GamersInfo.net

Now NIBURU is a computer graphic adventure game, a remake of Future Games' 1998 release of Posel Bohu, released only in Czechoslovakia. The game was totally revamped for worldwide release, to the extent that someone who played the original game may have trouble recognizing this game as a remake. Future Games is known for the 2003 hit Black Mirror (Posel Smrti) which is simlar to NIBURU in graphics and voice acting.

All adventure game plots consist of a smelly, unshaven, protagonist with a leather jacket, fedora and a whip; an evil, conniving, well-dressed, antagonist who bathes frequently; and the (substitute world, nation, girl friend, galaxy) that needs saving. In this case, Martin Holan, an American studying linguistics and archeology in Prague, finds himself rushing off to assist his wealthy uncle, Professor Francois Wilde, in pursuit of hidden artifacts and arcane knowledge. The Nazis are looking for the ultimate weapon by studying the arcane, supernatural, and ancient science and superstitions, specifically NIBURU.

Unfortunately, the sexy female romantic lead, Barbora, is killed off early in the first chapter by a mysterious psychopath before any romance can start. The psychopath is the son of an old Nazi scientist who worked on the NIBURU project for Hitler and the Third Reich (Nazis - I hate these guys). The sadistic son dogs your steps throughout the entire story. Since Barbora is killed, Martin has to figure a way to get into Barbora's office, get into the Nazi laboratory hidden underground in a mine shaft, and access the secret futuristic scientific area deep within an ancient Mayan temple, all without romantic entanglement. Like all good 1950s science fiction, in the end all scientific evidence of extra terrestrial life and contact is lost, and you're left with only a fantastic unbelievable story to which no one will listen.

The writing and voice acting are okay, but not excellent. While the dialogue and accents are convincing, there is a lack of enthusiasm in certain scenes, which leads me to believe that the voice actors were disinterested professionals unenthusiastically reading their lines. The animation has similar spotty results. Martin walks with a very unnatural gait, leading you to believe he has some hidden pathology. I found the voice acting and the animation to be a mixed bag - professionally executed, but without that extra "oomph" that really makes a story come alive.

The over 35 interactive and interesting non-player characters (NPCs) are 3D modeled over 80 2D pre-rendered background locations similar to what you see with many animated films. The atmospheric visual effects graphics portray rain, fog, daytime and nighttime convincingly. The musical score and sound effects set the tempo of the game with convincing background noise to accompany you as you travel the locations and look for items and clues. The Nazi laboratory and Mayan temples are drawn with good interesting detail. I felt like I was watching an animated feature film.

The game play in these backgrounds forms the basis for the pixel hunt needed to fill your inventory with seemingly unrelated and useless junk, for which the plot eventually reveals a purpose. You need to combine a hook with a rope to make a grappling hook, plaster with water to patch a wall, fuse with dynamite to give you time to get clear, and many other inventory related puzzles. The infinite inventory is well designed, and items disappear after they are used and no longer needed.

There are two timed puzzles that give you 30 and 200 seconds to solve a puzzle and a situational riddle or the game ends. The purpose to timed puzzles that end the game escapes me, unless they are used to add "game play" by forcing you to play over a game sequence repeatedly. Most puzzles involve where and how to use inventory items on the environment. Other clickable puzzles include a jigsaw puzzle has the player fitting geometrically shaped magnet pieces into a lighted triangle lock. Another puzzle entitled moving the colored marbles into the correct order and moving the sliders until the gold slider moves into the dragon's mouth. And last but not least, a square-shaped, three-by-three slider game that requires you to put the symbols in the order they appear under the tiles themselves.

Some players hate these types of puzzles and only play graphic adventure games to experience the story and solve the mystery as it evolves in the game. A good solution would be to make the puzzles optional for these people, with a game setting or question that allows the player to bypass any puzzles that they feel are too difficult or annoying. Those players with good pattern recognition intelligence might find the puzzles too easy, while others will find themselves frustrated to the point of anger. I found the puzzles easy, and quickly dispatched without much help from my wife, who enjoys helping me with my games.

The game is well crafted, and while it is not the highest form of graphic adventure game art, it is a very good if not excellent game. With five chapters encompassing Prague, Bohemia, France and Mexico, it will give most people between four and six hours of good fun. The graphics and animation are attractive, for the most part. The puzzles are mostly figuring where the things you find and collect in inventory can be used in the environment when combined with one another and active points in the background art. I enjoyed the game as I would a pleasant cup of coffee - although I would have preferred cappucino. Where adventure games are concerned, if I cannot have a cup of cappucino in the form of a sequel to Sam and Max, Leisure Suit Larry, or Full Throttle, I will settle for a cup of Niburu. At least it's Colombian.