Point-and-click adventure games are a dying breed. Today’s gamers just aren’t the kind of people who can sit around and solve puzzles, they’re the kind of people who suck down Red Bull like it’s water, eat pizza pockets like they’re Fillet Minion, and play World of Warcraft until their colons explode.
But despite the overwhelming lack of mainstream appeal, classic point-and-click adventure games are still being made and with the quality of recent titles like The Secrets of Da Vinci, they may be ready for a comeback.
Taking place in historic France, The Secrets of Da Vinci has you take the role of Valdo, an inquisitive young man who’s hot on the trail of Da Vinci’s last hidden manuscript. Your employer, a mysterious man with an obsessive interest in Da Vinci, has informed you that the lost manuscript is hidden at Da Vinci’s Chateau in France.
Following his death, three years prior, ownership of the chateau transferred to Babou, an alluring French aristocrat. Luckily for Valdo, Babou has quite the interest in Da Vinci herself and can aid you in your quest. Plus, she’s attractive and a personal friend of François I, the King of France.
As the story progresses, you’ll meet several intriguing characters who can help or hinder you in your quest. Plot points lurk around every action you take so you’ll never find yourself bored. Even when things appear to be getting boring, there will always be a twist to turn it around.
Puzzles are your usual adventure fair. Fetch quests and combination puzzles make up the bulk of game play. Occasion you’re treated to a few stranger ones, including the dreaded tile sliding picture puzzle.
On the difficulty scale, most puzzles fall in the middle. They aren’t too hard for a novice to complete, but there’s just enough challenge that a veteran won’t quickly become board.
Chemistry is a strong element in The Secrets of Da Vinci with many puzzles requiring you mix certain ingredients to form the missing chemicals you need. Mixtures run the gamet from gunpowder to perfume and with the formula’s often being provided by none other then the great Leonardo Da Vinci himself.
Article comments