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Beyond Extraordinary

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 52 / 53
Date: June 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

NOTE --- I played the U.K. version of this game, which was released a few months ago under the title of "Atlantis 2." The U.S. version (the one available here) may contain slight differences.

PROS --- 1. Beyond Atlantis reminds me of Big Sky Country -- everything in it is larger than life, more fully realized, vaster than in the usual graphic adventure. The game takes you on a spectacular quest through three historical worlds, each complete with a can-you-solve-this dramatic dilemma, plus unexpected links to alternate dimensions full of mystery, plot twists and surprises.

2. The game has the largeness of spirit and the generous gameplay of "Riven," but spices up the environments with fantastical monsters and heroes reminiscent of a mythological movie epic (a bit like "Dragonheart" meets "Jason and the Argonauts"). Although at heart a traditional adventure, in some places Beyond Atlantis almost feels like an action game. In fact there are some action sequences, though you usually don't have to click madly with the mouse to control the outcome -- you've already established the way the action will end with your wits (or, um, lack thereof).

3. Both the graphics and the music are unforgettable. Ancient Ireland is serenely beautiful, with haunting pipe melodies playing in the background. And the Shambhala sky islands are as strikingly surreal as the floating palace in "Obsidian". Sometimes in adventure games I am surprised by the solution of a certain puzzle, but here I was consistently surprised by the imaginative colors, shapes, sounds, and creatures in the alternate worlds. And did I mention that the cut-scenes are dazzling? This game really goes all out to get absolutely everything right.

CONS --- 1. I encountered an autoplay bug that caused the Installation program to load whenever I inserted Disk 1. To get out, you just hit cancel and exit setup, and then you can access the game (I hope this problem is fixed in the U.S. version).

2. The character movements during dialog sequences are rather odd-looking. Also, a warning: you can't always trust the dialog icons. Occasionally, when the icon is greyed-out, there is still dialog available. If you are stuck, try clicking again on all of the icons.

3. Beyond Atlantis has its fair share of puzzles than can be solved just by messing with stuff (easy puzzles -- my favorites!); however, there are a few puzzles in this game that require close observation and/or inspired, creative thought. Some of the puzzles are especially innovative (the rainbow bridge, for example), which makes it hard to find quick solutions for them (unless, of course, you don't mind consulting a walkthrough). Further, the game really could do a better job of letting you know whether you are progressing correctly, or if you are pursuing a dead end.

BOTTOM LINE --- This is a magnificent game with tremendous breadth of appeal -- an instant classic.

Incredible games from Dreamcatcher!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: August 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've introduced my wife to computer gaming. She used to hate all the shoot and kill. I gave her a copy of Riven, and Myst, and her life changed forever. We had so much fun playing those. Now, we try a few games I thought we could like, and Beyond Atlantis is definitely one of those we loved. We've played Crystal Key and Lotus Spring, and Beyond Atlantis combines the best of both.

The graphics are stunning, Cryo's 3D engine (found in all the dreamcatcher games I've seen so far) is very good. One little regret: you can bypass the animation by clicking in the middle of it, but you cannot bypass the loading time with the cdrom. That prevents fast moving through sequences.

All the worlds in Atlantis are beautifully crafted, and the underlying story line (you have to perform good actions to tilt the balance between good and evil in the world) is very well rendered. You won't regret it, just for the story! And unlike Crystal Key which had such a disappointing ending (a screen of ``Congratulations''), the reward in Atlantis is high. Some ideas are so creative, you will be Alice in Wonderland. And the final sequence blew us away! Welcome to Paradise!

The puzzles are very challenging. Interestingly, we managed to pull through the Maya world without hints. But we did need a walkthrough in China, for the disc/bridge puzzle. Anybody who can explain the solution, please email! You should expect to be able to solve the whole game in a week or two. We got stuck on the rainbow bridge because we didn't know about rotating the tiles. It's not in the manual. So don't hesitate to try clicking everywhere. You will never die or be penalized. Everything can be reversed and replayed. All the sequences.

On the negative side, the manual is very skinny, and it's hard to know what we're doing wrong. The punchline in this kind of games is TALK TO EVERYONE ALWAYS. They sometimes find new things to talk about, after something happens (and you don't always notice, so you might assume you've already gotten all the juice out of them). Another subtle thing is that the game always tries to make some kind of connection so things don't turn random. But it's hard to notice, and sometimes the connections are very tenuous. When something goes wrong, you have to go back and try to make sense of everything. Little things like ``I could have helped you but..'' in a dialogue are supposed to let you know you did something not right a couple of steps before. Try and find out what! The game always allow for the brute-force solution (try all combinations) but it's always skilfully at the edge of impractical (granted, you could try 400 combinations, but it's faster to think!). Lastly, you can get some hints by the color of the cursor, but as another reviewer regrets, the manual doesn't tell you what the colors means. Simply be alerted by a change in the color of the cursor.

