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Mobile Adventure Series - House of Tales

I was going to be the last true holdout; the only person on Earth to never get a cell phone. There was just no point. The only people I'd give the number to are those who already know I don't want to hear from them while I'm standing in line at the bank, driving through traffic, or eating at a restaurant, let alone trying to get some work done. Sure, I realize it has some "emergency use" value, but knowing my luck (read: foresight), my phone would run out of power right when I needed it, so it's not worth the 642 months of paid minutes needed to reach that momentous occasion. So why bother? I mean, it's not like they make games for phones or anything...

Or so I thought -- but yes they do. In fact, some pretty darn good ones, I was told, and adventure games to boot. This dawning realization had trouble written all over it. The more I thought about it, the more I heard the siren call of mobile gaming (or maybe that was the "Flight of the Bumblebee" ringtone).

Fast forward (really, REALLY fast) through much sheepish, crow-eating backpedalling, and I was dutifully armed with a XXXX (product placement pending) cell phone with a spiffy graphic display. But where to find games? Mobile phone titles aren't physical products like other types of games, so the standard store browsing and web surfing just weren't going to cut it. Fortunately, I didn't have far to look, as one of the better current storytelling developers has already established itself in the world of mobile gaming.

German studio House of Tales, better known for its full-length PC adventures The Mystery of the Druids and The Moment of Silence, offers four Java-compatible mobile adventure games, available for purchase directly from their website. Developed in collaboration with elkware GmbH, who supplied the graphics, House of Tales wrote and designed these games almost two years ago, promising to provide "the growing ranks of games enthusiasts who love stories with the ultimate in mobile entertainment fun." When I read this, I knew I'd struck paydirt, as that description definitely sounded like me (the "game enthusiast who loves stories", not the "growing rank", I mean). Still, while I didn't doubt the pedigree behind the claim, I couldn't shake my skepticism of the cell phone as an effective adventure game platform. Even at its best, would the "ultimate in mobile entertainment fun" be enough? That I was about to put to the test.

Deciding which game should provide my inaugural phone experience was more difficult than I thought. Would I explore outer space in the futuristic science fiction thriller The Black Hole, travel the world to unravel the ancient mystery of crop circles in Secret of the Lost Link, amuse myself with a light-hearted romp in The Paper Menace, or investigate murder and mystery with Mulder and Scully in The X-Files: The Deserter? Ahh, who was I kidding... I intended to play them all!

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Priced affordably at 4.99 Euros (approximately $6.50 U.S.) per game, each title weighs in at less than 64k of memory, making them accessible to a wide range of phones, all conveniently listed on the site's product pages. For anyone worried that their aging, brick-sized phone might not have what it takes to run the games at full capacity, rest assured that various ports have been scaled down in graphics and, in rare cases, some gameplay elements to accommodate even older models. However, many current phones should be able to run the complete versions easily. A fairly basic rule of thumb is, if your phone is small enough to lose repeatedly, it's new enough to play the House of Tales titles.

Ordering and installing couldn't be easier, as once you've selected the proper phone type online, an sms (text message) is sent with a link to download the game. The whole process is painless and virtually foolproof (and I should know, being the poster child for mobile technology ignorance). Providing your phone supports GPRS data transfer, you'll be good to go before you know it. And I mean "to go" literally -- hey, they don't call it mobile gaming for nothing!

Before moving on to the specifics of each title, I'll offer an overview of their shared characteristics. The stories are radically different from game to game, but the interface, format, and gameplay are almost identical in each. The screen is divided in half (top and bottom) between graphic display and text area. There is no cursor, as all tasks are completely menu-driven through a set of icons located between the two areas, which are navigated through your touch pad's directional button(s). These menus include Look, Use, Take, Walk, Talk, and Inventory, and are context sensitive, so you'll only be able to access the commands you can use at any given time. While this may sound like it oversimplifies gameplay, really it's an effective streamlining process, eliminating the repetitive "try everything on everything" philosophy that plagues larger games. There is typically enough to try in any given scene so that you won't feel cheated by the limitations (unless tedious busywork is your idea of a good time, of course). The menus can be a little tricky to maneuver through, as cell phones aren't exactly the most conducive devices for a lot of button mashing (even the gentle "mashing" of an adventure), but this is a minor inconvenience that you'll quickly adjust to after the smallest of learning curves. All in all, the interface is lean, practical, and completely intuitive.

