• Log In | Sign Up

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Top Games
  • Search
  • New Releases
  • Daily Deals
  • Forums

Review for Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray page 2

In Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray, Alfredo Castelli's renowned comic book character has finally made the transformation from printed page to PC adventure game. How successful a transition was it? Meticulous care was clearly taken by the game's developer, Artematica, to include all the details that aficionados of the Martin Mystère series would appreciate. However, while the game is graphically pleasing, and the cast of characters keep things lively, there are a few problems that sadly negate a complete thumbs up to the overall game experience.

Upon opening the DVD slim-case (the game is a single CD) of the finished product, I was impressed by the game manual, of all things. Most are little more than a dry run through stats and installation instructions, but MM's has the layout of a newspaper with bold, black and white headlines and columns, creatively blending instruction and entertainment.

The game itself begins with an appropriately enigmatic cinematic and in-game sequence where Martin is awakened from slumber by a phone call requesting help in a murder case of a famous research scientist.

From here on, Martin is left to unravel a rather convoluted plot involving treachery, high art, archeology, and the history of civilization -- all revolving around particular implements of an ancient Aztec ritual, and breaking the seal to the secrets of eternal life! This plays out in a way that questions the moral and physical implications of the power of eternal youth. Martin is thrust into the middle of all this with some pretty heady plot twists that are executed nicely and not at all easy to predict.

The format of Martin Mystère is that of the typical third-person, point & click adventure. The game is played in widescreen mode, which is to say there are black bars across the top and bottom of your playing field. I've bemoaned the lack of full use of screen real estate in previous reviews, but I grudgingly admit that as with watching a DVD movie, after a while you simply don't notice. The bottom bar is where the inventory appears when accessed by clicking on the floating "i".

The default crosshair, when moved over an item, will bring up an interaction menu that is thankfully pared down to include only three icons: a "talk" bubble (for NPCs), a "view" magnifying glass (default), and a "use" hand (for active hotspots). Once your cursor is on an item or NPC, you can cycle through available actions by right clicking.

There are eight save slots you can use, presumably to match the eight "acts" of the game. I'm a big fan of unlimited saves, but eight worked well enough. The Options menu allows you to toggle subtitles off or on, and there's an Extra option where you can revisit cinematic scenes and various artworks.

Graphically, for therein lies first impressions, this game offers a plenum of eye candy. One of the finer attributes of adventure games that other genres often scrimp on (of course there are many notable exceptions), are diverse environments rich in detail. Never mind the cycling formulaic terrains of snow, forest, desert, and metropolis. Those are great, yes, but give me that small, eccentric study where books are falling off the shelves and motivations are stained in ink under sheaves of paper on a mahogany desk. In MM, there are plenty of said intricacies, and Artematica lets the player appreciate the finer details of these environments with an affluent and vibrant palette.

Your exploration will take you from the tidy rooms (laundry room notwithstanding) of Martin's estate to the mansion of our murdered scientist, and on through a museum and various jaunts that will require boarding a plane to villages and archeological digs across the ocean. Each of these scenes is meticulously pre-rendered, with our characters in fully-realized 3D.

Game characters include Martin himself, a rather blocky bloke with a chin that could crush walnuts, his lovely partner Diana (his "other half") who is also briefly playable, and his Neanderthal pal Java, who probably does crush walnuts on his chin. There is also a multiplicity of other NPCs with which to interact, and here's one area where this game shines. Each character attempts to keep the larger-than-life aspect of the comic book style intact.

It would have been nice if Martin had more than a single-gait walk. There are times when walking just doesn't seem appropriate, but thankfully few times where he has to traverse the entire screen.

The music in MM is thematic, always in keeping with the environment, and never under or overwhelming. Care seems to have been taken to prevent a swelling score from interrupting or drowning out important dialogue, which is an annoyance in some adventures games I've played.

In Martin's estate, you will enjoy light jazz, which is appropriate for our man-about-mystery's easygoing nature. The museum features a thoughtful musical prose, while Mexico has a samba-like refrain, and ancient caves have ambient symphonic riffs, to mention a few. Some of these themes will keep you lingering to appreciate them through another sound-cycle, and others will motivate you to hurry your character's puzzle musing. However, they are all cohesive and effective vehicles for mood setting, and the variety is appreciated.

The game's puzzle resolution is primarily inventory-driven, and while dialogue will often play a role in puzzle solving, there are no dialogue-based puzzles. Inventory items can be combined to achieve the necessary result, and this player recommends always viewing an item immediately after it has been added to inventory. Not only does this get Martin's verbalized take on it, but you'll want to file away the information for future use, as you'll find this is critical.

