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Review: Beyond AtlantisReviewed By: Jack Jose Review Date: October 15, 2001
The Atlantis games and puzzles required to pass from one section to the next are frequently challenging and thoughtful, and the not-so-linear nature of the game plot is a welcome change, so I finally decided that my objection was to the game format and not to the game itself. If the gameplay of Myst engaged you, I am pretty sure you will enjoy Beyond Atlantis (notice to target audience mentioned above: that means you). If the Hypercard format, with 360 degree panoramic shots but one click movement to a new "room," is not your style, then neither is this game. The characters in Beyond Atlantis are distinct and visually interesting, as are the locations. There are some creative and engaging puzzles, such as the number game in Yucatan. And it is possible to solve different parts of the game in a non-linear way.
One interesting attempt was made in Beyond Atlantis to modify the Hypercard format a bit. Real-time chases are generally not part of these games, but the Spider's Web Challenge, which must be faced multiple times, forces the game player to tempt a spider out of the center of her web and outmaneuver her to retrieve items from the center. I found the interface too clunky for this interesting idea. I could easily move in to tempt her and turn immediately, but the game would not register quickly enough my mouse clicks to move. I imagine that this was a built-in delay so the spider could be in the correct position when the player needed to break toward the middle, but all it caused was frustration. Often, I would line up the cursor, click without result, move and re-align the cursor in the same location, click and then move forward. Or worse, I would follow the sequence I just described, then the spider would toss me from the web and I would have to start the puzzle over. I do not know if this is a limitation of the Hypercard format or a glitch in the game, but it caused me to quit the game in frustration several nights.
Ultimately, Beyond Atlantis is a thoughtful and challenging game that will devour hours and fill the void until Myst VI: Ceaseless Self-Flagellation ships. It is a good game in its format, better than Riven because of its engaging puzzles and attractive scenery. If this kind of thing is your kind of thing, then this is the right thing.
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If this kind of thing is your kind of thing, then this is the right thing. That is to say, the Hypercard adventure has been done in the past and done well (see Myst, Myst II: Riven, Myst III: Exile, and Myst IV: Revenge of the Makers of Myst on a Loyal Target Market), so it is difficult to offer something new. Certainly, stunning visuals have been done, and Beyond Atlantis by DreamCatcher Interactive does this well.
Specifically, the Yucatan puzzle is a good example of what is strong about this DreamCatcher offering. As you venture through a pyramid, you encounter a deceptively simple board with holes you can fill with single balls or a stick to cover the entire row. Great fun? Not yet. Later (or earlier, depending on the route you took) you encounter a clue that illuminates the nature of the puzzle. The puzzle-makers counted a little differently than we do. Now it becomes great fun. The game forces you to rethink your basic concept of counting and in its simplicity offers a challenge captured my interest. However, determining which number the game wanted you to create was, like some of the other puzzles, a bit more tedious than challenging. Of course, a controlled tedium is at the heart of these games, and again, if that's your thing, then this is your thing.
Another "if this is your thing" thing: often, travel to and from puzzles depended on picking up subtle visual clues along the way (missing those clues meant you were no longer going to some place, you were merely wandering around). The Quake player who thinks of a gunshot to the abdomen as subtle will find this frustrating. The Myst player who envisions getting there as half the fun will find it interesting.