Anacapri: The Dream
Preview
Enjoy some pretty pics of warm places? Capri, here I come!
by Marcus Mulkins
previewed on PC
Does too much eye candy rot your brain?
This game has been a long time in the making. A Quiet Weekend in Capri was developed in 2002 and released in 2003. S & G Software/Games has been posting screenshots of Anacapri since back in 2004. So, obviously, father and son have been pouring a good bit of effort into the project for quite awhile. But why has it taken so long? It certainly is much easier to work with photographs as your canvas than it is to work up computer graphics from scratch.
The answer is sheer mass. Working with over 8,000 photos, just working the storyboard that ties them all together in a logical web would take an enormous amount of time. Add in the “hot spot” mapping to make items clickable takes time too. Silvio and Gey have had their hands full, no doubt. And the fact that it’s just two guys – who aren’t even first and foremost computer programmers! – means that they have to learn the shortcuts and the tricks of the trade the hard way.
Unfortunately, the fact that it is, for all intents and purposes, two amateurs doing everything means that a lot of professional “polish” is missing. Just not having someone to do the tedious job of proofreading the text subtitles means that a substantial number of typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors have slipped through. (Remember that the Savareses hail from Italy, but are publishing in English. Silvio has considerable insight, I’m sure, since he’s going to school in California. Still, when English isn’t your first language, it usually shows.) The fact that there isn’t a lot of dynamic action in a plot that supposedly involves the fate of everyone that lives on the island is reflective of the underlying photograph-versus-programming format. The fact that you can’t have action weakens the sense of impending doom. The absence of background historical cutscenes limits the exposition of just why not finding and neutralizing the (ominous music) Dark Obsidian Disk would be such a terrible thing. There is no evidence about what terrible things have occurred in the past when the (ominous music) Dark Obsidian Disk made an appearance. Without those things, dire warnings about what will occur if the protagonist fails has about as much sincerity as “The bogeyman is going to get you!” if you don’t mind your parents. Having a bigger, more diverse staff would have enabled the developers to seriously flesh out a plot with real depth, and given the character more focus to drive his actions through the game. It would have provided a stronger identification with the character, making the player actually feel that there will be real consequences if he fails.
However, having a large staff would have created a large payroll that would have had to have been met, and that alone is reason enough for the casual, pet project approach. What we lose in the way of traditional adrenaline rush adventure is offset by many, many, many, MANY, MANY, MANY pictures of a truly magnificent visual panorama.
It’s almost like you had actually been there! Almost.
Anacapri – The Dream is scheduled to release on June 30, 2007 (or thereabouts, depending on who you talk to). It will be published by two online publishers: In North America, Got Game Entertainment will be selling the game for $19.99. Elsewhere in the world, the game will be published by Adventure’s Planet at the Adventure Game Shop for 24.90 euros. If someone can explain the curious price difference, let us know!
