Can someone direct me to the exit?
The most frustrating thing about ‘And When There Were None’ is the lack of an in-game map. I found myself grabbing a piece of paper and drawing my own map because I got sick to death of traipsing from room to room trying to remember where certain guests were staying. This lack of direction meant that I wasted time covering the same ground when a simple map would have saved a lot of headache.There are couple of things that have been done really well. The developers have done a decent job at creating an eerie atmosphere and thanks to some spooky music, gloomy rain and lightning flashes, you always feel as if something frightful is about to happen. The house is also splendidly designed and you get the free run of it to examine the likes of the dining room, kitchen, bedrooms and billiard room, all of which look equally well-furnished. However, the intricate design of the rooms makes the 3D character models stand out for all the wrong reasons. Not only do they suffer with stiff and robotic animation, they lack any facial expression. When one guest dropped dead in front of me, not even an eyebrow was raised.
“And Then There Were None” is the first game of its type for Wii and therefore sets a benchmark for future titles within the genre. I’m in no doubt that we’ll see more point- and-click adventures on Wii, but the benchmark hasn’t been set high enough here. In addition to the illogical puzzles, boring dialogue trees, and lack of direction, “And Then There Were None” lacks the main ingredient that all point and click adventures should have; and that’s the fun factor. I enjoyed the Agatha Christie story, there’s no denying that it is a great tale, but it’s also the only reason I can recommend an otherwise substandard Wii adventure.
Pros
Engaging story
Spooky atmosphere
Decent musical score
Cons
Poor integration of wii-mote
Illogical puzzles
Boring, mechanical dialogue trees
Too slow paced, lack of direction
A good story that could have been handled so much better.
HEXUS Awards
World And Then There Were None – Wii
