Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb Review

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Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb(released in Europe as Cleopatra: A Queen’s Destiny in November 2007)

Review by Old RoosterApril 2008

“Welcome to Alexandria; My Palace Is at Your Disposal” —Cleopatra

Kheops Studios is one of my favorite development houses. Several of its recent games have found a place on my “keeper” list, including Secrets of Da Vinci, Destination Treasure Island, and Return to Mysterious Island. Unfortunately, this latest release, although a decent effort, doesn’t quite make it to this special section of my game shelves.

Cleopatra, in one of her brief appearances in the game, welcomes us to a time of civil strife in the ancient kingdom. In this climate of terror, you play as Thomas, a young apprentice to Akkad, Cleopatra’s astrologer. The Queen is after special tablets and has promised you that your help will bring about the rescue of your master and his daughter, who have been kidnapped by Ptolemy.

These investigations will lead you to colorful and “historically accurate” locations, such as the Library of Alexandria, the Isle of Pharos, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

“My Horoscope Was Right; the Gods Are on My Side Today” —Thomas

The opening scenes and introduction of Riddles of the Tomb are vibrant and really quite stunning. With period-appropriate music, we are in the bedchambers of Her Majesty and guided to menu selections, including your astrological sign. With a first-person perspective, one can’t help but be initially very impressed. The approach, as well as the setting, is very different than what we usually find. Picking your avatar and astrological sign leads one to think there might be multiple paths, even endings, in the game. It’s commented that your sign “influences events in the game.”

This turns out to be rather exaggerated. With more than one playthrough, it would seem there are two—and only two—paths that might develop. In the game, these are referred to as “Good Day” and “Bad Day.” Basically, puzzles are easy or hard, uncomplicated or quite involved.

Movement is impressive, with full 360-degree rotation possible. Graphics continue to be clear, detailed, colorful. The occasional, well-done cutscene provides a break from puzzle-solving. The puzzles seem appropriate to the context, involving such tasks as reading papyrus scrolls, naming constellations, making figurines from a mold, cooking up a solvent, preparing a sleeping powder. Of course, we also experience opening tricky locks and deciphering codes. All in all, they are straightforward, rarely requiring a walkthrough or other outside advice.

Let’s say a word about the Good Day/Bad Day variation in Riddle. Simply put, picking the “wrong” sign and experiencing a “bad day” typically presents a bit more in the way of a hurdle. An arrow you need may be intact or broken and in need of repair before use. A drain may need unblocking. The papyrus you need to pick up may be close to shore or quite a distance away. The wheel required for your chariot may be intact or bent. You get the idea. Minor extra steps or actions may be needed.

Technically, Riddle installed and ran flawlessly on my Vista system. Inventory management is worthy of a comment. The item descriptions and combining of object with object are more stylistically done than I’ve ever seen, sometimes making me think the game was designed for a young audience, although it does have a Teen rating. Further, you’ll have a dialogue history, two-stage storage system, notebook, and instant-transport map of Alexandria.

“No One Gets Away with Insults to a Goddess!” —Cleopatra

In spite of the potential excitement of starting a game in the boudoir of one of history’s sexy ladies, one is left a bit flat as the experience ensues. Of course, we do play as a mere teenager, so I suppose Cleopatra wouldn’t be too interested.

Still, as I indicated above, Riddle is a nice little game (much less than 10 hours long) but not at a first-tier level. It’s too short, too easy, and too lifeless. Like Secrets of Da Vinci (a better game), it emphasizes puzzles over people contact. I only met three or four residents during the entire time.

So, then, we find Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb to be a game of mixed blessings and possible interest to adventure gamers. Its interface, setting, and graphics are nicely done, accompanied by sensible and contextual puzzles. Yet the rather dull story ends quickly without meeting any but a handful of characters. I suspect most, like me, may enjoy a playthrough of Riddle, but, as with me, the game won’t make it to your “keeper” shelf.

What I Liked Most About Cleopatra: Riddle of the Tomb

  • Vibrant graphics and cutscenes
  • Technically solid with a fine interface
  • Good ambient sounds
  • Sensible, contextual puzzles
  • Picking your horoscope sign seems interesting …

What I Didn’t Like

  • …. But it really doesn’t make that much difference
  • Too short—much less than 10 hours
  • Securom copy protection
  • Where are the people?
  • Weak voice acting
  • Dull story The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Kheops Studios Publisher: The Adventure Company Release Date: April 2008

Available for: Windows

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System Requirements

Windows 2000/ME/XP/Vista 800 MHz P3 128 MB RAM 1.8 GB free hard disk space 64 MB video card DVD-ROM drive

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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