In March, Telltale Games released the first episode of Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, titled Fright of the Bumblebees. Though I found the interface a bit clunky at times, I found the story and characters very engaging and fun. (You can read my earlier review here.)
In early May, the next episode of the Wallace & Gromit series was released - The Last Resort. This time, Wallace and Gromit's beach holiday is washed out on account of the weather and a flooded basement. However, instead of becoming depressed about their predicament, Wallace designs an indoor beachfront to enjoy despite the clouds and rain outside.
Since playing the first episode, I acquired a gamepad and was able to try it out with The Last Resort. Though I'm not much of an arcade-game player and have had little experience with a gamepad with other gaming systems, I found it very easy to figure out how to use it in the world of Wallace & Gromit. The gamepad simplified the interface by providing a single method for interacting with the virtual world, allowing me to focus on the story and not how to get to various screens.
Once again, I found myself comparing the Wallace & Gromit game to the Sierra Adventures' games from the 1980s & 90s. As you are presented with a problem, such as assembling the pieces for an indoor resort vacation, you wander around talking to all of the people in the world to find the solution. For example, you talk to the Colonel to get sandbags for the beach and find ways to get "sun" and an umbrella.
Unlike in Fright of the Bumblebees, you get to interact with the many secondary characters quite a bit more. Wallace & Gromit open up their indoor resort to the public and have to sort out problems between the guests to ensure that they don't ask for refunds. (Doesn't it seem that Wallace is always tight on money?) Along the way you learn more about Wallace's neighbors and the friendly shopkeepers - each of which has their own particular view of the world. Of course, a mystery unfolds as someone gets clocked on the head and Wallace and his trusty dog Gromit are on the case!
Article comments