Slinky boots.
Gameplay wise, Anachronox is more J-RPG than anything else: semi-linear storyline, third-person adventuring, pages of dialogue (in blue boxes, no less), and a turn-based combat system based on a similar mechanic to the active time system found in latter-day Final Fantasy games. But that stylistic approach is offset by a very western view of a darkly humorous cyberpunk-infused dystopia. You are placed in the (sly) boots of a down-and-out private eye who just sets out to make a quick buck and ends up helping to save the universe, aided by a memorable cast of quirky characters – including a smacktalking robot, the blueprint for Mr. Incredible, and… erm… a planet. Quite. It’s a very fun game to play, with absolutely shedloads of personality. And for the most part, it’s solidly built. In the end, it’s the little things that prevent Anachronox from reaching the pinnacle of perfection. A dull beginning. Endless walking around the same areas on countless fetch-and-carry quests. An occasionally clunky control system. The lack of a map and decent journal system. Some frustrating mini-games that often don’t bother to explain the controls beforehand. Niggling bugs even after patching. I get the feeling that a month or two longer in production would have done wonders to this game, or perhaps if the entire development team wasn’t fired at the last minute some of these annoyances would have been ironed out. It’s a real shame, because underneath the rough edges Anachronox is a diamond.
Graphics: 7/10
Anachronox was built on a modified version of the elderly Quake II engine, and released a whole four years after it’s shooter step-daddy. As a result, Anachronox was never going to win any beauty awards. But there’s still a rich, detailed, varied and often hilarious visual world to explore, resplendent in it’s cyberpunk and apocalyptic trappings.
Sound: 8/10
The music is nice: calm and quiet with a distinct spacey feel. Some of the pieces wouldn’t sound amiss in a space-simulation game to be honest. Most of the time it blends into the background, amping it up in key scenes. The voice acting is fine too, although little of the dialogue has vocal work: rather it is restricted to cut scenes and scripted sequences. This is a bit of a shame, since the vocals we do hear are excellent.
Value: 9/10
It’s big, it’s unique, it’s heaps of fun. Bang for your buck is not an issue. Unfortunately, Anachronox also falls into the ‘bugger to get working on a modern computer’ category, sitting side by side with spiritual cousins System Shock 2 and Syndicate Wars in the awkward corner. Funny how all the best games end up there. However, any copies still in stores will be bargain bin leftovers by now, so why not take the risk?
Tilt: 9/10
Superb.
Pros:
One of the few Japanese-style RPGs available on the PC, with a great setting and an often laugh-out-loud sense of humour. Fun and engrossing. Fantastic storyline with a real kicker of a twist and a cliffhanger that makes me wish the sequel had got off the ground.
Cons:
The combat is too easy, for a start. There are more than a few annoyances in the various gameplay aspects too.
Conclusion:
Given a chance and a good polish, this could have been one of the greatest games ever created. As it stands, it’s still a cracker.