Zelenhgorm Episode One Review

|Tap-Repeatedly|FFC Archives

           

Zelenhgorm: The Land of the Blue MoonEpisode One: The Great Ship

Review by Skinny MinnieSeptember 2002

As I gaze into my ageless crystal ball, I see that a certain first-person adventure gaming coziness will flow over you very soon. Moloto calls it Zelenhgorm: The Land of the Blue Moon.  I call it Everybody’s After Me in FMV!

Yes, there’s nothing quite like exploring the languid, comely old fishing village of Senava while simultaneously being reviled, hated and hunted down by most of its live-actor population. It all begins innocently enough. You lounge away the morning in bed.  You dawdle over tea. You take a congenial stroll out to your sunlit garden, where you are immediately attacked by an angry mob before your tea bag can even slip out of your left hand and plop onto the dirt road. Suddenly, everything from Uncle Johnny’s toothache to the mysterious appearance of a gargantuan, abandoned ship that ran aground in your front yard is the fault of your evil left-handedness, which will cause the utter demise of civilization unless you are executed ASAP. “Wah! That big, evil ship wrecked our fishing nets on its way to shore and now we have no livelihood!”  cry the fishermen. “The only thing we can do in the water now is drown you in it!”

Well, so much for that pastry brunch! While avoiding death and dismemberment and simultaneously begging, borrowing or stealing everything that’s not nailed down, you as Arrikk Vaheirr of the people of Deyrec will begin to discover why everyone begrudges you every atom of oxygen you inhale. You will also slowly absorb the history of your family’s veiled past while attempting to discern why the heck that humongous vessel has completely destroyed the glorious hedges you spent all of last spring cultivating.

You can save anywhere in Zelenhgorm, which I found comforting considering that ten minutes into the game I had already drowned, been imprisoned in shackles overnight, and had guards sent out to attack me so many times that I could draw a halberd blindfolded.  However, upon reevaluating my willingness to actually finish the game, I began anew on a meeker path. You may actually play this inventory-based puzzle game sans violence altogether, should the thought of constant sparring make you quiver. A steady flow of contraband items provide the ingredients for stealthy break-ins and personal camouflage, while timed diving expeditions will yield you increasing amounts of oyster pearls (Senava’s currency) to buy other things you deem necessary, if you do not drown in the process.

All conversations you have are with live actors filmed in full-motion video. Their comments to you are reiterated in bold text below the three-quarter-sized gameplay screen, and your replies are offered below-screen as well, usually relegated to several brief choices. Hey, you aren’t exactly Mr. Popularity in town, and unless you’re hankering for a fight and a subsequent execution, keep your indignant little comments to yourself!

The different actors’ vocalizations are an odd hodgepodge of American, English, and Gaelic accents, but none are overdubbed.  Most of the acting is good, especially in Arrikk’s grandmother’s case, but occasionally some characters are overtheatrical or wear too much makeup. Unfortunately, the blandest character appears to be Arrikk himself, whose British voiceover sounds quite young compared to his adult appearance and who usually shows very little emotion besides weak surprise. This contrasts unfavorably with the options there are for combat and for playing the role with a more aggressive conversational attitude. Cutscenes are extremely short and mostly relegated to merely watching Arrikk traipse from one forested area to another or viewing his dreams and visions of the past and future as he sleeps. While the dream sequences are enlightening and tantalizing for plot curves that are yet to come, very little is actually seen in the way of acting by Arrikk himself. He is a handsome devil in his own way, though!

The mouse-controlled interface incorporates fluid and gentle 360-degree panning, which can also be moved quite smoothly from floor to ceiling. For the most part, in a unique touch, Zelenhgorm’s cursor only appears onscreen if an area can be traversed or an item or person interacted with. (You will come across a scant few areas where items require manipulation but the cursor never appears, though.) The left mouse button initiates walking when following the triangle cursor. If an item can be picked up, the cursor becomes a circle, and left-clicking adds the item to the ever-increasing inventory. The inventory bar itself only appears when called up with the right mouse button, and items delicately roll across the screen for perusal when the mouse is hovered over the right or left edge of the inventory bar. Clicking on an item in the bar brings it up for full screen viewing, and other items can be dragged from the bar and combined with the featured item even well before needed without repercussion. (Yes, this is how I make my way through all games—half idle experimentation and half accidental incidents.)

