JadeDragon's
reviews and playing tips: Pocket PC games (also available for Windows
Mobile Smartphone and Symbian Series 60)
Atlantis Redux by Tetraedge
Games, Price: $24.95 Reviewed November 2004 by Marc Morgan
For those of you who are familiar with BeyondAtlantis II
on the PC, Atlantis Redux will look very familiar.
Ported to the Pocket PC by Tetraedge Games, Atlantis Redux
takes up a whopping 120 MB of memory, and requires a recent
Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 2003 or Windows Mobile 2003 SE
and a 400 MHz Xscale Processor.
You are a female archeologist who has information that leads
her to believe there are ancient Egyptian ruins in the Hoggar
desert. You move from the desert to strange areas with Egyptian
pyramids and temples. Right at the start of the game, you can
tell the game will be filled with mystical worlds and puzzles.
The whole game is filled with mind-bending puzzles to keep
you entertained. You may even ask other people that you know
for help while you play Atlantis Redux and it may
even become a good conversation topic for you to use. In
other words, some of these puzzles are hard, and may become
frustrating, but they make the game more fun to play. All of
this adds up to many hours of play, so you get what you paid
for. There are plenty of characters in the game, and I think
there are enough to make the game entertaining, while not too
many so the game is not confusing. All of the characters have
different personalities, some are good and some are bad. All
of the characters help to move the game along, for the better,
or for the worse.
The controls in Atlantis Redux were easy to get used
to. You could either tap on the left or the right side of the
screen to turn left or right, or you could use the left or
right D-Pad buttons. Pressing down on the D-Pad brought up
the inventory menu, and so did the second button from the bottom
of the handheld. The button on the bottom of the handheld brings
up the menu. If you press the up button, it will do the action
that is pictured in the center of your screen. You can also
tap on the action pictured in the center of your screen. Some
examples of the actions are moving forward, talking, using
items, and picking up an item.
One of the best features in the game
is its spectacular graphics. During all of the videos, the
graphics will blow you away. Also, the other graphics in
the game are done very well. When the characters talk, their
mouths move, and there is expression. All the scenery is
done well, and is appealing to the eye. The action symbols
that are necessary for you to play the game are easy to comprehend,
even if you don’t read the instructions.
Unfortunately, the website says that it is not a VGA game,
but it will run on VGA devices for all you proud VGA device
owners. There is plenty of color in the game and there is shading,
etc. All the characters are 3D also. The game uses a 360-degree
view, so when you turn left or right, it is a continuation
of what you were seeing before. In other words, if you took
pictures of each screen when you turned, they would all connect
to each other, in a circle, like a puzzle. If you want a game
with stunning graphics, this is the game for you!
Not only does Atlantis Redux feature breathtaking
graphics, the sounds and music in the game are great, too.
Everywhere you go, there is music and sound effects. The music
compliments what is happening in the game and the mood. Also,
there are characters with voices. Voices!!! I
have never played a Pocket PC game that features characters
with voices. Not only are there voices, but they are also synchronized
with the character’s expression and mouth movements.
There is also music, sound effects, and voices during the videos,
making the stunning graphics come together with great sound,
and creating a masterpiece.
Atlantis Redux is a simply amazing game that could
keep you on your Pocket PC for hours at a time. It combines
stunning graphics, amazing sounds, music, and a great storyline
into one package. This game is perfect for you if you either
like puzzles, a good adventure game, or both. It is also good
for you even if you only play a game every once and a while.
The amount of space it takes up is overwhelming, and I think
that this game would make a great candidate to be sold on a
SD/CF memory card. Atlantis Redux should be nominated
for an award, and Tetraedge deserves it!
Playing tips and hints:
Check out Gamefaqs for
a walkthrough on Beyond Atlantis II, the PC version
of Atlantis Redux.
Always check your inventory for items that may assist you
during puzzles. You will usually need to use items during
a puzzle.
Make sure to save a lot to make
sure you don’t lose
any progress you make.
Listen to (or read) conversations carefully; they might
contain important hints and tips on what you need to do.
Pocket PC
MS
Smartphone
Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):
Graphics
The graphics in Atlantis Redux are
the best graphics that I’ve ever seen in a Pocket PC
game.
Sound
The sound effects and music in the game
were great, and the characters had voice-overs; a rare thing
to find in a Pocket PC game.
Fun Meter
This game is really fun, especially if
you’re into adventure games. It is rare that such a good
adventure is brought to the Pocket PC platform.
Addictivity
This game was a little hard to get into,
but is fun to play once you get into the game and the storyline.
