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I've always been amused that the term "adventure game" persists the way it does. Whether solving a murder mystery, exposing ancient conspiracies, or investigating a haunted house, if the gameplay involves solving puzzles to overcome obstacles, the term applies, even if there’s very little similarity to the story genre of the same name. But when I think of the word "adventure" outside the gaming world, the next word that pop into my head is "Indiana" closely followed by the word "Jones". Clearly the folks at Animation Arts are somewhat in agreement, as their latest offering, Lost Horizon, is practically an homage to the globe-trotting archaeologist and an adventure game by every possible definition. It’s also a fairly good one. Though never groundbreaking or quite matching its own ambition, falling a little short of fully establishing an identity of its own, this is a polished game that remains entertaining throughout, and reminds us of how much “adventure” can still be found without losing a focus on puzzle solving.
Lost Horizon features Fenton Paddock, an ex-military British smuggler working out of Hong Kong in 1936. Predictably, Paddock is rugged but charming, and loves alcohol, women, and stirring up trouble. The adventure has hardly begun before he is beaten up and thrown into the harbor in a makeshift coffin by triad thugs. After escaping that little predicament, Fenton is given a mission by Lord Weston, a former associate in the British military, whose son Richard has disappeared in the Himalayas in what should have been a routine cartography expedition. Lord Weston needs someone outside the military to investigate what has happened, and as Paddock is Richard's best friend and conveniently has his own plane, he seems the ideal choice to send on the hunt. Of course, things are never that easy. In addition to triad goons, Paddock has to contend with Nazis (naturally) as he tries to find his way into the lost city of Shambhala, which is said to contain a power that would allow the Germans to conquer the world (obviously). Paddock is joined for a while by Kim, a lovely young woman with a grudge from his past who gets caught up in the adventure along with him, for what wise-cracking hero would be complete without a girl to try to win along the way?
Right from the outset, this game shows its intent to provide the kind of cinematic story once popular in weekend movie serials, just as the Indiana Jones movies did. Even the main menu displays the marquee of a 1930s movie theater, with different entrances being used for various options. The game itself offers one simulated “action” sequence after another in the early going, forcing our heroes to escape a high-speed car chase and defeat a German fighter plane from the cargo hold of their own unarmed aircraft. These segments are particularly exciting, creating a feeling of genuine danger for the characters, even though the solutions are strictly puzzle-based and there’s no way to die. The puzzles may be fairly easy, but the threat feels palpable and the satisfaction of escaping really added to my enjoyment of the game. Who doesn’t love feeling like they’ve just defeated armed foes armed with nothing but their own cleverness? I just wish the story had included more segments like this, as they noticeably tail off after a strong start. Many of the other truly exciting moments of the game, such as when Paddock is fleeing from a Nazi camp in the Himalayas, are almost entirely told through impressive-looking cutscenes.
The quest to find Shambhala gives Paddock a reason to visit all sorts of places around the world, giving the visuals a nice, diverse feel. From a snowy Tibetan mountainside to tiger-prowled jungles to a castle in the hills of Germany, Lost Horizon has some truly beautiful visuals. In a change from the developer's earlier Secret Files series, the backgrounds here are hand-drawn art with computer-crafted models blended in. This gives certain scenes a more stylized, almost cartoonish look, and it really works well. Ambient effects such as fire, snow, and rain are rendered beautifully and greatly enhance the settings they're used in. The character models are nicely designed, but they don’t have a lot of facial expressions to work with, and the close-up shots often don’t work as effectively as the distant angles do. There’s also no real attempt at accurate lip synching, which distracts from the close-ups as well. However, these are minor flaws next to the graphic beauty of the game as a whole. The wide-ranging scenes are also enhanced nicely by the music, as the score uses all sorts of instruments to establish atmosphere. It is often a little over-the-top in doing so, but the exaggerated style suits such a tongue-in-cheek adventure. From the stirring main theme to the lazy Moroccan bazaar to Shambhala itself, the music never feels out of place or too repetitive while you explore.
