Even for episodic games, Wallace &
Gromit seems short. The Bogey Man is the fourth and last episode of the series
of chapter releases, and is not very long, as were none of the preceding
chapters, either. If this were a bad game, I wouldn’t mind it being short, but I
hate to leave the world of Wallace & Gromit, which is captured so perfectly in
this adventure game.
Previously, in Muzzled, Gromit had
exposed the true criminality of Monty Muzzle, who specialized in planning and
running fundraisers that were tailored to fit the needs of the community. In
this case, the neighborhood of West Wallaby Street needed a new animal shelter.
Of course, Monty Muzzle was out to fleece the locals, but ended up in jail
instead.
The Bogey Man takes a different tack
altogether and centers on the world of country clubs and golf. At the finale of
Muzzled, Wallace somehow led Mrs. Flitt to believe that he proposed marriage to
her. The only way to get off the matrimonial hook is to join the local country
club, Prickly Thicket, as her revered aunt is violently opposed to golfers in
general and Prickly Thicket personally. Luckily, Gromit always knows how to get
Wallace out of a pickle, and Wallace is soon on his way to Prickly Thicket
golfing glory.
Unlike the other episodes, The Bogey
Man is not linear in nature. The puzzles can mostly be solved in any order at
any time. This is welcomed, as it opens up the game a bit, but as many of these
puzzles are somewhat abstract in nature, players will often not know what to do
next, or end up solving a puzzle inadvertently when they were really trying to
discover something entirely different.
For example, early in the game I gave
a rodent a certain substance just to do it, and ended up solving a puzzle that I
didn’t know existed, as I had not yet gleaned the “anti-rodent” sentiment as
evidenced by one of the characters. Another puzzle at the Prickly Thicket
country club presented me with some problems, as the puzzle appeared to center
at the club, but actually needed lots of actions undertaken elsewhere first, in
order to be solved. Many of these puzzles will have players resorting to trying
everything in their inventory on every hotspot around.
The environment has a new addition
with the country club, but still feels a bit claustrophobic and confined. There
are not enough locations to explore in any of the chapters, and a few more
characters would be nice, too. Mrs. Flitt’s great aunt was the only new
character, and I failed to see why there weren’t any new people at the country
club.
This last episode is so low-key as to
be anti-climatic, rather than a dramatic finale of the series. However, this
laid-back approach is perfectly suited to the world of Wallace & Gromit, which
exemplifies British humor. Many of the jokes are centered on golf, and are
pretty funny. The voice acting accentuates the humor perfectly.
I am excited to see this recent
approach to adventure gaming, and look forward to the newest Telltale outing,
Monkey Island. I am a big fan of the Monkey Island series, and am glad that
Telltale is able to produce good games and hopefully make a profit, as well.
Wallace & Gromit is a cute and fun adventure game, one that most adventure games
will enjoy whether they are particular fans of these characters or not. However,
it is a short game overall, and the price tag for the entire series is $35,
which is a bit steep compared to other like adventure games.
Gameplay: 7.5
Playing Wallace & Gromit The Bogey Man is fun, and the mix of humor and puzzles
is just right. The interface is intuitive and easy to understand, and there is
even a tutorial to demonstrate the controls. However, the game is short and the
puzzles, while fairly good for the most part, aren’t that intriguing.
Graphics: 8.0
The game looks great and the characters are drawn exactly as one would expect.
The characters look like Claymation models, even in digitalized form.
Sound: 8.0
The voice acting and sound effects are very good and definitely add to the
generally desired atmosphere.
Difficulty: Medium
There is nothing overly difficult in this game, but a few of the puzzles are
very puzzling.
Concept: 7.0
The concept isn’t new anymore, but the execution is good.
Overall: 7.5
Fans of Wallace & Gromit will enjoy this game, even if they are new to adventure
games. Conversely, adventure game enthusiasts will enjoy the adventure, even if
they are new to the world of Wallace & Gromit. And, it’s a good game for the
entire family to play together and enjoy, which is always a plus.