The graphic display may be what attracts the most attention, but really it's the least relevant part of the game -- which is good, because by current standards, even in the mobile market, the graphics are undeniably dated. While certainly clean and pleasant enough to look at, the first-person images are really no more functional than they are visually impressive (which is to say "not very"). The graphics are essentially window dressing; a supplement to break the monotony of pure text. Except for a very few instances (mostly involving real-time events onscreen that you can't miss anyway), you won't be scouring the screen for visual clues, as you'll be spending the vast majority of your time reading descriptions and dialogue, and negotiating the various menus. In many ways, these games remind me of older PC titles like Legend Entertainment's Eric the Unready and the Gateway series, which helped bridge the gap between text games and full graphic adventures years ago. And you know what? It still works, and in some ways is preferable to the tech-heavy but charm-lite reality of graphically superior games. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a thousand words are often far more engaging, even if a few too many are spelled wrong along the way. The longer I played, the less I remembered to look at the visual image at all, as it was the story compelling me, and the menus driving my experience.

Wait... small correction on what I said above. The least relevant part of this game series is the audio component. In fact, the less said about sound the better. The rare, sporadic effects are fine, but you won't want to be in public when the introductory music starts up. Fortunately, it doesn't last long, but you may still find yourself running for the "sound off" option before those around you start sounding off on you. As there is no spoken dialogue in any of the games, you really won't be missing much.

Gameplay itself consists of traditional genre elements: exploring anywhere from 20-25 locations, searching for clues, chatting up anyone who will give you the time of day, and of course, pocketing anything that isn't immobile. At any one time, you may have four or five locations available, but overall progress is fairly linear, which (wisely) helps keep the narrative focused. Puzzles are largely inventory-based, and sometimes surprisingly deep, requiring multiple items and combinations to succeed. More importantly, these puzzles are logical and organic challenges, feeling integral to the story rather than arbitrary progress obstacles. And make no mistake, these games are all about story. Would you expect anything else from a developer named House of Tales? Clocking in at roughly two hours of playtime per title, the restrictions of the platform mean that the games aren't nearly as comprehensive as their PC counterparts, but with lively plots and smart writing, each of these mobile adventures packs a whopping amount of story into a small package. So let's at last take a closer look at the individual stories and game details.

The Black Hole is a classic sci-fi tale set in the year 2288. The player is cast in the role of a black marketeer named Phil McPherson, who awakens one morning to discover that a black hole has sucked in one of Jupiter's moons -- the very one colonized to harvest "Hydro-V", the raw material he sells illegally. It also happens to be the one whose mining operations were led by his estranged, corrupt father. Seeking only to capitalize on this development at first, you'll soon find yourself at the very heart of the mysterious lunar disappearance, running from the law as you travel through space to perform your own personal investigation. The story is surprisingly ambitious, and has to cut a lot of narrative corners to tell it all, but it succeeds admirably at drawing you into the ever-expanding plot. In fact, as a credit to the game's playability, I was frequently forcing myself to put the game AWAY, remembering that the nature of mobile games is to offer something you can play on the go, rather than breeze through all in one sitting.

Image #5Most of the puzzles throughout the game are clever and rational, providing enough challenge to keep you busy without ever frustrating. There is one puzzle that leaves a little to be desired, as it involves random button pushing -- twice. It isn't at all difficult to work through, but I was a little disappointed to learn that my search for a simple clue was pointless. This is only notable because the rest of the game is so well designed, of course.

Of the four games, Black Hole is the only one that gave me any technical difficulties, as over the course of several different playthroughs, a sequence near the end crashed twice, and simply refused to trigger the next scripted event a third time. Fortunately, as there's no way to manually save the game, the game's auto-save (performed each time you exit) restored me to the current screen to try again, and the subsequent attempt worked fine. So all's well that ends well, as the glitch didn't disrupt an otherwise stable experience.