As dramatic as the presentation tries to be, the game's interface is fairly standard and should be familiar to most players, particularly those who have played the Secret Files series. Each screen has a handful of hotspots to click on, and the smart cursor shows what actions are possible for each. Right-clicking prompts your character to describe the item or person in question, while left-clicking will attempt to manipulate, pick up or talk, depending on the context. Inventory is arranged at the bottom of the screen, and combining items is as easy as clicking one on the other, and here the cursor shows whether a combination is possible without having to click to hear a repetitive response. There's also a highlighter that clearly shows where all hotspots are. Some may feel this makes the game too easy, but it's entirely optional, and as someone who finds pixel hunting to be one of the least favorable aspects of the genre, I think this feature is a prudent one. There are several scenes where I found needed objects small and difficult to see, and the highlighter mitigated what could have been a long and unpleasant search. There's another icon that describes whatever predicament Paddock is in at the time and what your next goal should be, but all it does is state the obvious. It also needs to be updated a little more often, as at one point I had successfully solved the problem it told me should be my next objective.
Puzzle solving is largely inventory-based and the obstacles are rarely illogical or dull in design. Some of the tasks will certainly strain belief, and at times you’ll know what to do but be prevented until Fenton has established a reason, but the solutions are largely intuitive and shouldn’t give experienced players much difficulty. Between the hotspot highlighter and the ease of trying every item combination if necessary, getting yourself out of a rut is usually fairly simple. I’m hesitant to say the puzzles are too easy, as some segments are very clever and should give even a seasoned adventurer a fun challenge. At times Kim becomes a second playable character needed for cooperative solutions, and one sequence has you controlling two protagonists simultaneously, separated but working together without ever directly interacting with each other. On the other hand, there are several sections where your options are so limited that they practically solve themselves by process of elimination. When you only have one or two objects and a handful of hotspots to utilize, you’re not going to be scratching your head very long.
There are a couple of sections that offer some variety to the puzzling, like when Paddock has to reassemble a broken record like a jigsaw. It’s a simple puzzle and it’s been done before, but the change of pace is nice. One interesting addition to the rare standalone puzzles is a difficulty option, which you’re asked to select before you begin. Lost Horizon also has at least one puzzle with multiple solutions. In a very early scene, how easily you escape some thugs depends on how successfully you’ve flirted with an attractive singer. Put on the right moves, and she’ll distract them for you. Strike out and you’ll have to arrange your own diversion. This was the only segment I found that provided alternative paths, though I might have simply missed other multiple solutions throughout the rest of the game.
The one area most lacking in Lost Horizon is the writing. The story can certainly be clichéd, but as it’s based heavily on the serial adventures of old, this is hardly surprising. Unfortunately, it never seems to rise above that formula, and the script itself is a bit drab. It’s not that the dialogue is bad, just not very good. Paddock’s requisite one-liners may elicit a couple of chuckles along the way, and a little backstory attempts to inject him with some depth, but it never really reflects in his character, even when it influences a choice he makes late in the game. Kim could have made a great foil, but she is in so little of the adventure that her late-game behavior feels like she’s simply doing what the heroine is supposed to do at the end of the story. For the most part, the two never develop past the bickering they share to develop the romance they’re clearly meant to desire. The voice actors all do a fine job with the various accents and styles, but there’s simply not that much for them to do here, portraying two-dimensional cutouts of characters we’ve all seen many, many times before.
Overall, Lost Horizon is good game that falls a bit too short in some areas to really be great. At its best the game is fun, there’s no question of that, and the graphics and music hold up their end of the adventure easily. But the storyline and characters are largely forgettable and the puzzles rarely excel until the last of the game’s seven chapters (which has some particularly clever ones). Still, the game’s solid length of 15 or so hours makes it a substantial offering, and the lackluster script doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of enjoyment to be had here. Perhaps the hardest aspect of creating an Indiana Jones-type adventure is making it feel like one we haven’t seen several times before, and Lost Horizon doesn't entirely succeed, settling instead for a familiar but reasonably enjoyable adventure.
| Territory | Date | Publisher |
 United Kingdom |
September 17 2010 | Deep Silver |
 Download |
August 1 2010 | Deep Silver |
Posted by Rennie on Apr 26, 2013
One Of The Best Adventure Games Ever
I don't agree with the Review score at all. This to me, is without doubt one of the most entertaining and enjoyable adventure games in YEARS.... Read the review »
Posted by Niclas on Aug 23, 2012
A wonderful classic Adventure
This Adventure game turned out to be on of my favourites that I have played in a long time. It's got that great and classic matiné movie... Read the review »
Great game…a little on the easy side, but I like that…In the spirit of classical adventures I loved when I was younger…On of few new adventures I finished and did so in 2 days (not play time, but regular time)
for me it is 4,5 out of 5 stars
It was easy but i really enjoyed this game. The quests were fun and the the places you get to visit are really interesting: India,Morroco,Hong Kong, Tibet,etc. Characters are not that interesting besides Fenton Paddock, he’s no Guybrush Threepwood but he has that vibe:).
