Reviewed: November 15, 2003
Reviewed by: Tyler Todd

Publisher
DreamCatcher Interactive

Developer
Asylum Entertainment

Released: October 20, 2003
Genre: Action / Adventure
Players: 1
ESRB: Mature

6
8
7
7
6.9

System Requirements

Developed by relative newcomers Asylum Entertainment, Curse infuses the horror/survival theme with a taste of Egyptian mythology, and emerges somewhere between Raccoon City and Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones Trilogy.

While it fails to break new ground, Curse succeeds where many other Resident Evil pretenders have failed: it has a cohesive, compelling plot that will pique your curiosity and a colorful cast of characters that add depth and personality. Unfortunately, it's also shackled and bound by the same wonky combat system that hampered its predecessors.

On the eve of unveiling the exhibit, however, something goes terribly wrong. The curse is triggered by the attempted theft of the statuette, and results in the death of a museum custodian. The London police seal off the museum upon discovering the dead custodian, and launch an investigation.

Cue Darien Dane. The son of famed Egyptologist Stanley Dane, Darien is a skilled engineer, a courageous soul, and a 20-something virgin. (OK, I made up the part about him being a virgin.) He arrives at the museum for a rendezvous with childhood friend Victoria Sutton only moments after the police have cordoned off the area. Darien ignores their request to steer clear and slips into the museum unnoticed.

You alternate play as Darien and Victoria, assuming control of one or the other at specific, predetermined points in the game. There's no real upside to either character; both are essentially the same, discounting their distinct biological differences, but it's a nice change of pace all the same and serves the story well.

Stitching together clues from Stanley Dane's journal, Darien and Victoria set off in pursuit of the statuette, while the curse seeks to foil the pair at every turn (mostly by hurling lots and lots of zombies at our protagonists).

Rounding out the cast is a virtual all-star team of villains: the infamous cat burglar "Le Chat", a mercenary-for-hire; the wealthy, monocle-wearing art collector Bupo, who will stop at nothing to get his fat hands on the relic; his right hand man, the sinister and horribly scarred Mullins; and the curse itself, a sentient, greenish-yellow mist that has the ability to induce madness in the living and animate the dead.

Ah, yes, zombies. Forever the target of gamers everywhere. Poor zombies have been getting bad press for years. They urgently need to form an anti-defamation zombie union. Perhaps it's their never-ending plea for "BRAINSSSS!" Whatever the case, zombies are here to stay...which is probably a good thing, because daaaaamn are they fun to bludgeon.

Curse features two or three variants of zombies, as well as some mummies and human thugs thrown in for good measure. Your duty: brutalize them using an array of Victorian-era weaponry. You can inflict grievous injury upon their rotting flesh using the usual suspects: a military issue pistol (which coughs up gorgeous whiffs of smoke, Clint Eastwood-style), a rifle, and a 19th-century shotgun. The more stylish among you will want to get your hands on the flamethrower and get a bonafide zombie bonfire going, and the avant-garde will rely on the ultra-cool crossbow to send the undead back to the netherworld.

You also have a "truncheon," which my British-English dictionary defines as "big stick." It's smashin' time! Which may be the problem...fights are repetitive, predictable and often easy.

The control scheme offers a lock-on function, which allows you to single out an enemy, automatically sight him up, and blast away. You can also target specific body parts; a good idea, in principle, but apparently useless outside of boss fights. A standard-issue human thug can take four or five shots to the chest...or four or five shots to the face. Similarly, human enemies have no reaction whatsoever - apart from eventual death - to being set ablaze with a flamethrower. In fact, they will stand seemingly oblivious and reload their weapons while you torch them with a continuous jet of flame. Pretty flames notwithstanding, it's an awkward scenario that undermines the purpose of using different weapons. Why bother igniting my foe when I can crunch him with my truncheon (remember: big stick) in less time?