I'll have to resist the urge (too late!) to say something like "The Black Hole pulled me in and wouldn't let go", as that would undermine the gravity of the situation, but it's true. It's a fun, engaging little trip that should appeal to most science fiction and adventure fans, even if most of the journey is made at light speed.

Secret of the Lost Link has some sci-fi overtones, as well, but takes place a little closer to home. The game opens as Dr. Davis, an archeologist invited to teach at a university in England, concludes a lecture on the unnatural leaps in human evolution, with particular emphasis on technological advances. Stopping just short of endorsing UFOlogy, he encourages open-mindedness toward more fanciful theories to explain the unknown; a view considered unpopular by students and colleagues alike. Like Black Hole, these humble beginnings quickly give way to another sprawling adventure. Before long, this is no longer an academic issue for Dr. Davis, as he experiences the crop circle phenomenon for himself. With shades of Indiana Jones (minus the whip, but adding tons of other useful items), you'll soon be directing the Professor across the globe, through snake-infested South American jungles and into the depths of an active volcano to track down the origin of a mysterious artifact that may provide the key to understanding human evolution.

Image #6While still plenty entertaining, Lost Link's story didn't engage me quite as much as the others, as the clichéd aliens-influence-ancient technology plot is a little tired. Another issue is the weak characterization of Davis. Unlike most characters in these games, Davis seems practically devoid of personality, and remarkably unaffected by the fantastic events going on around him, which left me feeling a little more detached from this adventure than the others.

Surprisingly, tucked in among Lost Link's various multi-layered inventory obstacles is a puzzle that requires specific knowledge independent of the game. It's actually a nice little puzzle, and not overly difficult if you have the information you need, but it will likely force some players out of the game to seek the solution. (At least you'll have a phone handy.) This game also relies a little too much on repetitive activities you may not think to try more than once, which can cause some aggravation when you believe you've done everything possible. Developing a habit of "try everything twice" is not the greatest design choice. Still, as with the other games, Lost Link's structure is such that you won't be stuck for long. I suppose I should also point out that a few of the game's challenges require a degree of timing, but they are very much examples of paying attention, not using fine motor skills.

Although not the strongest title in this mobile series, Secret of the Lost Link still has lots of adventuring goodness to offer. The pacing is brisk, the settings are diverse, and there's a decided feel of "adventure" to this game (a characteristic not enough titles possess), so there's never an idle or boring moment throughout.

The Paper Menace is easily my favourite game of the four. An offbeat comedy with a hilarious premise, the game stars a lowly clerk named Miller, who works for the Ministry of Administrative Administration (an essential department in any bureaucracy). Poor Miller is predictably bored with his job, but little does he know that his incoming pneumatic mail message is about to launch him into a crazy caper. It seems deranged scientist Dr. Patchsmith has invented a nano-raygun capable of reproducing paper on a massive scale, and is threatening to use his device to cripple the U.S. economy if the government doesn't cough up some major coin. As the recipient of Patchsmith's blackmail note, our unlikely hero begins a wild adventure to save the day. And what a day!

Image #7I didn't see this game coming at all. Although humour is evident in most House of Tales offerings, usually it's a dry, subtle wit, but Paper Menace is straight out of left field, and it's very effective. Never before (or ever again, no doubt) have I played a game filled with exploding origami keys, prison breaks, Presidential Christmas lists, insatiable pyromaniacs, wisecracking fortune cookies, and giant (floating) paper speedboats. And where situational comedy isn't enough, there are lots of funny, tongue-in-cheek pop culture references to such things as Lord of the Rings and The Matrix. I cringed at the Chinese advertisement declaring its "Totarry New" product, but then chuckled when the Oriental merchant with perfect English offered to butcher an accent to make Miller feel more at home. Genuine humour is such a rare commodity in games that I appreciated every snicker and smile that Paper Menace provided, all wrapped in a wacky plot that gets full marks for creativity.

The zany storyline adds to the fun of the puzzles, as well. While still completely logical in context (unlike lots of comic adventures), many solutions are unorthodox, which provides a refreshing change from traditional item usage. When the display went completely blurry at one point, I momentarily thought I'd hit a funky graphics glitch, until I read the text and realized that Miller had lost his glasses. Although a small touch, the game is filled with moments like this that further help make Paper Menace so unique.

