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Pretty Much Fantastic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 93 / 93
Date: June 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Best friends, Lydia and Celeste were separated eight years ago when, after the death of her mother, Celeste's father became a director of the far-off Dragonvale Academy. Now Lydia is about to start her first day as a student of magic at Dragonvale and looks forward to being reunited with her friend. But when she arrives, she finds the academy deserted except for one odd character: a wolf who claims to be a dragon. Where is everybody? What's going on here? Can this wolf really be trusted? These are just some of the questions you must answer as you explore the school.

Keepsake, the first game from the Canadian Wicked Studios, is a lovely 3D point and click adventure in the tradition of Syberia. And I mean "lovely" literally: the first thing to strike you is the beauty of the environments. The castle is ornate with knotwork motifs and colour themes, making exploration a pleasure. There isn't a lot of animation, but what there is is well done; the water effect was especially nice. Characters are slightly less well-realised, but still quite good.

The sound is also quite good. The music is beautiful, with a different haunting motif for each character and section of the castle. The f/x are somewhat limited and a bit repetetive: lots of footsteps and bird calls, fire and water sounds, etc. However, they fit well with the design of the rest of the game, so I can't complain. I'm very surprised to see so many complaints here about the dialog. I really saw nothing wrong with it or the voice acting. Rather, conversation is used to explain points that are not necessarily elucidated by the action (the philosophy of the magical system, for example) as well as to develop the characters and their relationships. I considered that good writing, not the opposite.

The game starts with a cute little tutorial, in which one of the other game characters leads you through the controls. I kind of liked that, as I dislike reading manuals and it obviated the need for the kind of introductory sequence you find in a lot of games of this type; you coul just jump right in. The puzzles are quite a mix: several straight "games," a couple mechanical, including one that's quite involved, some riddle-type, some inventory, a kind of slider, and a huge maze (not counting the castle itself, that is). There are no timed puzzles and you can't die. I liked the way the inventory worked: once you had acquired the requisite item, it was automatically used in the relevant spot. So you didn't have to keep opening your inventory, picking up the item, clicking it on the hotspot, etc. As for the rest, they were fairly straightforward...EXCEPT for the riddle-type. The clues provided were so obscure that I can't believe anyone but the designers could possibly make sense of them. Fortunately, the game includes a hint feature, which give three hints for each puzzle, after which it offers to solve the puzzle for you. I had to use the "solve" feature once, when even having the clues explained didn't do much to enlighten me. But when you use the "solve" feature, you don't actually get to see the solution, just the result of it. So I still don't know what that puzzle was about!

The hint feature also will tell you if you don't have the prerequisistes necessary to continue a puzzle. If you use it when you're not in puzzle-view, it will clarify your next objective. I found both these aspects very helpful.

I did experience one bizarre glitch with the game: at intervals, without reason or warning, the sound would suddenly start to stutter and echo in a most annoying way. Adjusting game settings had no effect. I eventually discovered that I could correct the problem by exiting the game and rebooting my computer. This seemed to be necessary once every couple hours.

I completed Keepsake in about 25 hours--possibly a little more. I was deligthed that it kept me busy so long as most adventure games these days barely provide 10 hours of play. Some of the second part of the game did get a little draggy, with a lot of toiling back and forth through the castle. However, Keepsake is a good choice for gamers who like straight adventure in a fantasy context. But for the glitch and a couple illogical puzzles, I would have given it five stars. I eagerly look forward to Wicked Studios' next effort!

Another bland adventure game from the Adventure Company

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 36 / 48
Date: April 26, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am an avid adventure gamer and always have been. After growing up playing such wonderful games as Grim Fandango, the Monkey Island series, and the Longest Journey, it absolutely pains me to see where the genre is going. I had relatively high hopes for this game (seeing as it's marketed towards fans of Syberia) but after even the first five minutes, I could tell I was in for a boring experience.

You are a girl searching for your friend Celeste at the Dragonvale Academy. Think Hogwarts without any of the charm or creativity. You arrive to discover the place deserted, and come across a "keepsake" of Celeste's. This sparks a journey of discovery in serach of your lost friend.

