Based on a title of the same name developed by Artex Software in 1998, Ankh is a return to the graphic adventure of a lifetime where you will play in the style of LucasArts and Sierra classics. Let us resolve, then, the curse of Assil ??
Yes, we must admit that Fahrenheit gave a breath of fresh air to the genre of graphic adventures, but it was very serious, even distressing. Many of us wanted to laugh again like with Monkey Island or Day of the Tentacle. Many of us in Ankh saw the opportunity to relive those comical moments.
Based on a title of the same name developed by Artex Software in 1998, Ankh is a return to the graphic adventure of a lifetime, that of point and click. No strange formats or keyboard control, here you will play the classic style of LucasArts and Sierra. Let us resolve, then, the curse of Assil ??
The graphic engine is OGRE, a very powerful open source application with various features in the 3D field. In this way, the game sports a more than correct graphic aspect, which hobbles in some aspects, but leaves a good taste in the mouth (that caricature style helps a lot). For example, the animations of the characters are very successful, each with their gestures according to what they are saying; Assil has a great repertoire, with a very funny expression when he is being ironic with his interlocutor. However, some objects have a fairly low definition, especially noticeable when approaching the camera.
And speaking of the camera, this one moves on several occasions, giving a more dynamic touch to the game than its homonymous predecessors. On the other hand, few adventures have the recommended requirements so high, but no other looks as good as this one, you have to admit it. So, to put the graphical configuration to the maximum you will have to have a fairly decent PC, but you will be rewarded with shadows, textures, resolution and effects to the fullest.
The sound effects are there, but they are nothing special. On the other hand, the soundtrack does convey a greater sense of immersion, since it is accurate and is correctly elaborated. The problem comes with the dialogues; For some strange reason you will hear some louder than others, keeping up quite a lot in several conversations.
A long time ago, in Cairo, Assil and his friends organized a banned party in a pyramid. While they were chatting and telling tales of terror, Assil touched what he should not touch and suffered a deadly curse. Now, your mission will be to get rid of such a spell, but you will not have much time, because you have a few hours to live. And to make matters worse, the only person who can help is the almighty pharaoh, who will cost more than one dislike to know.
This is a classic point-and-click adventure, so anyone who has played one of this kind will know what to do instantly. The interface has been solved correctly in a very simple way; with the left button we look at any object, while with the right we make an action with it. It can be catch, use, combine with, talk ?? the game will help us in this sense, since the action is automatically selected.
At the top we will constantly see the inventory bar; At no time will we have too many items, so there will be no space problems. In the lower part we will see the status bar, which informs us of the objects that we pass with the cursor, the destinations to which we can go, the phrases that we can say in a dialogue, etc. The normal.
After the funny introduction to the Disney, made with the game engine, with music and dancing by the characters, we will immediately be in the skin of Assil. Then comes the time to talk with the characters, record the scenarios from top to bottom, and think that not all solutions to puzzles will be the typical ones that come to mind. Some enigmas will require patience and a deep search for the screen, to find in a key point with which to combine that object or with which to use an item.
Ankh is a comic graphic adventure, of those that are almost done (it seems that nowadays, developers prefer a more adult and detective theme). Therefore, all the dialogues, situations and characters will be impregnated with humor, parody and satire. And it is a success, because the feeling that transmits, and that offers us throughout the game, is of sympathy. In addition, it is noted that they have had the supervision of Telltale Games, a team that counts among its ranks developers who worked on Monkey Island, Sam & Max and Grim Fandango (among others).
The script is slowly resolving in Cairo and its surroundings, but we will really be more distracted talking to the characters than following the plot. And this is so because each one has its point of madness and a funny story to tell us, like the rapper boatman, the couturier (more blind than a bat with some Ray-Ban), or the slave and his incredible story.
Among the few black spots we can find the title of Deck13 we find some technical failures, such as not being able to delete the games or overwrite any of them. Someone hangs up we have also suffered in this version, as well as untranslated phrases (you can check it in one of the images that accompanies the text). Another against is the duration of the game, which some may seem short and, to a certain extent, it is.
A correct booklet of 24 pages forms the manual of the game, with the typical that is included in this type of documentation, enlivened with the characters of the title. First you will have an introduction, then the system requirements, how to install and uninstall the game, the menu description, how to save and load a game, settings, controls, inventory, special features, and the solution to the first minutes of the game. game. Finally, you can read the credits and acknowledgments.
Ankh is an amusing, funny graphic adventure that will return the smile that was printed on your face with the title dialogues like Grim Fandango. Maybe it's something short, maybe it has some flaws, maybe it's not as great as we thought it would be, but it's a remarkable title. And quite more relaxing than Fahrenheit (which is not better). If you are a fan of this forgotten genre, you are taking time to get the game, otherwise you can also give it a try. It will not fail you, although it may seem short.
Runaway and The Westerner are the names that come to mind after playing Ankh. But, really, those classics like Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle are also present in our thoughts, especially in the most ironic conversations and in the most ridiculous situations.
the best
The graphics.
- The dialogues.
- The humor.
the worst
- Some technical failures.
- Not very long-lived.
It fulfills the expectations of what a good game is, it has quality and it does not present serious faults, although it lacks elements that could have taken it to higher heights.