AnaCapri:
The Dream is the sequel to A Quiet Weekend in Capri. The same team developed
both games. When A Quiet Weekend in Capri was first released a few years ago,
it garnered some good comments for its different approach to gaming, which
somewhat resembled a picture tour of a popular resort, the island of Capri. In
fact, players could opt to take a tour of the island, instead of playing the
adventure. The game was composed of still photographs of places and people in
Capri, which players clicked on to navigate around the island.
AnaCapri
takes the same approach, and is also composed of many, many photographs of the
island. The actors aren’t animated, but are static
representations, but are static representations with
voice-overs. Navigation is still accomplished by the same method of clicking
on the photos to move around the island. As the game advances, players are
able to use the map to get around by choosing locations on the map. These are
added as they are found during the course of the game. This was also available
in the previous game.
The story
this time around centers on an old artifact that was once on the island of
Capri. This Obelisk Disk is now almost an object of myth, although extensive
oral and written descriptions of it exist from many people throughout the
history of Capri. Its current whereabouts are unknown. Dr.
Nico N has come to Capri to conduct research on
the disk. As befits a mysterious, historical object, there are tales of
mystical powers that it possesses. It’s up to you and Dr.
Nico to discover the truth behind the myth.
After a very
lengthy installation, players are presented quickly with the main menu, where
they can choose to play either the adventure or the tour. Once the adventure
is selected, another menu pops up that has instructions on how to play the
game, and a few in-game options, such as having the hotspots highlighted
during the game (which I highly recommend). Unfortunately, the game
instructions leave much to be desired as to the amount of information. For
instance, it took me a few game sessions to figure out why my menu icons
weren’t showing while I played the game. I couldn’t access the map or the
inventory. I assumed it was a problem with my screen resolution, so I kept
playing with that. I also tried every key on the keyboard. I finally figured
out I had to right click the mouse each time I wanted the menu icons to
appear. This wasn’t mentioned in the instructions.
The player
is immediately drawn into the adventure. The first screen is a restaurant,
where a waitress hands over a letter from the doctor who invited you to the
island. You are given instructions to proceed to his house, with a few
instructions on the direction. This item is placed in the inventory and can be
accessed later at any time. The characters who speak are also added to the
player’s journal for later perusal.
The
navigation in the game is handled by clicking on directional hotspots that
have arrows. Reverse arrows are available for returning. Certain set locations
are added to the game for use later. Players can move around the island by
these “jump” points.
As before,
most of this game is spent traveling around the island. It takes forever to
get to places, and using the map is the only sane method. And, it’s easy to
get confused, as many of the locations look alike and the names are all in
Italian, I think.
The
presentation of the game is slightly amateurish in appearance, as the actors
are just stills, and the dialogue is stilted. The story is also humorous in
ways it probably wasn’t meant to be. To present the magical aspect and legend
of the disk, a large turtle appears and speaks like Yoda to detail the story
behind the disk. This is just strange. Other spirit animals appear later and
speak. The manner in which people speak is also somewhat humorous.
Most of the
game is spent in traveling constantly around the island and visiting various
characters and speaking with them. There are some puzzles to solve, which are
fairly interesting and challenging, and fit the game’s theme nicely. Most are
manipulative and many are pictorial in nature. As the game progresses, aspects
are added to the story like a “Dream” state, which is opposite the “Reality”
state of the player.
As stated
before, AnaCapri is very similar to A Quiet
Weekend in Capri. If you liked that game, you’ll like this one. This is a game
from a small developer, and is on a presumably tight budget. However, the
story and dialogue could still be more polished. Maybe it’s just lost in the
translation, but it’s pretty silly. The sheer amount of traveling also takes
away from the enjoyment, for me, at least. This game is best enjoyed by
players who like a leisurely stroll through picturesque locations, and aren’t
too picky about voice-acting or story elements.
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Gameplay: 6.0
This
adventure is fairly enjoyable, but detractions like excessive traveling from
location to location, and the stilted dialogue and voice-acting lessen the
fun. The story is also a little silly. The interface could be better
explained.
Graphics: 7.0
The photographs used for the game are beautiful. The actors aren’t animated,
and most of the photographs are stills. After awhile, they all begin to look
the same. The spirit animals who speak to Dr. Nico are animated, but they
are a small part of the game and so don’t add a whole lot to the game
experience. The ocean in the ocean scenes is animated well, and a few of the
objects have some slight animations.
Sound: 6.0
Not many sound
effects, but the music is pretty good. It doesn’t always fit the scene,
though.
Difficulty: Medium
The
game isn’t very difficult, but the puzzles require a little thought sometimes.
And, it’s easy to miss important clues if all locations aren’t visited.
Concept: 6.0
There
is nothing new here from the previous game in any substantial way.
Overall: 6.0
A decent
game that some people will enjoy more than others.
More for those who appreciate leisurely games, and love to
travel.