The premise for the game is okay, but the delivery is just plain terrible. The voice acting is sub-par (especially when giants like Dreamfall: the Longest Journey are setting the standard), and verges on awful at times. The character animations are clunky and they move at a speed that would make my grandmother say "Hurry up, would you? You're holding us up." The pacing of the game is also too slow for its own good. Perhaps you're on a journey of discovery, but there's certainly no rush to find Celeste.

The only reason I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 is because of the okay graphics. They don't blow you away and they pale in comparison to recent titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but they are by far the best part of the game.

My suggestion is take your thirty bucks elsewhere and buy a game worthy of your support. Like the Longest Journey or Dreamfall, or Syberia. I love adventure games, but this is a new low, even for the Adventure Company.

Pros:
The graphics are okay

Cons:
Pretty much everything else
The voices are terrible
The animations are clunky
The Puzzles are boring
The story is boring
Nothing new here

Smashing in spite of the footsteps.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: April 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

How can a company,Wicked Studios make the best adventure game in years, with an intriguing story, a great female character and incredible beautiful and amazing graphics and not work out a little thing like the sound of footsteps? When the character stops walking -- the footsteps continue. I guess because otherwise, the game would be perfect.

In spite of the footsteps this is a perfect game those of us who like fantasy, castles, dragons, magic, adventuresome girls, clever puzzles with hints and the incredible scenes that will have you on your knees wondering why you can't go to magic school.

Young Lydia comes to Dragonvale Academy to study magic with her closest friend, Cynthia. Upon her arrival she finds the school deserted and so begins her quest to find her friend and discover what happened. She has a companion to talk to, Zac, a wolf who was locked up and therefore escaped the disappearance. Zac, is somewhat suspicious -- claiming to be originally a dragon but sounding more and more like a student. Lydia's character is strong and adventurous and she gains in wisdom and awareness as she goes through the trials to qualify as a student at the Academy.

The game play takes place in two castles and a sanctuary. -- But what castles! The designers have evoked the feeling of being in a truly magical world with tapestries, dragon sculptures, gardens, endless corridors with flickering lights all created in a gigantic scale that both intimidates and amazes.

The lushness and construct is beyond human scale and so evokes the feeling of being in a truly magical place. Magical teleportation pads send you soaring dizzingly through the towering heights instead of just appearing from one place to another. The quest for the Oracle will lead you on narrow paths to islands suspended in the mid-air. If everything is magical, anything can happen. The wow factor happens when something exceeds your expectation and I experienced it numerous times. You have to see it for yourself.

The puzzles are many and are all built into the architecture . Many are geometric, a few are mathematical most are required to get something to work, or get an item for a potion. When requested, hints to all the puzzles are given in three steps. One which tells you what you have to do. This answers the question, "What am I supposed to do with this?" The second hint starts you on your way and the third solves it for you. This is the best hint system I have seen and the technique could bring a lot of games into the reach of the "casual gamer"

This is only part of the hint system. Because the game is like walking in a three dimensional maze, there are hints, if asked for, that will tell you where to go next and gives you an image of that space. How you get there is your training in how you find your way and skill in remembering locations .By game's end you can pretty well find your way around. And the footsteps? What footsteps? I don't hear them anymore.

The Dialogue IS bad :-D

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 28 / 41
Date: April 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

It's true - the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. And ironically, the rest of the game being so good is a blessing and a curse. Blessing: it makes up for the bad voice acting. Curse: It emphasises the baa-aad voice acting. All that having been said, adventure/fantasy/rpg fans will enjoy this game and if you are one, it is worth the price. One last thing - I have NO sense of direction and navigating the castle ain't easy at first. Once you learn the layout (and use the map) though it gets easier.

I STRONGLY suggest that you play the game with the sound muted.

Fun, Fun, Fun.....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: May 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Ok, this game was overall fun. There are however moments that just make you want to slap whoever designed it. When you are in this school...(for most of the whole game)...it is huge, and you are walking everywhere. Sometimes when there arises a puzzle, you have to walk all over the school to find the answer. Then, when you think your almost there, you are on the top layer of the school. This is better, because now you can just teleport everywhere where as you couldn't do that before. But you are still trying to figure out which teleport to take. Yes, the acting is lacking, but who really cares. I did love the scenery with the waterfalls and such. Very beautiful, and the puzzles were good too. Some of them seemingly impossible to solve, and some very easy. I am a person who loves to try and figure out things, and if you don't use any cheats or help, this should take you a while to get through. I enjoyed it...really, I did. Just make sure you have alot of time to play it!!