Unless you insist that your adventures be stone-cold sober affairs, The Paper Menace is sure to tickle your funny bone. Sure it's goofy, but that's the idea. Fortunately, the silliness works to great advantage here, both in the writing and the gameplay, ensuring a good time for all.

The X-Files: The Deserter is the most recognizable game in this series, for obvious reasons. Using a popular licence in games is often a mixed blessing, however, and The Deserter is no exception. While the X-Files brand makes the game instantly comfortable and familiar, it also raises expectations that aren't always fulfilled in the game. Production values are certainly a strength here, as the graphics are nicely detailed and frequently animated, giving the game a more polished look than the others in the series. The story is also vintage X-Files, which means I can't share much of it without giving away key details. Suffice to say that when Mulder sets out to investigate the brutal killing of a government official in Las Vegas, he discovers that nothing is what it seems, and each discovery creates more questions than answers.

Image #8A nice feature of the game is that Scully becomes a playable character along the way. Stuck back at FBI headquarters, her job is the research and lab work for evidence that Mulder sends her way. While this makes for a nice change of pace, and suits Scully's clinical prowess, it also means that the two agents are never together. This is understandable from a game standpoint, but the interaction between the two is sorely missed. Other television mainstays make a brief appearance, as well, as Skinner and the Lone Gunmen play (unseen) roles in the game. Again, all this works to create the proper environment, but the game never really feels like a true X-Files experience. The characters are flat and uninteresting, and none of the dynamics between them seem authentic, and that is my main disappointment with the game. The licence use ends up feeling like a shallow selling point. This is very much a conditional complaint, however, because if the game was called "Y-Cases", starring Smith and Jones, it wouldn't suffer from unfulfilled promise.

Setting the X-Files licence aside, The Deserter does a fine job of creating an atmosphere of suspense as you travel through locations like an old abandoned church and a darkened warehouse, never quite knowing what you'll find, or when the hunter may become the hunted. The puzzles are fairly intricate and nicely conceived except for a single instance of trial-and-error. By game's end, I was thoroughly engrossed... only to find myself rather let down by the anti-climactic finale, which came a little too abruptly and a lot too simplistically to do the story justice. It isn't a deal breaker by any means, but it does feel awfully contrived.

There's no question that fans of the X-Files will want to give this game a try. Despite the characterization weakness, it's still fun to climb into the shoes of your favourite Special Agents for a while to dabble in conspiracy theory. Anyone not familiar with the show shouldn't be put off, however, as the licence is mostly a backdrop for a solid mystery adventure on its own terms.

Four games. Eight hours. Quality storytelling. Mobile gaming.

Obviously I'm not expecting people to rush out and buy a cell phone for the sole purpose of playing mobile games in general, let alone these four in particular. Nor am I trying to talk people with no interest in mobile gaming into forsaking their stubborn ways and seeing the 1.5" x 2" cellular light. It's a limited market, to be sure. However, I suspect there are many that simply don't know there are games like these out there, or realize that their phones are a viable gaming device. To THOSE people, I can say that these titles will come as a very pleasant surprise. If you're one of them, consider how much more fun you could be having the next time you're riding home on the bus, waiting for an appointment, or otherwise have a few minutes to kill with your cell phone at hand.

I can easily recommend all of these games to any fan of story-driven adventure games. The technology may be new(ish), but the content is all old-school -- just a whole lot smaller than you've ever seen before. Really the only caveat is the game length, which is admittedly short. Whether or not the cost is fair value for your gaming dollar is for you to decide, but the price is not unreasonable. If you want to try just one, I'd recommend The Black Hole or The Paper Menace, but I can virtually guarantee you that if you like one, you'll like them all, as they're so similar in both gameplay and quality.

While the industry clamours to discover "the next big thing", it's amusing to seek it in such a little package. But for myself, I'm happy to have discovered the world of mobile gaming, and this four-game adventure series by House of Tales ensured that my first foray was a memorable one. Who knew the entertainment potential of a cell phone? Now, if I could only get this thing to stop ringing...

 

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