Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure Review

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Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure

Review by MrLipidDecember 2006

Once upon a Time

The original 1996 Safecracker was a puzzle game with an adventure veneer. The player, in the role of a security expert applying for a job with Crabb & Sons Safe Company, had to audition by cracking every safe in the company’s headquarters within 12 hours. As a witty final touch, when the player got to the end, the game provided a printable version of that employment contract. (There was also a video walkthrough of the developer’s offices revealing that creating digital entertainment takes place in a glamour-free zone.)

While I am as fond of the original Safecracker as I am of other puzzle/adventures, such as Jewels of the Oracle, Gems of Darkness, Karma: Curse of the Twelve Caves, and Cassandra Galleries, I’ll be the first to acknowledge its shortcomings.  The 12-hour time limit stymied some players, and in-game glitches stalled others. As MW’s review points out, turning away from a safe without removing everything in it meant losing whatever was left in the safe. And as PCs grew faster, the inventory system scrolled too quickly to allow players to select needed items.

Though time has not been kind to the technology of the original, the premise—Safes in a Place—remains as engaging as ever.  And Kheops Studio has done a terrific job of developing intriguing challenges with which to fill that house. (I’m going to attempt to save time and avoid confusion by referring to Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure as Safecracker 2006. I like that better than referring to is as STUPA.)

Our Story Begins

The justification for cracking safes in Safecracker 2006 is a study in minimalism. Duncan W. Adams, a fabulously wealthy old coot who designed, restored, and collected safes as a hobby, has died. Since no will has been found, the family assumes it must be somewhere in one of his many safes. Good assumption. You, as the safecracker, must follow the trail of clues left in the old man’s safes to find the will. All of this is conveyed in the voiceover that kicks off the game. Oddly enough, the game never states its title. There is a title sequence, but the title, Safecracker, never appears.

Once the title voiceover ends, it’s time to start opening safes.  No pressure, though, because there is no time limit in Safecracker 2006. The game does keep track of how long a player takes to get to the end, but there is no penalty for taking as long as one pleases.

After cracking the first safe, the player will discover there are now three safes, which can be cracked in any order. Crack one of the three and others become available. Eventually, all safes will need to be opened to complete the game. (There may be one or two that could be skipped, but where’s the fun in that?)

Once a safe is open, it remains open. It is possible to leave items in the safe that contained them and return for them later. The inventory system is a clean series of images along the bottom of the screen that indicates when a clue has been used with a red X. If a key or other mechanical item is used, it disappears from the inventory.

The mansion is rendered in the lush 360-degree panning style that has become one of the house characteristics of Kheops Studio. If you’ve played Return to Mysterious Island or The Secrets of Da Vinci: The Forbidden Manuscript, you’ll know what to expect in terms of visuals and game play mechanics from Safecracker 2006.

Since I cannot imagine myself opening safes by the dawn’s early light, I have chosen to believe that the gentle beams coming into the mansion are from a pink sunset. And the objects upon which those beams fall are given a believable heft and solidity by the outstanding sound design. The safe in the loft may be just a pile of pixels, but when its massive door swings open, I’m convinced its hinges need oiling.

Something Old, Something New, Something Baffling

The measure of a puzzle game is not, of course, how pretty it looks or how convincing it sounds. The measure is how well it plays. I am happy to report that Safecracker 2006 plays beautifully.  There are some familiar puzzles, some unfamiliar puzzles, and some very clever twists on the whole idea of what constitutes a puzzle.

Among the familiar puzzles, players will find a slider, a variant of Sudoku, a magic square, a warehouse puzzle, and a parking lot puzzle. The unfamiliar puzzles include a combination based on light frequency, an interior decorating puzzle, and a puzzle based on repeatedly being in the right place at the right time. And then there are the puzzles that require players to refrain from punching keys and twiddling knobs long enough to really see and study what is before them. These puzzles are among the most compelling in Safecracker 2006 because, other than endless random fiddling, they can only be solved by scrutiny.

As one moves from room to room, picking up clues, keys, and combinations, one will also find notes and diary entries that provide modest insights into the sort of family the billionaire left behind. This information will prove useful once the final safe is opened.

A Minor Quibble

The only design choice I have a quibble with is the use of a voiceover narrator as a form of in-game hint system. When a puzzle appears, a male English voice, purportedly the voice of the safecracker, muses about how the puzzle might work. Unlike the subtitles, which can be turned on or off, the voice cannot be silenced without silencing all music and sound effects in the game. And, to quote the off-screen narrator, “That’s a bit much.”

Those familiar with the original Safecracker will remember that it provided more than an in-game hint system: it provided pretty much everything a player needed to solve the puzzles. Those looking for that kind of support in Safecracker 2006 will be disappointed.  While the unseen narrator will identify several of the puzzles by type, there is no further information available in the game on how that type of puzzle works.

Yes, I Liked It

I’m awarding Safecracker 2006 a Mega Supreme for its elegant and witty revival of a great puzzle game premise. I’ll be first in line for the next edition, and the next, and the next …

Technical Stuff

Safecracker 2006 comes on one CD and installs completely to the hard drive. This CD does not need to be in the drive in order for the game to play. Hooray!

Hardware Note

More than a few people have bought Safecracker 2006 and discovered that it would not run on their shiny new systems. This appears to be due to cost control on the part of system builders who offer great deals on boxes that use motherboard-based integrated graphics. Safecracker 2006, along with many other games, requires an honest-to-goodness freestanding 64 MB VRAM video card in order to run. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Kheops Studio Publisher: The Adventure Company Release Date: August 2, 2006

Available for: Windows

Four Fat Chicks Links

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP Pentium III/Athlon 800 MHz 64 MB RAM DirectX® 9.0c compatible sound card 16x CD-ROM drive 700 MB free hard disk space DirectX® 9.0c (included) 64 MB DirectX® 9.0c compatible graphics card

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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