The puzzles themselves are of light to medium difficulty, and there wasn't a time when I felt mystified to the point of frustration. Demystification can often result from making yet another round of your environment. Be sure to scrutinize all items, as being hasty can result in a missed hotspot or clue. Throughout Martin's esteemed career, he has prided himself on collecting artifacts and rare antiquities from each of the cases he's investigated, so naturally his estate is full of them, and many of them can be examined. The only items Martin will verbally describe, however, are those added to inventory; the rest are text description only.

Also be sure to exhaust all dialogue trees with any NPC you come in contact with. As a matter of course, some of these are game whey -- specifically with Java, as he simply doesn't care to comment one way or another. Yet it's still fun to watch Martin put British etiquette to the test and make an attempt at conversation.

There is also a titillating club scene, where a scantily-clad pole dancer provides some clues and the basis of a puzzle solution. Yeah! I'm of the opinion that games and movies need more club scenes. Pole dancing, as a given, is under-appreciated. It provides just enough segue -- a sort of bathroom break for the mind -- to keep things refreshing and on pace. It is certainly suitable for impressionable seven-year old minds, the starting age at which publisher GMX has rated this game. (I am, of course, being facetious, in case it doesn't translate well to written word.)

Much more cannot be revealed about the story, as any hints may reduce the surprises that culminate in the end game sequence. The story is satisfyingly complex to pique interest and follow through from beginning to end, and that in itself, combined with what has already been mentioned, merits a four star rating. Too bad there are some serious detractors that prevent this in my final score.

Technically, the game has some flaws that can be attributed to a lack of appropriate beta testing and editing, including translation errors and misappropriated effects. At one point, Martin is talking on his cell phone to someone whose voice drops the canned effect and sounds as though he's standing right beside Martin. At other times, characters speaking to one another won't even be looking in the right direction. Meanwhile, apparently Martin has acquired some Jedi training in all his eclectic experience, since when he half-bends to acquire something on the ground or a table, it will instantly appear in his hand.

The voice acting ranges from excellent (Martin, primarily) to excessively bad (most NPCs). Martin has a nice timbre and crisp English accent, and his vocal nuance seems to be spot-on most of the time. I could swear this voice actor also does some rather bleak cameos of other voices, as a means of economy.

What's worse is how these lines are often carried out: as literal lines of dialogue. For example, if I came up to you and said: "Hello, how are you this most…beautiful day in which we…both are to be wed by…an officious justice of the…peace?" Aside from the fact that I just proposed to you, would not those pregnant pauses be annoying? This page break pacing literally kills any tension in the story, and the attention of the player.

With subtitles on, you will also notice something especially grating. Unfortunately, particular care was taken to transcribe every vocal noise a character makes. You know, those things that we all have a habit of saying through the course of conversation, such as "uh, um, ah, pfu…" Pfu? Yes, I don't recall using that one either, but this game does. It's like they were thrown in as an afterthought to increase word count in the manuscript: "Give me placement of ten more "Pfu's" and that's a wrap!"

Also frustrating is that the cursor will often disappear after interacting with or selecting an item, and will require you to click on the screen somewhere to bring it back. It's not really a disappearing act as much as it is a delayed reaction within the programming, yet it's enough to feel like a bug.

Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray certainly has a charm about it, infused by its characters and locales, along with the gripping story that binds them. It's enjoyable to play, but feels, at least at times, like playing basketball with a bum knee might. You have fun, yet the pain prevents you from playing at your full potential. Similarly, this game has lost some of its potential within the framework of its annoyances.

The game may be enough to be a worthy investment of time (it took me about twelve hours of concentrated play), depending on your level of tolerance to things that make or break your game face. It has been my experience that most adventure gamers are quite forgiving, but often detail-oriented. Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray would ask all of us to ride the line somewhere in the middle. While most of us will be glad to do so, we will also exit the game with the sentiment that just that much more would have made for a far better experience.

And for those who don't agree, well Pfu.

Our Verdict:

This game is worth playing by those who can forgive its flaws, but while it gets the big picture thumbs up, there is nothing of greatness here.

GAME INFO Martin Mystère: Operation Dorian Gray is an adventure game by Artematica released in 20052006 for PC. It has a Illustrated realism style and is played in a Third-Person perspective.

The Good:

  • Great graphics
  • Gripping story
  • Known characters brought to life

The Bad:

  • Some bad voice acting/line reading
  • Some technical flaws and bugs

The Good:

  • Great graphics
  • Gripping story
  • Known characters brought to life

The Bad:

  • Some bad voice acting/line reading
  • Some technical flaws and bugs
continue reading below
continue reading below

Adventure Gamers Community

Community reviews for more Adventure Games  (randomly selected)

review
Back to the top