Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine – PC – Review

I love the nostalgia of playing
something that’s new, but familiar. There’s a fine line to walk, in order to
ensure a familiar game does not feel like a worn-out housecoat. These are the
types of games many of us expanded our minds with. Take a colorful character,
introduce and objective and give them plenty of things to explore and interact
with. There are usually "crude" graphics involved, but that is the cosmetic
portion that masks a much deeper experience underneath. Young players take note
– give these games a chance, as they can be rewarding.

In the distant wake of
genre-breaking games such as the Leisure Suit Larry series as well as
King’s/Space/Police Quest titles, Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine
rides into the Wild West to give us a chance to get back in the saddle of a
lengthy quest game. The game starts with some nice 3D animated cutscene action
before detouring into the game, itself. That, visually, takes you a step back
into the 2D world, but opens up the vast expanse of exploration for the humble
and nerdy Al Emmo to explore. Al has made his way across the country to meet up
with his mail order fiancé, Ivanna, in Anozira (OK, that’s Arizona
spelled backwards for you crypto-holics). Once they finally meet, the honeymoon
is over before the wedding takes place – as Ivanna is not impressed by Al being
in his 40s, living with his parents and quite broke. Leaving him alone and
almost penniless, Ivanna storms away and Al heads back to catch the train bound
for home. He misses the train, but your journey begins.

There is a narrator to taunt, help
or annoy you. Mostly, he ads more comic relief and later becomes the "Alfred" to
your (geeky, bumbling) "Batman." Using your mouse, you can explore and interact
with vast amounts of what you see. You can talk to anyone, and if you do not
annoy them too much, obtain help to get you on your way. You meet up with Rita,
whom Al is smitten with, and is far less poisonous than the shallow Ivanna.
Getting Rita has it’s own challenges, as you learn rather quickly. You have
competition for her attention, and thus begins your challenge.

In any quest game, the object is to
snoop, collect what you find, and know when use those items. There is a lot to
see and do, so this won’t be over, quickly. This is where games of this genre
really shine, and here is no exception. These games allow you to browse and
interact with the environments without feeling "pushed." There is rarely any
urgency to the game or pace. Unlike some quest games, death is not lurking
around every turn. Well, at least not for a long time into the game. So, this
allows you to explore and take your time as you solve puzzles and figure out
what the bigger picture is – and just why the game starts out with an elaborate
scene in a gold mine – before tossing you into a "love story."

Al Emmo is the epitome of nerdy. His
voice, attitude and skills are right there with the worst stereotypical geek
you’d find at a sci-fi convention. The voice acting for Al made me cringe, but
it suited the character well. He reminded me a bit too much like Larry, sans the
white suit and sleazy demeanor. No, this geek is somewhat harmless, which allows
you to develop a much more tailored experience. You are not, for a while, sure
what the point of the quest will be. That makes the journey all the more fun.
That’s the way life is – so why not make the game work in the same way?

The graphics will not blow you away.
They are somewhat crude and like watching an old Sierra game, which is the
obvious purpose, here. Even some of the play of the game is cloned from Sierra,
so why not the look? The cutscenes switch you to more detail and (in comparison)
grand visuals. Then, it’s back to the dusty, crusty edges of the quest game.
That’s not such a negative, and the compensation is the depth of the story and
experience. Having smooth edges and dazzling scenery is not nearly as satisfying
as good gameplay.

The audio stands out above most
other features. The scenes and characters have nice voice acting. As mentioned,
I didn’t care much for Al’s high-pitched whine of a voice, but the narrator is a
nice counter to that screech. All of the characters seem to have been nicely
developed in their communication abilities, so you won’t get repeat phrases too
soon. I like to stand and "bug" a character just to see how long it takes before
they repeat or otherwise deviate from the experience. The kindly narrator kept
that from being too annoying!

This game was a pleasant change,
though nothing too new. That’s a good thing. I miss those games from the past.
In the very early days of this type of thing, you had only a command prompt and
text in front of you. You’d type in your action, then get a response. It was
slow and tedious, though rewarding in it’s own way. Then came Sierra and they
kicked things up beyond our young expectations. This is a nice throwback to
that, yet stands out nicely as fun and fresh. It’s much better than the last
Leisure Suit game I played. More proof that a game doesn’t need zillions of
polygons to enrich your experience.

Gameplay: 7.5
For the quest-minded person that likes a slower pace and rewards found in
solving problems, this will flow nicely. There are some simple commands to
learn, but after that short education, you’re off and playing. That’s my kind of
game. It is not to be confused with some elaborate RPG where you have magical
bags of pixie dust and hundreds of things to keep up with. This is far more
simple, but still a challenge.  

Graphics: 6.0
The 3D scenes look very nice. They’re like the fancy cutscenes in an old NES
game – before the actual game resumes and you’re brought back to reality with
the "lesser" look. But, this is a game of exploration and simple but colorful
characters. They look more than nice enough for a good experience.

Sound: 7.5
The voice acting is very well done. I think they probably had a lot of fun
doing this one. It seems to show, as the characters are fresh and energetic. Al
whines and is very nasal, but that’s why he rode so far for a mail-order mate.
His personality is well captured and revealed for your entertainment.

Difficulty: Medium
The game starts deceptively easy, and rather slow. The quest builds like any
good adventure, and soon you are wrapped in something much larger than you
expected. The stakes are higher as you progress, but not so fast that you can’t
adapt and prepare for it. You’re brought in slow enough to make it work for you.

Concept: 6.5
Though not fair to penalize a game for not being the first, I also can’t
give the game too much credit for its origins. It looks and plays a lot like
many games in the past – and that is a good thing. It has more depth, but the
cosmetics are the same. It’s like playing an arcade classic – with better
weapons and more levels. Everything old is new again. If you have seen or
(hopefully) played any of the old Sierra games, you have seen this one – but
only in the visuals. The experience is still fun and new. 

Overall: 7.5
I have a soft spot in my gamer’s heart for anything that allows me to step
back to when things were less murky and driven by what the latest graphics card
can allow without cracking. Like old board games, some things in the gaming
world are just meant to be – simple. Not boring, old or disposable. This game
lets you step into a story, and drive the action. You can stop without creating
chaos, and resume when you feel like it. It is engrossing enough to keep you
engaged, but also allows you the chance to sit back and have a laugh at the
story and the sites/sounds. It reminds us that games are supposed to be fun. If
you like to solve interactive puzzles and can appreciate depth over flashy
cosmetics, then you will get a lot out of this game. It’s an adventure … with
a more human character than …. well, Lara Croft. Al is just … Al. Balding,
nerdy and all.