There is nothing more satisfying for those who like to relax and unwind, than a good point-and-click adventure game that immerses you with something fun; forget books or films that have adventure in them, an interactive one is more fun to do. Whether it's trying to help someone become a pirate, delving between a world of sci-fi and a world of fantasy each connected to the other, or dealing with a sinister society who could bring trouble to the world beneath the charming city of Paris, many point and clicks have been good since the days when Maniac Mansion. And now, there is this game, hoping to immerse us in another story that can be quite enjoyable.
Lost Horizon, is by far, a brilliantly made game. I've seen some games designed in this period, whether it was an original title to the good and fun series of Indiana Jones movies, or the rather amusing and still fun Flight of the Amazon Queen, but this title really makes a good adventure game where, just like Broken Sword and other point-and-click adventures, brains are better than brawn.
The game is set around the 1930s, and places you in control of Fenton Paddock, a former solider in the British Army stationed in Hong Kong, now a pilot moving cargo and dabbling in smuggling. Hired by the colony's governor to find his son and Fenton's close friend who was lost on an expedition to Tibet, Fenton finds himself working to protect an ancient power from being found by the Nazis, and sees him working with others while travelling across the world, from Hong Kong, Tibet, India, Morocco and Germany, meeting a wide variety of characters, collecting an assortment of items, and solving a good number of puzzles.
The game has a lot of things to its name that stand out well, but first, let me go over some of the bad points, to make the good ones shine...
- Conversations feel long and a bit winded. You'll find yourselves dealing with quite a bit of words and sentences here, in between some of the work you do.
- There's a nice touch at the beginning of the game with Fenton, but it's sad that was not used in a way, later in the game.
That's about it, but the rest of this game makes those minor points seem so small. What's good about it, is all summed up in these...
- The story is excellently done. It's up there with those for the Broken Sword series, and provides nice moments to know what is happening elsewhere. In one bit, you do a scene of helping Fenton discuss how he got somewhere, by being involved in the flashback, that happened a few moments ago.
- The characters are nicely done and well voiced. You really can enjoy some of those you meet with, and some of them are nice to control along with Fenton, at certain moments.
- The controls are easy to work with, and the game provides helpful hints, in a way, to overcoming problems, though you can easily work on puzzles and such without much trouble.
- Some of the puzzles you encountered, made into mini-games, are nicely done, and the fact you get to handle them with two different difficulties, is a nice touch.
- The graphics of the game are really nice, colourful, vibrant, and make the game stand out on its own. It has a certain, cartoony look, but stands out with also a good amount of realism.
- The musical score is a nice touch, sticking to what you might expect from a location and the period of time.
- The cut-scenes are nicely done, and really give a good sort of film quality to it.
Overall, this is a must have game for those who love point-and-clicks, because it is fun, enjoyable, and as good as those from the Monkey Island and Broken Sword Series. Lost Horizon is a game you should have a try of, whenever you get the chance.
I score it 8/10, even 8.5/10, if I could. "Nothing feels so fun than a point-and-click, and this is up there with the ones I enjoyed since I first played one. Bravo, Lost Horizon... Bravo..." - Reviewer's Last Words