Review: Alida

Reviewed By: Tommy Pauly

Review Computer: 800MHz flat panel iMac, 512MB RAM, GeForce 2

Review Date: August 22, 2003

Genre: Puzzle/adventure

Format: 5 CDs

Developer: Dejavu Worlds

Publisher: Dejavu Worlds

Minimum System Requirements: 350MHz G4, 21MB RAM, 185MB hard disk space, Mac OS 8.6 or Mac OS X v10.1.2, 640x480 screen supporting thousands of colors

Network Feature: No

3D Support: No

Price: $46.60

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Availability: Out Now

Ten miles off the shore of Australia lies an island theme park named Alida. It's not the most ordinary theme park, considering that no one has ever been to it except the owners. It's also rather strange in that the only inhabitants are locked up in vaults stashed full of money.

But the oddest part by far is an immense, playable electric guitar that juts out from the island over 1,000 feet above the open ocean. Weird, huh?

And if being able to play this gigantic instrument isn't enough incentive to play Alida, there is an engaging and unpredictable plotline, beautiful and realistic graphics, and a dazzling array of puzzles that are creative and challenging, with satisfying payoffs.

As the story goes, the theme park was built by a one-hit wonder band which sold enough to make its members some of the richest people in the world. With their newfound wealth, they decided to build Alida. But, as we all know, money corrupts, and this band was no different. It lost popularity, didn't produce a second album, and the manager started stealing its money. One of the members of the band, Arin, went to Alida to try to sort out the problems. He never returned.

Where do you, the player, come into the story? You are sent to Alida to find Arin, while avoiding a variety of perils yourself. Soon after you arrive, you discover that Arin has been captured. You must explore all of Alida and find out how to free Arin from his prison, which is one of four locked vaults on the island.

When you arrive on Alida, you look out onto the ocean from a marble walkway, surrounded by Victorian-style arches and pillars. The views and architecture are magnificent.

As you explore the island, you'll find that every detail has been beautifully rendered. The leaves look real enough to touch; the water slowly swirls and rolls.

With this level of realism, it's hard to believe that it was made by one person! Really...one person. Virtually the entire game—story, graphics, and music—was done by Cos Russo of Australia. This is a game that rivals that of any mainstream publisher.

You navigate Alida in a slideshow style, but transitions make the movement seem very smooth and natural. Luckily, for long passages, a zip mode is built in so you can jump quickly to any location you have already visited. Also, some of the longer animations can be skipped, but I wouldn't recommend missing them.

The sounds you'll hear as you interact with objects are realistic, and the background ambiance is very well done. The music and sounds are not repetitive, but are carefully placed and add to the excitement.

Being a game with the emphasis on music (though no musical skill is required), sounds are essential to some of the puzzles. This even goes as far as needing to recognize bird calls—a challenging but rewarding task!

The puzzles are reminiscent of Myst, though they have a much more logical pattern to them. In fact, all the necessary clues are out in the open, once you identify them.

From the beginning, the puzzles are easy to find. Three of the main ones all lie in the same hall—a kind of puzzle hub. Though easy to find, to solve the puzzles requires a thorough exploration of the rest of the island. In the process, you'll learn a lot about the island and discover many new places.

There are four main puzzles that need to be solved in order to free Arin. Each corresponds to a part of the guitar you can enter and manipulate. When all four are solved, the vaults can be opened.

Be careful when opening the vaults; this is a game in which you can lose in a few tragic ways, so save regularly!

If you open the wrong vault...well, you basically spend the rest of your days stuck inside a huge guitar. Not fun at all. I mean, you can't play a giant guitar for years on end without getting bored, can you?

Some games with challenging puzzles make you want to give up in frustration. Not so with Alida. To help with some of the puzzles, Arin gives clues from his prison, and you have access to extensive journals and notes. If you happen to get stuck, you can always move on to a different puzzle, and return later. Also, a free online walkthrough is provided if you are desperate.

The end is satisfying, and like many other good games, it has an opening for a possible sequel (which I eagerly await, should it arrive).

As much as I enjoyed Alida, there is one element missing that I think would have added a lot to the game: you can't use language to interact with the characters. They talk to you, and react to what you do, and even get annoyed with you, but you have no way to communicate to them. This would have added more excitement to the game.

Still, all in all, Alida is a great game; it is sure to delight puzzle fans as well as music lovers. And even if you don't enjoy mulling over puzzles late into the night, who can turn down a strum or two on a giant guitar? And believe me, after that first strum, you won't be able to put the mouse down!

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