The Strange and Somewhat Sinister Tale of the House at Desert Bridge (how about we just call it Desert Bridge from now on) is a charming point-and-click adventure game* created by Jonas Kyratzes. Here's the story: Old Man Bill is the owner of a large house situated in the middle of the desert. When, one day, he suddenly disappears, his many pets and compatriots wonder what's going on. You, through your portal into the Lands of Dream (literally- the game takes place near a city called Oneiropolis) must find Old Man Bill- or at least figure out what's going on.
Despite the plot above sounding like it was ripped straight from one of those television shows for 3-year-olds, the story in Desert Bridge is actually quite rich- although I can't tell you how or it would spoil the entire game. Oh well. The website says that this is not a game for children- I have to agree with that, though not in the way they mean it. This is a game that children do not need to play- it teaches us to look at the world with wonder and a good sense of humor, something all children already know. This game is directed at others- so that they may learn again to view the world as a child. Of course children will enjoy it too.
Right, now I've spent two whole paragraphs talking about Desert Bridge without actually getting into the "
game"
parts of it, so let's try to turn the rest of this into a quasi-normal review.
The graphics in Desert Bridge are minimalist, and look like they were drawn with crayons. While this serves the purpose of the game for the most part, I can't help feeling that some screens look a bit empty, especially the top floor of the house. The hand-drawn crayon look adds to the atmosphere of the game for the most part, though, and I think it was a good choice of style.
The gameplay is solid for the most part, after you realize that each room is made up of four screens, one for each direction. Another shaky part of the game is that it's easy to get mixed up as to where some of the rooms are, especially the side rooms on the first floor. This doesn't detract too much from the game, though- you can always find the room you want without too much effort- but an in-game map would be a nice addition.
Finally, the writing. The writing in Desert Bridge is marvelous- it's what really dragged me in and made me stay up until eleven o' clock to finish the game. It's difficult for me to describe the charm and humor packed into the this game, so here's some examples:
"
I have created flying jam. A most delightful invention, with many useful applications. Never again will I drop my slice of bread onto the ground! Never again will I break a glass of jam! Never again will Squiggles [the cat] smear himself in the stuff and go rolling around in the desert. This has been a very good day."
"
The computer is all out of binary. You'll have to fill it back up if you want to find out what's on it."
"
The paint has fallen off the wall, revealing the bricks underneath. The house is red on the inside- just like a human."
So, play this game. It's fun, okay? My friends say (well, maybe they do) that whenever I describe something I like, I make it sound bad, somehow. I didn't do that this time, right? I hope not. Right, so you should go play this game right now (
Here's the link again).
*Jonas Kyratzes doesn't like people calling Desert Bridge a game. He likes it called by its proper name, "
A transdimensional portal into the Lands of Dream"
. But I'm reasonably sure he doesn't visit this forum, so I think I can get away with calling it a game here.
____________________________
"
Happiness is like a cat. If you pay no attention to it and go about your business, you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap."
[Last edited by lopsidation at 04-02-2009 12:05 AM]