The only negative things i have experienced are :easy, last “boss” battle was anything but point n click and a lacking antagonist (too little screentime).
I would def like to see a sequel, fenton paddock deserves it:)
4/5 for me.
I’m mixed up, I posted a comment BEFORE I wrote it, sorry about that!
What I want to say is that I really, really want this game and from the review above, I think I will like it very much. It has all the features that I like and the negatives (like poor lip sync) don’t bother me the least little bit. Also, the 2 Secret Files games are among my very favorite games, so if this game plays the same, I’m all for it and can hardly wait to play it.
Don’t much care for the name Fenton Paddock though, but I can get used to it, I think.
I was excited about this game from the beginning. I’m certain it has some flaws, like it’s usually the case when something is “bombastically” presented or announced, but I still can’t wait to play it. I’ve played the demo, and my main concern is the gameplay simplicity. However, video and audio will certainly make up for that. 
I am downloading the demo (1.1GB) as we speak. This could be the next best thing to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Fingers crossed.
I loved this game, and I loved some of the dialogues too (opposite to the reviewer), they actually made me laugh out loud several times. And why should it not be an orginal experience to play Indiana Jones, who hasn’t dreamt of escaping dull reality and diving into a world of adventure? Other than that I agree with the review - beautiful artworks, fairly easy puzzles and a wellmade game. I am the kind of games that doesn’t care too much if the puzzles are too easy, on the other hand I can easily get restless if they are hard to solve, so I only thought of this as positive as it keeps the game going really nice. 5 stars from me, I deeply recommend it! Can hardly wait for the sequel (or Secret files 3..).
I am currently playing it. Very very nice game. I don’t mind that it’s quite easy for an experienced gamer, nor the lip sync issue. A 4.5 star game for me.
This looks like something I will like. But that thing about “boss” battle that SamuelGordon writes about makes me a little nervous…
It’s nothing to worry about. It’s dramatic, but it’s really just a puzzle. It’s not scary and isn’t an issue of fast reflexes or anything. I’m not sure why anyone would say it isn’t point-and-click, because it is.
Love this game. Sure its easy, sure its full of cliches, but for everyone that grew up on Indiana Jones its gonna definetly a hit. Great graphics(loved the character design) fun story thats easy to follow, not confusing and interesting. Worth buying!
I have to severely disagree with the rating this game received. It deserves at least a 4.5, if not higher. The ‘cliches’ are what makes this game great, not to mention the wonderful graphics and a tad of humor!. I would have passed this game over had I not seen that it was published by Deep Silver. This company is a damn fine credit to this genre of game - all I can say is don’t let this games rating from AG put you off! Try it, I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised!!
@Jackal what i meant about the point n click boss battle is that it’s not the same “battle” you have in the secret files series where you have to use items and environment to win which i prefer. Can’t say much without spoiling but it’s def not a reason to skip the game:)
Am I the only one who finds this game boring?
Personally i’m really, really linking this game. 3rd chapter is starting and so far it’s definitely 5/5 from me
Holy gosh, how I suddenly liked this modern adventure game, after so many attempts…
I mean, I had already lost any hope that game designers will ever drop the useless 3d gfx and get back to the roots, the simpler and brighter graphix, without stupid camera fuss and awful, tortured textures, painfully struggling to imitate hand crafted drawings…
But here, voila, they come with a game I really like! And really, really DOES recapture the style and spirit of the prime PC adventures of the 90-s.
Oh yes, it does.
Well, thanks for that.
More, please.
More.
I just started playing, amazing graphics and a MI reference in the first two minutes - I’m already loving it.
Earlier I wrote that I thought I would like Lost Horizon, and I was SO right! I have now played it a second time because I enjoyed it so much the first time. I give it 5 stars plus! Easily my favorite game for this year.
Well, I finished it, and I have to say that although it was at the really far end of the easy side and the ending was way too chick flick-y for me, all in all it was a great game and I think we could go at least half a star up on the scoring.
I must say, Lost Horizon is a much better game than Secret Files 1 & 2. Clearly, the developer has learned a lot from the preceding efforts. The story is generally engaging, although not too original. The locations are diverse and interesting, providing an epic feeling to the story. The hand-drawn locations are just wonderful with just the right amount of atmospheric animation. I particularly enjoyed the German Castle scenes. The cutscenes are also nicely done and the musical score is pleasant.