Combat is further hampered by clumsy AI pathfinding. Monsters pivot in place and attempt to walk through walls with alarming frequency. I was disappointed to discover that running halfway up a flight of stairs was enough to foil enemies almost every time, allowing you to take them down at a distance without suffering a counter-attack.

Boss fights offer little reprieve from the tedium. They're too simplistic, the kind of stuff that dominated the original Nintendo during its heyday. Wait for the boss to expose a vulnerability, attack, evade, repeat. That's it. At no point will a boss character change up his tactics or surprise you in any capacity. Disappointing.

The camera is managed well, for the most part. There are a few select instances where it becomes your foe, and you will be stuck trying to fight enemies who are off screen. It will also "flip flop" on you from time to time, so that left will suddenly become right and right will suddenly become left (just like Dennis Miller). I actually entered and exited the same room three times in a row because the camera's schizophrenic tendency to "flip" on me. Still, it's a marginal improvement over the Resident Evil series and won't dissuade fans of the genre.

Curse also features a smattering of puzzles, most of which are fairly straightforward. Bring plot item A to plot location B to access plot location C. Some of the later puzzles borrow directly the Indiana Jones films - this is a good thing - with pressure plates and retracing steps from your father's journal. Where's Sean Connery when you need him?

Though not a pure Resident Evil clone, few who play Curse will be able to dismiss the striking similarities as mere coincidence. Simultaneously developed for the PS2 and the Xbox, the console roots show. The interface and menus owe more than a little to Capcom's popular, console-centric layout.

The keyboard scheme is odd, to say the least. First, you are required to use the directional arrows for movement, instead of the more traditional WASD configuration. This cannot be changed. The keys for other actions (reloading, targeting, sprinting, etc.) can be mapped to any location you desire, but the movement is set in stone. I was able to overcome the unintelligible keyboard layout by plugging in my Logitech Dual Action gamepad, but for those without a gamepad...brace yourselves.

The save system is bound to irk more than a few. Rather than allow gamers to pause and save the action at any moment, Asylum opted for a more challenging concept. You will periodically meet up with Abdul Wahid as you make your way through the levels. Wahid is an Egyptian government official, a longtime friend of the Dane family, and your sole friend and confidant. He will save your progress, provide vital clues and hold onto any extra items you may have. He turns up with enough frequency to offset any potential problems, but it's sure to be a hot button topic for anyone who purchases the game.

I cranked the resolution up to 1280x960x32 and let my ATI Radeon 9700 stretch its legs, revealing some gaudy lighting effects and sprawling, dense shadows that extend into every last nook and cranny. You will acquire a lantern early on, which will prove invaluable as you make your way through the exquisite, Victorian-era London museum, trudge through the bowels a cargo ship and eventually navigate the ruins of an authentic Egyptian pyramid.

Real-time cinematic cuts are used for dramatic effect and add to the rich story. Several of the cuts will also be essential in helping you solve puzzles, so you'll want to keep your eyes peeled and pay attention.

Some flat textures and lackluster animations keep the game from approaching absolute visual bliss, but I will readily admit that the graphics far surpassed my expectations and are sure to please.

The voice acting and interaction between characters is above average, and provides a touch of authenticity. The cockney thugs and their "Oi, you!" threats will give you a chuckle before you blast them into the next life. The dialogue between Darien and Victoria is convincing, and fosters the sense that the two are indeed familiar childhood friends.

Weapon sounds round out the mix, and inject a bit of life into the otherwise dull combat system. The pistol, rifle and shotgun provide a convincing range of "bang", "boom" and "pop". The crossbow will issue a healthy "whump" as you send a bolt streaking. You can also get up close and personal with your zombie foes and give 'em a satisfying "thump" with your trusty truncheon. Or light 'em up with your flamethrower, which emits a heart-warming low frequency roar. Toasty.

You could make a worthwhile argument that you played this game back when it was called Resident Evil 2, but $29.99 is a reasonable price for a dose of zombie-smashing déjà vu.

It's worthy of a spot in your collection beside Resident Evil and Silent Hill and should provide several good evenings of fright.