The Legend of Lotus Spring

By: Sheila Hiner

Genre: Adventure

Format: 2 CDs

Developer: Xing Xing

Publisher: Women Wise

Distributor: DreamCatcher Interactive

Minimum Requirements: 90 MHz PowerPC, System 7.5, 10MB hard disk space, 16MB RAM, 8X CD-ROM, 640x480 display supporting 256 colors

Network Feature: No

3Dfx Support: No

Retail Price: $19.99

Availability: Out Now

Hey. Hi. How's it going? I'm Sheila, Kirk's feminine side. Yes, it's true, he has one, and I'm pleased to say that it's actually started to surface more in his old age (don't tell him I told you this, but at the time of this writing, he's only a day away from a milestone birthday). As of late, he's finally started to appreciate what he refers to as "chick bands," listening to groups like Shonen Knife, Dancehall Crashers and Sleeper. He's also oddly into The Powerpuff Girls, but I'm not sure I should be pleased about that. I hope it's just a phase like that "Sailor Moon" kick he was on.

Anyway, Kirk and I are getting along pretty well these days. I agree to watch the Evil Dead movies if only because Bruce Campbell is kind of cute, and he agrees to watch Titanic with me if only because many people die horribly throughout the entire last hour of the movie. Where he and I can't seem to compromise is in computer games.

Kirk plays a lot of games. It's his job, after all. I greatly preferred it when he spent his free time reading, but what can you do? Trouble is, most of the games he plays are obviously marketed towards boys about half Kirk's age. It's not the degree of violence, but the actual themes of the games. The end and the means to that end in most games have a masculine bent. Then, of course, there are the outfits women wear in computer games. Kirk argues that men are portrayed objectively as well, but he also argues that Red Dawn was a pretty good movie, so I'm not sure he can be trusted.

This is why I was excited when DreamCatcher Interactive's The Legend of Lotus Spring arrived in the mail. Kirk will readily admit that he was intrigued as well, as not since Ms. Pac Man had he played a game marketed specifically towards women. Indeed, the keywords on the box gave that away: life, romance, love, embrace, tragic, forbidden, romantic, exquisite, whimsical, enchanting, magical...compared to, oh, say, Unreal Tournament: combat, ruthless, white-knuckle, deadliest, master, spine-rattling, control, hardcore, damage, intensity...I think I've made my point.

However, even I will readily admit that it's often these "masculine" attributes that make games interesting. Any writer will tell you that without conflict, there is no story. The question is, can there be conflict without "giblets flying?" Lets take a look at The Legend of Lotus Spring and find out.

To briefly summarize, Lotus Spring is the name of the Han woman with whom your character, Xian Feng, has fallen in love. But sadly, Xian Feng is Manchu, and marriage between them and the Han Chinese is forbidden. Jealous of Xian Feng's love for Lotus Spring, the Dowager Empress Cixi banished Lotus Spring to Yuan Ming Yuan, the Garden of Perfect Brightness. She was reported to have disappeared, and Xian Feng sets out to discover what happened to his love. As he picks up clues as to her fate, so do you.

Or at least I think that's what it's about. Everything Kirk knows of Chinese culture he learned from the Clarence Ford movie "Naked Killer," so I tend to get confused if a story from China doesn't include lesbians, martial arts and men getting shot in the crotch.

From the opening movie, Lotus Spring is a beautiful game to watch. The graphics were done quite well in both the QuickTime movies and the interactive screens, much better than in other DreamCatcher games such as The Forgotten and The Crystal Key. Another nice touch is the narrative read by Becky Lam, complete with the occasional malapropism. It leant an air of authenticity to the surroundings which, along with the traditional Chinese music, greatly enhanced the mood of the game.

What didn't enhance the game at all was the "tour guide," which you and I affectionately call the cursor. Rather than an arrow or a finger to select items with which to interface, we're given a China Doll. Her stance indicates which way you can move, and she raises her arm when passed over an item that can be manipulated. I guess the developers were trying to create a seamless interface, but it only makes the game feel more cumbersome. A smaller, cleaner icon would have worked much better.

A rather interesting aspect to the game is the way in which inventory items are used. For the most part, objects are not collected and used throughout Lotus Spring as in most adventure games. Instead, upon finding an important object, you simply pick it up, look at it, and place it in your China Doll's satchel. This then activates the item in your Dream Diary so that you can click on it to learn more about Chinese culture and gain a few clues as to what you can do next.

The diary is the central focus of Lotus Spring, and it does provide the most entertaining moments of the game. The diary uses poetry, artwork and narrative to tell the stories, and what stories they are! Chinese culture is flowered with wild legends and fascinating traditions that spark the imagination much more than what you learned in high school mythology. I quickly found myself caring less about what happened to poor Lotus Spring and more about The Cowherd and the Girl Weaver and other such legends.

And that's the fundamental flaw with Lotus Spring. It's not that the gameplay is overshadowed by the beauty and history of the game, but that it's really not there at all. Lotus Spring is more of an historical romance novel than a game, which is both a blessing and a curse. The game may be marketed for females, but not to female gamers. Kirk's fiancee Tieraney, who greatly enjoys adventure games, quickly grew bored with Lotus Spring. But she's also not into romances that don't involve a cast member of Party of Five, and she likes her computer games to be more challenging. Plus, Tieraney liked Phantasmagoria, a game which Kirk believes (and I'm inclined to agree) was coded by Satan himself, so I'm not sure if she can be trusted either.

So who would enjoy Lotus Spring? Quite simply, people who don't play computer games. Lotus Spring is perfect for your wife, mother or anyone who doesn't understand why you spend every waking hour in front of your Apple Studio Display banging away on a game pad. DreamCatcher realized this, which is why they they tie up the box with a gold string complete with a small gift card claiming Lotus Spring to be a "A gift of love..." It's also good for children, as it exposes them to other cultures and challenges them with puzzles. In fact, because all of the text in the diary can be narrated, it could also help them learn to read. And, of course, it's non-violent, and that's an important buzz-word these days, isn't it?

The Legend of Lotus Spring is a noble step into somewhat uncharted territory. Although many games are marketed to both men and women, software for women only never seems to get beyond Cosmopolitan make-overs. I may just be a feminine side and not a full-fledged female, but I think I can safely assume I'm not alone in calling for more games like Lotus Spring. It's by no means a complete bridge between women and computer games, but it's good to know that someone has at least started building one.

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December 02, 2008