I am looking forward to probe into the Sacred Amulet, the latest Dreamcatcher. If you don't want to wait, Atlantis is yours! You must try it!

I think I liked it more than most

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a hard-core gamer. I don't spend hours each day in front of my computer. And I get frustrated easily. So Beyond Atlantis was perfect for me. It was a challenge without being too hard (I did use some cheats though) and it took me several weeks to finish. The graphics were beautiful, and the voice acting was no worse than a lot of other games I've played.
My favorite feature of the game was the five, completely different levels. In one, you're in a Buddhist temple. In another, you're an Irish monk. In yet another, you travel to the world of the dead. The differences really helped keep my interest.
Also, it wasn't violent. There's no shooting or other stressful 'action.' You win the game by solving puzzles and finding and using items in your inventory.
The game might not be groundbreaking, but you get a lot of entertainment for $20.

Good work, Cryo

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 10, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I waited several months for this game to be published in US (it sells since November in Russia) and I am not disappointed. Puzzles are challenging, graphics is amazing, music is beautiful (especially in Ireland). Regarding drawbacks: manual is just tiny and changes in cursor's color are not described in it. Some dialogs are not repeatable.

Help! I think someone gave me the wrong game!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: September 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The game I loved from all the games I ever had, the first quest I ever played (I got my first PC two-three years ago) and not like all my other games, I didn't cheat. Not even one walky. And I finished it and watched one of the amazing and good ending movies. When I heard that there is going to be another game like Atlantis (not that stupid Pompeii games which is ugly and boring, or Odysee which is fine, but so buggy it almost messed up my PC), I went crazy

So as soon as I could I got something called "Atlantis2", which is excectly like this one, but has really bad graphics, and you can't get the piece of skull from the well. I spent 3 hours looking and looking for it... And don't think I looked how to get the pieces! When I was playing it on another PC I found the skull and turned into a head.

Did I get the wrong game?? Please someone reply me! just write a review and tell me what's wrong!! I love Atlantis!! I want it to work!! Please help me because I am about to cry, but I will not because I am a big boy :(

Do you get lost easily?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Beyond Atlantis has kept me on my toes since I bought it. I've enjoyed this game to the max, and I can't help but sit in awe of the difficulty of some of the puzzles, and the care taken on the graphics boggles my mind. I would recommend this game to anyone who's willing to sit down and get some exercise for their mind in more ways than one. Some of the sentences can be described as cryptic, but isn't that the way they're supposed to be in puzzle games? If what you're looking for is fast play and bloodshed, look somewhere else. You don't swing swords in this game. You pump neurons.

Beyond Atlantis...many things to see.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: May 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Myst/Riven/Crystal Key..etc. feeling. This is one of the best Adventure games I have played. The scenery is beautiful from world to world..even space. The purpose of your character(s) is believable. The concept is brilliant. There are different worlds you enter. As you go to each of them you become someone different. The importance of that is to help you succeed in each world. Many different characters and puzzles to face. The whole game is fantastic. Some of the puzzles I have never played in any other adventure game, which made it more fun. There is a few that you will be pressured for time, so save! Worth the time, money and brainpower. I LOVED this game!!!!

awesome! awesome! and awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

While most people will say this game is entirely difficult, I would say it lets you use your noggin. You know you have one.Travel to different worlds and explore clues given out to you. The settings are beautiful and the music is enticing! I would get up each morning and play for a while. its one of those games that takes some work but its totally worth it. You'll crack cases and use key items to get you to a different world. It does take some time I'll admit but the excitement you get when you suddenly solve a puzzle and end up in some foreign land with wonderful settings is worth every penny I guarantee!

Good for the whole family!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

We really enjoyed Beyond Atlantis. It's relaxing to play, with beautiful graphics and puzzles that are stimulating, but not so mind-bending that we'd get bored. I enjoyed playing the game as an after-work mental exercise, and our ten-year-old was spot-on with comments, clues and solutions to the puzzles, although he didn't have the patience for some of the map and maze explorations. We ended up playing the game together as a team and had a wonderful time. I highly recommend it for adults who enjoy a little computer fun, but also like to play with their kids.

Really great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This was a great game in almost all aspects...great cinematography, great music and great concept. You not only get to explore the five worlds, but you actually learn some facts while you're doing it. For example, the Maya puzzle is based on the actual Maya counting system. Sometimes you needed a little prompt to get you going on the puzzles, but they weren't so difficult that you couldn't figure them out. Definately a great game, along the lines of Myst but much more logical than some of the crazy things they expected you to figure out in Myst!

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