Carmen Sandiego
Review
From master thief to master sleuth
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
Geography lessons
One of the first computer games I ever played was the original Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? on a school computer - one that had a monochrome green monitor. I enjoyed capturing all the VILE henchmen and working my way up the rankings until I finally captured the titular character. It was a game that taught me about geography, and was probably where my love of travelling began.
There have been several other games based on Carmen Sandiego since, but none of them were able to capture the same feel. So when it was announced that there would be a new game based on the Netflix series where Carmen Sandiego - the former master thief - uses her skills for good, I was intrigued. The series has Carmen Sandiego travelling the world foiling VILE's evil plans with help from her savvy sidekicks, and I wanted to see how this version of Carmen Sandiego would play.
The object of Carmen Sandiego is simple. A priceless artifact has been stolen by one of VILE's operatives and it is up to Carmen Sandiego to track the thief and apprehend them. Starting in the city of the theft, our heroine will visit various locations throughout the city to uncover clues to the thieves identity as well as clues to where they were heading. All this takes place while the clock is ticking. This is largely the same mechanic as the original game decades ago, but holds up well.
Where Next?
In each mission, players will usually have between five and seven days in which to track the thief and arrest them, and each location you investigate within the city will take time off the clock. Jet-setting from one city to the next will further reduce the time available - so it often pays to investigate for an extra hour so that you don't waste time flying off to the wrong destination.
Having said that, during my time with the review code, there were several occasions where limited information was given during my investigations. As a result, two of the three available destinations were applicable to the clues, and it was pure luck as to whether I chose the correct destination. And this was when I had investigated every location within the city and interrogated other witnesses. Most of the clues involve letters in airport codes, flag related questions and forms of government. I do prefer the original game where there were more clues on landmarks, history or currencies of the possible destinations.
Who's This?
Like the original game, as well as the clues on the thieves next destination, most missions will require you to identify them as well. There are lots of clues about the perpetrator such as hair and eye colour, favourite foods, hobbies and notable features. However, some of the witnesses you speak to can be trusted and the clues will need to be verified. Each clue that needs to be verified takes time, and the three hours or so that it takes to verify a clue can be the difference between capturing the thief or having them slip through your fingers.
Most of the above plays out in a similar way to the original Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. But this version has several mini-games and puzzles that add to the variety. Carmen Sandiego will use several of her skills from her previous life as a master thief to thwart VILE's evil plans. Players will need to crack safes, pickpocket VILE henchmen, hack circuits, pick locks and re-align radio waves to pick up coded messages. All the puzzles are relatively simple, which would be expected given the demographic.
Side missions
Completing one mission allows Carmen to move forward to the next - with one annoying caveat - if she hasn't levelled her skills enough, she is prevented from doing so. In order to level Carmen's skills, players are forced to enter the ACME Files Mode (or replay missions that you have already completed). Although it is fun to play these ACME File missions, they have virtually the same gameplay as the main campaign, albeit with less of the mini-games. The ACME Files mode has a nostalgic feel to it, as the pixelated visuals and streamlined gameplay are similar to the game I played as a youngster. Although the ACME Files missions are enjoyable, and help to gain further geographical facts that will help in the main game, they do detract from the flow of the main story.
Visually, the game features the cartoon styling of the Carmen Sandiego Netflix series. The settings are bright and colourful, with everything of interest being clearly labelled. Carmen Sandiego and the main characters have some clean animations, whilst the settings for each city look gorgeous. And when players head into the ACME Files mode, they'll be greeted with the nostalgic pixelated version of the game, which is reminiscent of the original. The soundtrack has changed from the 8-bit beeps and boops of the original, but I did find that it was quite repetitive. The characters too seemed to use the same phrases repeatedly in the review code we received.
Piece of Cake
Carmen Sandiego, like the character, has a bit of an identity crisis. The mini-games are very simple and the fact that the game is educational in nature, gives the indication that the game was designed for younger students. But then there are some cryptic clues, particularly those about the identity of the thieves that children will struggle to solve. But in all, the game does a reasonable job in its two main objectives - being entertaining and educational. In the review code, I did spend a lot of time visiting the same cities, so players will become quite familiar with the destinations throughout the course of the game. Of course, this kind of repetition is a valuable educational tool. The puzzles and mini games are fun (even if they're on the simple side), the visuals are bright and colourful and visiting the various cities of the world to track down the VILE henchmen is rewarding. And if you're like me and have kids of your own now, then Carmen Sandiego will bring back a touch of nostalgia, especially when you spot some of the Easter Eggs from the original.
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7.5
fun score
Pros
Fun educational game, Nostalgic experience
Cons
Visiting the same cities repeatedly
