I'm writing this review of Little Big Advernture 2 (or LBA2) because it is one of my all time favourites and I would say it's the best thing to have left france since they started selling those kinder bars here. Expect many many spoilers about the first game and possibly one or two about the second.
The game takes place a few years after the end of the first game where Twinsen, the hero of both games, rescued his kidnapped girlfriend and fulfilled his prophecy as the messiah, defeating Dr. Funfrock and his clone armies.
The opening stages of the sequel set the mood very well, having you solve several tasks and puzzles, involving jumping and platforms and combat, before moving on to the main storyline also showing you a glimpse of what I loved about this game: The fact it was so free form and unlinier. There was only one path to go down, there not really being any proper side quests or the likes, but the game let you explore the lush and beautiful environments to your hearts content with each island having multiple levels to explore. One such example is the Island near the Hacienda Del Monto De Plado in Desert Island. Following the story would probably mean you didn't even know of the existence of this place, but through various puzzles and combat sequences, it gave you access to a second spell. This sort of design gave you the impression that there was far more to this game than met the eye, which indeed there was.
The general atmosphere of the game was what really made it special though, the damp dark feeling to the underground areas on Citadel Island, with the frequent sound of drops of water hitting stone, created excelent atmosphere, as did the empty gusts of the wind you could hear, whenever you got close to the gas-sea's of Zelich. The atmosphere was also improved by the engaging characters and personalities that inhabinated the game's worlds. The characters each had unique personalities, and most of them could be spoken to with excellent voice acting. How you bahaved around these characters also created individual reactions to the actions. The character bob, Twinsen's grumpy neighbour and friend, would chase you in you behaved around him in an aggressive mannor.
The story too was excellent, though presented in a very wacky and cartoonish mannor, it was an emotional and engrossing experience, with a very clear and powerful storyline, which I won't spoil for those who have still yet to play this masterpiece, but the varied locations and the spectacular experiences leave you breathless by the heartwarming end sequences.
The graphics too were incredible, though most moving objects looked like they were created using MS Paint, the scenery was incredebly well rendered, especially in the pre-rendered area's inside buildings, caves etc, but equally the full 3D open area's were beautiful, and varied throughout the game, taking you from the Green Rock on Mmerald Moon, the the volcanic Underbelly or the Under-gas. The game also played cutscenes in more advanced graphics, that added depth to the progression of the story.
Combat also, whilst not being key, was an important part of the game, with your main weapon being the Magic Ball, a medium ranged ball that you threw at your enemy. there were many other weapons to join your arsenal though, including darts, a lazer pistol, a pea shooter and a sword, not to mention the nose mounted machine gun on your car. the combat system itself was also very solid, with enemies not being too hard or too easy, serving more as part of a wider puzzle, and much of the time they could be run away from or dispatched with easier methods.
In all this french adventure game by Adeline games was a masterpiece of the genre, with incredible atmosphere and characters, supplemented by a strong unlinier storyline that spanned a massively diverse and delightful series of worlds and environments, that make this game, even today, one of the best i have ever experienced.
score: 98/100
The game takes place a few years after the end of the first game where Twinsen, the hero of both games, rescued his kidnapped girlfriend and fulfilled his prophecy as the messiah, defeating Dr. Funfrock and his clone armies.
The opening stages of the sequel set the mood very well, having you solve several tasks and puzzles, involving jumping and platforms and combat, before moving on to the main storyline also showing you a glimpse of what I loved about this game: The fact it was so free form and unlinier. There was only one path to go down, there not really being any proper side quests or the likes, but the game let you explore the lush and beautiful environments to your hearts content with each island having multiple levels to explore. One such example is the Island near the Hacienda Del Monto De Plado in Desert Island. Following the story would probably mean you didn't even know of the existence of this place, but through various puzzles and combat sequences, it gave you access to a second spell. This sort of design gave you the impression that there was far more to this game than met the eye, which indeed there was.
The general atmosphere of the game was what really made it special though, the damp dark feeling to the underground areas on Citadel Island, with the frequent sound of drops of water hitting stone, created excelent atmosphere, as did the empty gusts of the wind you could hear, whenever you got close to the gas-sea's of Zelich. The atmosphere was also improved by the engaging characters and personalities that inhabinated the game's worlds. The characters each had unique personalities, and most of them could be spoken to with excellent voice acting. How you bahaved around these characters also created individual reactions to the actions. The character bob, Twinsen's grumpy neighbour and friend, would chase you in you behaved around him in an aggressive mannor.
The story too was excellent, though presented in a very wacky and cartoonish mannor, it was an emotional and engrossing experience, with a very clear and powerful storyline, which I won't spoil for those who have still yet to play this masterpiece, but the varied locations and the spectacular experiences leave you breathless by the heartwarming end sequences.
The graphics too were incredible, though most moving objects looked like they were created using MS Paint, the scenery was incredebly well rendered, especially in the pre-rendered area's inside buildings, caves etc, but equally the full 3D open area's were beautiful, and varied throughout the game, taking you from the Green Rock on Mmerald Moon, the the volcanic Underbelly or the Under-gas. The game also played cutscenes in more advanced graphics, that added depth to the progression of the story.
Combat also, whilst not being key, was an important part of the game, with your main weapon being the Magic Ball, a medium ranged ball that you threw at your enemy. there were many other weapons to join your arsenal though, including darts, a lazer pistol, a pea shooter and a sword, not to mention the nose mounted machine gun on your car. the combat system itself was also very solid, with enemies not being too hard or too easy, serving more as part of a wider puzzle, and much of the time they could be run away from or dispatched with easier methods.
In all this french adventure game by Adeline games was a masterpiece of the genre, with incredible atmosphere and characters, supplemented by a strong unlinier storyline that spanned a massively diverse and delightful series of worlds and environments, that make this game, even today, one of the best i have ever experienced.
score: 98/100