A wonderful game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: June 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I play adventure games on a regular basis and I really enjoyed this game for the following reasons:
1) The storyline is well put together and made sense
2) The scenery can be quite breathtaking
3) The puzzles range from quite easy to extremely difficult, but there is always the chance to get hints or (if you spent way too much time on the puzzle and its time to move on) you can get the solution
4) The main character interacted with others on a regular basis. I'm so tired of never encountering another person in adventure games!
5) I initially thought the characters were going to be quite shallow and predictable, but things change!
Great job on this one!! It's certainly one of my all-time favorites!

Keepsake is a throw-away

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: August 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

My impressions:

Watching Lydia run is hilarious (I'm guessing the animator was in a hurry). The regular in-game backgrounds are detailed and well rendered. The animations are *not*: lo-res and blurry. Plus when you teleport from place to place, you are forced to watch the "fly-through" animations over and over, with no way to skip them (including the interminably scrolling credits at the end which I only avoided by turning off the computer).

Some of the puzzles are quite good. Some are extremely tedious, because you are forced to try something, run somewhere else to check or adjust something, run back to the puzzle and try something else. Who thought *that* would be fun? At least when you get tired of it, the game will just solve the puzzle for you.

And, yes, the voice acting is without a doubt the *worst* ever, with the actors, dialog writers, and voice director all equally to blame! Lydia is constantly stressing the wrong words, Zak sounds like a surfer dude ("No way! That's awesome!"), Nathaniel sounds bored with the whole thing, and Mustavio's accent just makes your skin crawl. The miscellaneous characters are just as bad.

Finally, the "story line" doesn't do much to drive the action. Lydia has to find her missing friend Celeste because, well, she's missing. And her visions about how Celeste's daddy doesn't seem to love her anymore are gag-inducing.

If you must play this, wait to get it from the bargain bin in a few months (or borrow it from a friend, like I did.)

Involved and enjoyable.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: April 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoyed this game. I liked the voices, at least most of them. It was a very long and involved game with lots of puzzles that were interesting. I also enjoyed using my navigational skills in going all over the school. It had many places to visit inside and outside. One of the reviewers mentioned the steps continuing after stopping but my game didn't do that at least that I noticed. In all, it was a very fun game and well worth the money.

Surprisingly good game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: September 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I decided to try this game because it was listed as a similar game that customers purchased with other games that I really like. I am a fan of Longest Journey, Syberia, Gabriel Knight, Broken Sword, etc. etc. I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I started Keepsake, but I was looking to kill time because I love PC games. From the very start, I was swept into the story, the setting, the characters (I LOVE it when there is a fun mascot sharing your adventures!). The voice-overs and some graphics really are pretty unrefined, but that also makes the game more endearing. These factors could be the reasons this game is not listed way up there with some of the other titles I mention. I have added it to my list of favorite games, and I play games ALOT!

Not really meant for adventure gamers

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: April 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I would like to say that this game had SOMETHING that myself and my father could enjoy together. We play point and click adventure games all the time (Last Express, The Longest Journey, Barrowhill...) and had high hopes for this game. It sounded interesting.

Unfortunately almost from minute one we found nothing interesting. The graphics are okay, nothing exciting or inventive. The controls are...horrendous. And the puzzles were either TOO easy or TOO hard. We stopped about a half hour into playing it. I played for a bit with my sister a few months ago, but honestly we just wanted to see how fast we could whip through the game. The 'hint' feature in the game is more then that. If you can't figure it out after the oh so many hints it gives you, the game will SHOW you exactly how to solve the puzzle.

Maybe this would be better for younger gamers, it doesn't have anything scary (at least nothing I saw) or objectionable. Story is pretty direct and what younger girl wouldn't wish to save her best friend? And if nothing else the 'hint' feature will certainly help them through it.

But for anyone over 18 (or anyone who does adventure games with any regularity) this will just bore you to tears.

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