Point and… click

Point and click games are so yesterday. Nonetheless, they were really fun back in the days and I would lie to you, my dear audience, to say I don't miss them one bit. The instinctive challenges of situational puzzles fulfilled my needs in slow paced gaming. That's why when I had the occasion to review a newly released click and play video game for PC, I waved my hand with frantic devotion and yelled: "ME, ME COACH, PUT ME IN, I'M READY, I WANT TO PLAY." That's how I came around to review City Interactive's Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny. I should have thought twice before accepting this assignment with such eagerness.

You've got to be joking…

The first thing you have to know about Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny is that it is the third installment in the franchise. The game's subtitle is a subtle clue. The first game of the series has a subtitle too so there was no way to know. The game does a good job of reminding you that you should play the two first games before. The plot is simple enough. FBI Agent extraordinaire Nicole Bonnet has her vacation interrupted by a mysterious parcel containing a press clipping, a rusty bolt and a bulb. That's enough get her into her Hardy-Boys-Investigation-Mode, so off she goes on the trail of "The Card Man".

That is where things get complicated with the plot. Before "The Card Man" (dramatic chord) gets to kill anyone in the game, he dispatches Nicole into an abandoned cinema to make her watch a movie worthy of David Lynch repertoire. After a little reading on the internet, I have learned that those are images of the first two titles and the games are linked together. That's not the only problem for first time gamers. There is a lot of innuendo in between characters, like your partner leaving because of "what happened in Marseilles", which I had to go read up too.

The artistic debacle doesn't end up there. The voice acting is some of the most terrible work I have seen in years. Nicole Bonnet always sounds like she is tired to be there or as if the player is stupid for making such a decision. She always talks in the same tone, which gets annoying as hell after a few hours into the game. The supporting cast is also very weak except maybe for the FBI Director and her secretary Ruth that form an odd dysfunctional couple. Very close to Nicole for the lemon-award-for-character is perverted Asian lab scientist named Wang (yeah I know) Taylor. Nicole and Wang have awkward discussions about creating a common gene pool that will make you uneasy.

Not all that bad…

Let's stop about the negativity here though. I have emptied my bag. I will be honest and tell you that Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny is not a disaster. I have only good things to say about the functional aspect of the game. It is a very challenging blend of Point and Click gaming, so first timers for the genre beware. Cards of Destiny requires a lot of thinking outside the box and might be suited for veterans of the slow paced clicking games. The challenges are hard but rewarding. There is no level that won't require you to do a thorough exploration and a crafty puzzle to be able to progress. In that regards, the City Interactive title is a return to the roots of Point and Click, one of the hardcore examples of the genre. You will hop from screen to screen, you will be frustrated, you will forget things, but you will get just angry enough to persevere and go through every level. The balance between puzzling, dialogue and movie sequence is also very good. It creates a sense of pace in the game.

As for the graphics, not surprisingly, they look dated. It is a low budget game with no pretensions of re-inventing the wheel. I was OK with those graphics. There is a round, cartoonish aspect to them, but they are tight and clipping issues are extremely rare. One down note though: it is dark. I know the game is a mystery and it's supposed to be dark all over the place, but it is game-hindering sometimes. I went in my settings and cranked the Gamma up in order to be able to see what I was doing. It's no fun to bump into objects you don't see.

Ben, should I buy this game?

If you are aching for vintage Point and Click gaming, you might enjoy Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny. I can also tell you that you WILL enjoy playing Grim Fandango or Phantasmagoria for the twenty-third time. Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny offers a good gameplay challenge. Hard but rewarding puzzles will always find an audience.

The game loses some points in the narrative department though. Let's face it. The Point and Click genre is story oriented and needs good characters and good dialogue to look alive (tell that to Tim Schaefer). These are two crucial points that Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny fails to deliver at. It is hard for me to recommend this game to anyone at a full price. Boredom, long summer evenings and a discount bin might be more appropriated for what Art of Murder: Cards of Destiny has to offer.