Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses Review
In spite of its shortcomings, Odyssey remains an enjoyable game, because the story and characters are engaging enough to hold your attention until the conclusion.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better source of material for an adventure game than stories in Greek mythology. Powerful gods, bizarre monsters, exotic lands, gripping tales of famous heroes--what more could a game developer want for inspiration? And of all the famous Greek myths, probably none manage to cram in as much action and intrigue as Homer's The Odyssey, the epic poem that chronicles the numerous trials that Ulysses must overcome as he seeks to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses has an interesting perspective on these events. While its puzzles aren't very complicated and while it has some technical problems, it still proves to be an enjoyable adventure because of its story and its characters.
As the name implies, Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses doesn't focus on the perilous journey of the scheming hero. You instead play as Heriseus, an inhabitant of Ulysses' homeland, who doesn't seem to be prime hero material: He killed an innocent man while he was drunk on Ithacan wine, which led to his banishment by Ulysses. During his exile, the Trojan War erupted, and as the 10-year-long conflict raged, Heriseus met and married a woman named Alimir. But Heriseus is truly a hard-luck guy--both Alimir and the couple's unborn daughter die from disease. When Heriseus finally makes his way back to Ithaca, he's approached by Ulysses' wife, Penelope. Hounded by suitors who insist Ulysses must be dead by now and that she should remarry, Penelope gives Heriseus the seemingly impossible task of tracking down Ulysses and bringing him back before the situation becomes critical.
All this isn't revealed at the beginning of the game--the only things you're certain of initially is that your character has returned from banishment and that he's got to find his old friend and king. As the game progresses, you uncover bits and pieces of Heriseus' past, until finally the whole story is revealed when you make a journey to a particular place that definitely wouldn't make for a good vacation spot. Because Heriseus has to follow his master's trail, you'll visit several of the locations Ulysses explored: After leaving Troy, you'll make your way to the island of the lotus eaters, battle a couple of angry (and hungry) Cyclopes, journey to the island of the man-eating Laestrygonians, and fall under the witchery of Circe.
The graphics in Odyssey are inconsistent: One second, you might be admiring the rich, lifelike details of a building or landscape, and the next you'll be wondering why the ocean looks like a bad painting from a cheap motel. All the characters are modeled in 3D, and while they're a bit blocky, their animation is fairly good. But you'll still notice some problems, like how Heriseus' neck and head never move no matter what he does.
- GameSpot Score 7.2 good
Critic Scores
- IGN 5.1 / 10
- GameZone 5 / 10
- Electric Playground 6.5 / 10
- Game Boomers
- Just Adventure B+
- Game Raiders 65 / 100
- Quandary 2.5 / 5
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- DreamCatcher Interactive
- In Utero
- Adventure
- Release: Jan 2, 2001
- ESRB: Everyone
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