Ambient sounds are sparse but of good quality; gulls cry at the shoreline, bugs buzz in the brush, wolves howl in the night, and your heartbeat pounds louder and louder at every brush with death.  Otherwise, orchestrated music is sparse, drums and wind instruments mostly only cuing your capture by guards or your untimely demise!

The filmed actors, who often sport odd knitted caps with antenna-like tubes on them, are superimposed upon the three-dimensionally rendered backgrounds. Fantasy garb in the town of Senava consistently harkens one back to nondescript times of old; simplified clothing appears hand-sewn, leather and ropes are hand-hewn, and browns, beiges and berry-dyed blues are the primary colors. Weathered wood makes up the bulk of the housing material; simple metal tools are roughly forged. Stones and statues appear hand-carved; worn, leather-bound books are hand-drawn. Mountainous landscapes are bright and crisp; water ripples in the seas and the sun’s rays blaze across azure skies.

The more intricate carvings and books are indicated through the course of the storyline to be otherworldly, although no opportunity is presented to decipher these symbols or writings in The Great Ship, which is Zelenhgorm’s premier episode. (Episode two, The Voice of Water, and episode three, The Dark Below, are planned for release sometime in the future.) For this reason there is quite an unfinished feeling to the game.

Mysterious crystals and spheres are also found both in outdoor locales and on the ship itself, which is so massive that it is quite impossible to do it justice via either screenshot or description!  The 360-degree panning feature, besides presenting clues and puzzle elements both high and low throughout the game, accentuates the feeling of awe when craning upward to see the giant, fanning masts of the weather-beaten, wooden vessel run aground. It takes multiple clicks of the mouse even to walk from bow to stern, never mind all of the panning to get a full view at each stop. There is much to note and wonder at both inside and out, between the puzzles available and the lovely, age-old painted motif. Feelings of both spiritual peace and emotional upheaval do pervade this mysterious ship, which resembles little of the Nordic Viking lore you may have come to expect from Swedes. Inside the ship are elegant, spherical accouterments with attractive, fanciful detailing that contrast in their complexity with everything the Deyrec people have produced for themselves. Even the Great Ship’s carpeting and furniture speaks of a level of development not appearing possible to native Senava. The worst part of the ship itself in episode one is that multiple doors cannot be unlocked; much of its exploration appears destined for later episodes.

The fact that this game can be played by following the character path of either a thrill seeker or a meeker gamer is indicative of the time and consideration spent on a well-rounded offering.  However, the ending of this game feels like waiting for the other shoe to drop, and quite shortly after pulling the shoes out of the closet at that! I don’t think it took me more than ten hours total to finish this game, even with head-scratching puzzles here and there. I did collect more inventory items than my local Home Depot hardware center could ever dream of storing, and a good portion of these were left unused by game’s end, which really left me hanging. I do realize that two more episodes are planned, but paying the rumored $39 retail price per episode is a bit steep even for the three-CD package of The Great Ship, considering the reality of its short length. Perhaps once developer Moloto cements a publisher and a website shop, they might offer the package in a series of downloads at a reduced price to the broadband-enabled.

Zelenhgorm: The Land of the Blue Moon’s premier episode runs flawlessly under WinXP, and its grounded and logical puzzles meld with the fine acting and seamless suspension of reality to offer an elegant full-motion video adventure game with an ancient folktale feel. I do await the second installment, not only to confront the many questions left unanswered, but also for the chance to make my fondest Zelenhgorm wish come true: I want to steer the ship! I want to steer the ship! C’mon, Granny, we’re out of here! After all, I’m a left-hander too, you know … The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Moloto Publisher: TBD Release Date: TBD

Available for: Windows

Four Fat Chicks Links

Player FeedbackInterview with Michi Lantz

Screenshots

Click to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlarge

System Requirements

PII 266 MHz 64 MB RAM DirectX 7.0 compatible, 8 MB 3D video card DirectX 7.0 compatible sound card 16X CDROM 650 MB free hard drive space Windows 95/98 (Ran fine without the compatibility wizard in WinXP)

Where to Find It

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

Pages

Top

Category Archives

Top

Blog Posts

Top

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.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.