Flight of the Amazon Queen Review

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Flight of the Amazon Queen

Review by Jen

This is a story of trials and tribulations, both for me and the game character. I had been looking for a copy of this game for quite some time and finally managed to get my hands on one. Full of excitement, I put it in my CD drive and tried launching it through a Windows 98 DOS box, only to get an error message saying that I had insufficient conventional memory (the game needs 582K).  So I rebooted to my DOS 6.22 partition with 615K conventional memory available and tried it again. A nice little intro sequence played, soundlessly, and then the game crashed. Hard. I got to see a picture of two people, a man and a woman, tied to poles, the man blinking every once in a while. Control-Alt-Delete? No.  I had to turn off my machine. I came to find out that the game is very sensitive to the type of sound card being used, and the point where the game was crashing was where speech occurred for the first time. The sound card choices given by the game were Roland, Ad Lib, Soundblaster, and “none.” I have a Soundblaster Awe 64 and so fiddled around with the software for that a bit and finally got the game to run, with much cursing and muttering in the process. However, there were two places to choose a sound card, one for music and one for sound effects. I never did get the sound effects to work, which includes the voice acting, but I played on anyway because the speech was printed on the screen.  On top of all this, my CD drive broke right as I neared the end of the game, so I had to wait a week for my new one to arrive before I could finish it (violins play a heart-wrenching melody—can you hear it? Does your heart not bleed for me?).

Anyway, the story takes place in the forties or early fifties—it’s a spoof of the cliff-hanger movies of that time. You play as Joe King, pilot for hire, who has been hired to fly Faye Russell, movie star, from Rio de Janeiro into the Amazon Jungle for a movie shoot. First you have to beat out another pilot, Anderson, who is handsomer and smarter and everything-er than you (and has a better plane), and then you finally get airborne only to crash your plane in the middle of the Amazon. From there, you escape one plight after another, meeting tall pygmies, Amazon princesses, lederhosen manufacturers, mummies, monkeys, and finally dinosaurs.  Your ultimate goal is to foil the evil Dr. Ironstein’s plot to take over the world by turning kidnaped Amazons into dinosaur warriors, at the same time rescuing yourself and your companions.  The plot is very true to the cliff-hanger style and has lots of twists and turns; also, the comedy is on a par with the Monkey Island games.

The graphics are also on a par with the LucasArts games of the same period. In fact, this whole game could have been released by LucasArts. The style of play is the same, jokes, graphics, everything is very similar. There are about ten main locales in the game, each of which takes up at least two or three screens, and they are all very nicely drawn. The characters look good, and there is a fair amount of movement in the backgrounds. The scenes also contain some red herrings, too, so the game is not quite as simple as one might think. There were a couple of conversations, though, where just a close-up of the speaking character was shown, with only the lips moving. I have never liked this and still don’t, but I can only think of three times that this happened and so it was not a major distraction.

As for the game, you talk to people to learn what tasks you are to complete and then use inventory items creatively to progress.  The tasks are all nested—you have to complete one to get another one to get another one, etc., and then you’re done. That was so the maximum use could be made of cliff-hangers, I guess, but I like that style of play. When your cursor moves over an item that is worth looking at, a description of the item shows on the screen and an action is suggested. Several action icons are located on the bottom left of the screen, so you click an action icon and then the item you wish to perform the action on.  Your inventory is on the bottom right, so you can use the actions on those items in addition to the items on the screen; there are several places where you have to combine inventory items and then use them on something on the screen. To walk around, you just click where you want to go, and your character automatically walks there. The interface is easy to use and did not get in the way of the game, and the gameplay itself made for a fun experience.

I can’t write about the voice acting or sound effects for the reasons I described above, but the music was just adequate. I got tired of it every once in a while and had to turn my speakers down all the way, but then it seemed too quiet, so I turned them back up. Also, the technology used was not current enough to sound very good on my computer—the music had that kind of PC-speaker tinniness, although that is a gross exaggeration. What I mean to say is that the music sounded electronically produced on electronic instruments to be played back electronically. The tunes were okay, though—they were well-suited to the style of the game, and the loops did not repeat every 10 seconds.

Overall, I would recommend this game but with reservations related to technology. I think that there are a lot of younger computer users out there who have never had to deal with DOS issues, and unless you are comfortable with older technology or really like to fiddle with drivers and configurations and what not, you should probably avoid this game. I think it would be difficult, if not impossible, to actually get it to run under Windows 95 or 98, in either a DOS box or with a DOS reboot, but don’t take my word as gospel. If you think you can get it to run, I would recommend it most heartily. Even without the sound effects and voices, I enjoyed Flight of the Amazon Queen a lot. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Interactive Binary Illusions Publisher: WarnerActive Release Date: 1995

Available for: Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

386/DOS 4.0 or higher 582K conventional memory 1X CD-ROM drive

Where to Find It

Check the Game TZ

      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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