Pandora Directive
Game Review, 1996
Pandora Directive
from Access Software Incorporated http://www.accesssoftware.com/System Requirements: 486/66, 8 MB RAM, 9 MB HD space, 2x CD-Rom, SVGA (VESA compat.), sound card, mouse
Rating: Graphics: 93 Sound: 92 Interface: 90 Fun Factor: 94 Overall: 92
This game truly deserves the description "interactive movie." I was immediately sucked in by the live-action movie sequence that introduces the story. Tex Murphy, private detective in the classic gumshoe style, is dealing with a girlfriend, a new client, a missing person, late back rent, and a mean landlord all at once. Wow! Just like my life (except for the girlfriend, new client and missing person)!
I slipped right into the Tex persona, taking the new job from Mr. Fitzpatrick and wondering whether things would work out with Tex's girlfriend Chelsea. After exploring his (my) office and familiarizing myself with the movement controls (very intuitive, and with good help instructions when I got stuck), I ventured downstairs and immediately got into an argument with my landlord, Nilo. Nilo wanted the money I owed for rent, and for once I had it -- a whopping $4,000 check from my new client. But then I had to decide -- pay Nilo now and maybe get some information from him about the missing guy, or blow him off and go ask questions around the rest of the neighborhood?
Nobody likes paying the rent, so I just left. Out on Chandler avenue, the night was cool, with a little wind blowing and the glowing lights of San Francisco's skyline on the horizon around me. In interactive mode I can click on the various buildings and sights around to get information about each shop and object along the street. And guess what? There is Chelsea, across the street working at her newsstand. Should I go over and talk to her? Try to get her to go out with me? She mentioned that she's thinking of moving to Arizona. Should I try to persuade her that it's worth staying? Sure, why not!
I go into movement mode and, controlling my direction and speed with my mouse, I saunter over to Chelsea and she looks up, smiling. The interaction with characters is very realistic, the conversations engaging and fun to participate in. After beating around the bush for a moment, I finally decide to ask her out. She looks surprised. I assure her it's just a friendly dinner between friends, and she looks mischievous. She invites me to dinner at her house, and instructs me to bring two bottles of wine -- one red, one white. I walk away with a grin. Things are looking up!
But as I ask around for information about the missing man, Thomas Malloy, I'm drawing blanks until I show local shop owners the photo I have of him. I find out he was staying in town under the name of Tyson Matthews, and he was seen with a dancer from the Fuschia Flamingo, the local hot spot. But I can't get into the Flamingo - I'm not a member of the club. At last I wander back to the Ritz, bite the bullet, and pay my rent. Nilo is amazingly full of information. Of all things - Malloy was staying at my hotel! After some wrangling, I get the apartment number and entry code from Nilo and go up to visit the place.
But just when I think the case is really getting hot, I get knocked out cold. Apparently, someone had broken into the apartment before me, and they knocked me out to make their escape. By the time I wake up, it's the next day, and I've missed my date with Chelsea. Damn! From there, things just get more and more interesting. A villain called the Black Arrow Killer seems to be stalking the girl at the Fuschia Flamingo, and there are tantalizing clues about Malloy's disappearance that point to aliens and a giant government coverup that has lasted over 90 years. I won't tell you anymore about the story - wouldn't want to ruin the plot!
However, I can't end this article without mentioning a few tips and observations about the game itself. Not being a particularly sophisticated game player myself, I tend to ignore "extra" features like the Hints and the Travel area.
However, the Travel part of the interface is vital to the game, and the sooner you discover it, the sooner you'll make giant leaps in solving the case. Often, as soon as you learn of the existence of a place, you can travel to it. No airplane, cars, or anything necessary. Just click the Travel button and choose the place on the map you want to go. It even displays which locations are on the current CD, to minimize CD switching during game play.
The Hints are very useful for when you want to stop beating your brain against a wall and trying to figure out what to look into next. If you actively use the hints, they take away from your overall score, but that's the beauty of the game - you can play for entertainment, or to get the highest score possible and figure it all out for yourself. Personally, I used just enough hints to get me past the tough spots and did as much detective work on my own that I could.
The heart and soul of this game is *choices*. You can wander for hours, digging around in the dumpsters in alleys, exploring the sewers for clues, interviewing the inhabitants of Chandler Avenue to your heart's content. You choose your gameplay difficulty, you choose what to do next, you choose whether Tex becomes a hard-boiled cynic, or whether he finds true love. The replay factor on this game is quite high - the storyline follows three different major routes leading to seven totally different endings! I had to stop at some point to get this article written, but I assure you, I've only *begun* to play. In fact, the only reason I didn't give this game an overall score of 99 is because I have such a limited number of games that I've played to compare it to that I tend to be conservative in my estimation.
But by now it should be obvious, The Pandora Directive is definitely two thumbs up!