/graphic interactive fiction title that resembles several adventure games in the early 90’s that made their appearance just when adventure gaming was making the move to mouse-driven graphics. If you ever played the classic games like Spellcasting 301: Spring Break, or Gateway 2: Homeworld, just to name my two favorites, then you will instantly recognize the interface. You have a multi-pane window with the text being in the largest section and an image in one corner with a compass and other commonly used commands below that. The compass not only shows you all available exits but also allows you to click on it rather than typing in the classic commands like N or SW or type things like “go in building”.
The game itself is based on an historical event while the author has cleverly woven in a tale of intrigue. Precious diamonds have been stolen from the Kimberly Diamond Mining Exhibit and you have been asked to recover them. Hopping the next train to Chicago, you arrive to find that the theft quickly turns into a kidnapping and then to murder.
1893: A World’s Fair Mystery is truly an interactive novel. You will read and you will read a lot. While there are more than 500 stunning archival photos these are more for historic value than anything else. The rich narrative will easily help you visualize your environments and take you back to 1893. Much like reading a book, the power of your imagination can often create much more vivid imagery than any 3D image or painted background.
You will find yourself actually typing in your commands (gasp!); commands like “pick rose” or “ask teller about money”. The parser is quite good, perhaps not as evolved as the classic INFOCOM command system, but most of your commands are accepted and if they are not understood you are at least prompted to try something else or given a hint as to how to reword your command. There are several nice touches like the ability to include multiple commands on the same line or use group words like ALL to pick-up everything in the immediate area. If you are imprecise in your wording the game will try to figure out what you meant. You can even use pronouns like IT and THEM to refer to the last item you interacted with.
The game takes place in real-time with a clock constantly clicking away in the corner of the game screen. You will need to eat and sleep and these actions take variable amounts of time. Eating a snack from your inventory may only take a moment but if you plan to dine at one of the restaurants in the game an hour could easily tick by. Some events may only occur at a specific time, and you can type in a command like WAIT UNTIL 12:00 to make the time pass more quickly.
Conversations are an important part of solving the mystery and you will want to talk with everyone you meet. You can ASK and TELL them about things to give and get useful information that can be used to solve the case. You can’t overlook anybody as even the most minor character may have an important clue.
There are a good number of puzzles, but unlike most modern adventure games these seem to actually be relevent to the game and the story. The difficulty of each of these varies, but if you get stuck there is a nice hint system in place to keep you moving along in the right direction.
The level of immersion in this game is overwhelming. Painstaking detail has gone into recreating the World's Fair including both major and minor exhibits and even the smaller kiosks and out-of-the-way pavilions. If this much work and research went into the big budget titles we might see a whole new face of adventure gaming.
First, let me qualify my score for this criteria by saying that this game in no way attempts to compete with other modern day graphic adventures like Syberia or The Longest Journey. My unusually high score for this category is solely attributed to the sheer number and quality of archival photos that the author was able to obtain and include in this game. Short of one of those Time Life Encyclopedias, you would be hard pressed to find such an amazing collection of images dealing with the Chicago World’s Fair.
The game plays at either 800x600 or 1024x768, either in full-screen or in a window. Everything is black and white with a nice font for the text, nice grayscale images and a functional compass and command interface.
To supplement the game you are also provided with an authentic Rand, McNally map of Chicago that shows you the city of Chicago as it existed in 1893 during the World’s Fair. While this map contains much more detail and locations than you will find in the actual game, it is still a very useful tool in finding your way around the fair. As a final bonus, you are also provided with a 27-page visitors’ guide and even an authentic replica of a ticket to the fair.
Much like reading a book, you won’t find many sound effects in A World’s Fair Mystery. You do have the option to toggle on some period-specific music. It’s not very sophisticated, mainly a single-track piano that plays some rag, jazz, or classical pieces. Personally, I found it rather annoying after awhile and opted to turn off the music and insert an easy-listening CD. Once you install the game it doesn’t require the CD to play, so listening to your own CD’s is quite easy, or you could even launch your MP3 player in another window.
I can’t really give you a playtime for this game because I haven’t finished it yet. I’ve logged about 18-20 hours wandering around the fair, talking to people and gathering clues. I have a good idea of what is going on, but I feel I am still far from nailing down the case or finishing this game.
The author claims more than 30 hours of gameplay and priced at only $20, this is a substantial value provided you can handle the retro-style gaming and text interface.
1893: A World’s Fair Mystery is definitely a niche game targeted toward a specific demographic. Older gamers, history buffs, teachers and students, or anyone who loves the Windy City will definitely find something of genuine interest in this title.
If you have been secretly longing for a good old-fashioned text-adventure then look no further. Peter Nepstad has created a wonderful work of interactive fiction set against an historic event and unique location ripe with potential adventure. Head on over to the official website and get your copy today.