Eternal Journey: New Atlantis

AS we grow up, there is never a story more memorable than that of the lost city of Atlantis. Researchers across the globe have long been determined to find this lost gem of the sea, as well as game developers hoping to create visually stunning environments to portray its discovery. Eternal Journey: New Atlantis may seem like yet another clichéd title, however, it quickly surpasses your expectations to become a thrilling sci-fi tale set in a distant future…on Mars.

The adventure begins with Amrite Stone, an archaeologist well known for her uncanny ability to translate ancient texts, which would explain why her body is much sought after following her drowning in the original lost city in the depths of the ocean. In the beginning, the game play is pretty straightforward, set in the original Atlantis, a mixture of puzzles and polished cut scenes steadily push you through the games opening levels. After the initial disaster, we skip 150 years into the future where a second “New Atlantis” has been discovered in a trench on Mars. Fortunately saved by cryo-sleep and advanced tech, Amrite finds herself once again trapped in the midst of a disastrous expedition on an alien planet where colleagues are mysteriously missing and creepy crawly alien beings have claimed the dig site as their own.

While the storyline seems a tad rushed at first, the flow eventually stems out with the addition of digital recordings and news clippings giving you that extra bit of grounding-in-reality that the genre strives for. There are dozens of location to explore and interact with and with such detailed environments at your fingertips, it’s not hard to get lost in the engrossing atmosphere. But don’t worry, in case you do, there is of course a helpful in-game map which allows for fast travel between each location. Locations with available interactions or story progressions are highlighted on each zone of the map.

While the game does have puzzles and hidden object scenes, they are few and far between, which is unfortunate as they integrate with the story well. The only frustration with these scenes is that the whole list of required items doesn’t show up all at once, further items appear as you progress through the list. Also, for that extra bit of added difficulty, there are hotspots in each scene that require your interaction before you can obtain the object, such as cabinets that need to be unlocked, objects that you need to paint a certain colour etc. Unfortunately, once you’ve played through one of these scenes, every other one you come across is exactly the same, and they become increasingly easy as you know what you’re looking for before you’ve even started. This was disappointing as other than this, there is an incredible attention to detail present throughout the game.

As for the puzzles, they again, are very simplistic. Matching items, rearranging shapes and more do offer that little extra challenge but most of which you could find in your standard children’s puzzle book. Mix these with the addition of hint and skip buttons which we felt was too easy and too tempting at integral parts of the game. In the higher difficulty setting, the hint/skip buttons recharge more slowly and other aids such as sparkly interactive areas vanish.

While the gameplay is rather basic and quick, the stunning setting and surprising storyline make it a great gaming experience especially with its seamless animation. Nevertheless, we felt that it was completed a little too fast for our liking (2 hours to be exact), and it doesn’t exactly warrant a second play through. That being said, it will no doubt prove to be a release for players who have grown bored of the clichéd point and click games; of abandoned mansions, haunted houses and creepy asylums. If this game does anything right, it is being shining example for future game developers that the genre can be done believably and still remain an entertaining and intriguing adventure.

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