On the down side… There are some lip-sinch issues. Also Kim, the main heroine, is not actively participating in the game and mostly annoying by being overly sarcastic and bitchy. Also, there the African chapter features a bit too much back-and-forth puzzling which is not necessary and slows the pace of the game.
Overall, this is one great game worth playing. While it mostly rehashes ideas from the Indy games, it throws in some fresh ideas in the mix and modern graphics. If I were the developer, I would try to shorten the game while giving it a bit more polish. Little things like lip-sinch, facial animations, precise interaction animations do matter.
I think the game deserves 4-4.5 stars.
It was quite a nice game. I would say great but for the really long dialogues and parts of the story I was just watching. I mean it was more like watching the game and participating at some moments than actually playing it and watch some part of it… Oh well, and being a bit easier than expected but that’s not a big minus… Apart from that it has nice graphics and locations and the story is interesting and it lasts almost as much as we’d like it too (a bit longer wouldn’t be bad). I’d give it 3 stars. I just hope the next Secret Files game will have shorter dialogues and more things to do for the gamer than just watch.
I adored Lost Horizon. The character clichés were what gave the game its charm, I found. It’s visually stunning, sending you to a whole host of different places across the globe, and it integrates the background art and computer-modelled set pieces extremely well. Although I could see that some may find it too easy, for me the puzzles were spot on and never got me frustrated.
I agree with Drummond that I would have liked to see more action scenes like the ones at the beginning of the game. I also found some parts of the dialogue to be too explanation-heavy, especially since the game doesn’t explore different camera angles or facial/body emotions too often, which leaves you staring at a mostly static screen while long chunks of dialogue are spoken. An example of this done well are Telltale’s games (especially the recent Sam & Max series), with the camera being placed in a variety of positions while characters talk to one another.
I thoroughly recommend checking out Lost Horizon. It’s one of the better adventure games I’ve played in a long time.
Add me to the list who love this game. From start to finish it is a complete feel-good blast. It isn’t particularly difficult and has no real puzzles that will leave you infuriated. I’m someone who consults walkthroughs regularly when I can’t solve a puzzle but for this game I only had to find a guide once and that only because I spent an hour or so looking for a hotspot that had spawned, which I hadn’t noticed.
The balance of seriousness and comedy is perfect, remniscent of Indiana Jones which you would have to think inspired this game in some way.
This game really deserves a sequel and is one of my favourite adventure games of the modern era.
I finished this game recently and enjoyed it.
For me, the pacing felt a bit off as it felt like they tried to reach the climax right away in Chapter 2, and then scale back. I really liked the last chapter. I’m not sure but one of the puzzles I’m sure I had tried a particular inventory combination with no avail, and later it seemed to work based on a seemingly unrelated action, but I can’t verify that.
But all in all this game was fun, and I agree with others who say it’s one of the better Adventure Games to come out in a while.
I can’t believe this is the firs time I’ve heard of it. I can’t wait to play this! The weekend can’t come soon enough now…
Loved it!! Its soo cliche (in a good way), like old classics and Indiana movies. Excellent story, graphics, epic feeling… hope to see a sequel soon.
A particular part of the game i liked: the last chapter. The “parallelism” was a refreshing idea, I dont remember any other gameplay like that.
Really enjoyed it 5/5 dont miss it!
Recently finished this game, and I really loved it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good time. And it really looks gorgeous!
The only thing that annoyed me a little was that Kim character. I think they could have done without her… (she just screamed a lot)
I had a feeling this might be a good one based on the comments and the user scores. I just finished it, and I was very surprised by the quality of the game. This is a classic old school adventure game. Lots of fun inventory puzzles. Overall, I liked the difficulty level. Some of the shorter sections were easy, but the larger areas had some nice puzzles and challenge. I thought the game got better as it went along. My favorite was probably the end game area which had some very fun puzzles. As far as production quality, this game might have the best graphics I have seen in a traditional adventure game. The background animations are outstanding. Anyway, I would urge anyone on the fence because of the AG score to give it a try, especially if you like 90’s adventure games.
Just finished it, and I loved it (finally one where I never had to use a walkthrough, LOL). I really liked the digitally painted backgrounds, which I saw they had for Secret files 3 but were replaced with 3D backgrounds (bad decision, would have made it also easier to add more content to that one). I also would give it a 4.5 star, as some of it’s 3D graphics could have been done a bit better..
This one was much MUCH better as that crappy Secret Files 3 which had a fine macguffin, but the story was just fubar and IMHO should never had a greenlight like that..
Hope they’ll keep the painted backgrounds for their next adventure (which I think would also keep production time much tighter)..
