Ben There, Dan That
Platform: PC
Developer: Size Five Games
Genre: Point-and-click adventure
What is it: Indie adventure game that bills itself as a tribute to games like Monkey Island and Sam & Max Hit the Road.
0:00 – Open the game then quit immediately. The option to turn on full screen mode isn’t in the game itself, it’s in the configuration program that Steam has to launch separately. Minor annoyance, but when I see the game in full screen mode I understand why. 640x480 stretched over a 1680x1050 monitor looks ugly as hell. Back to windowed mode!
0:01 – The menu and simple background music immediately remind me of a Newgrounds game. Not surprised, given the game’s freeware origins.
0:03 – “Two weeks ago in Peru…” I use a rocket on a zombie suspended from a cable by holding onto a duck, pick up a nearby lighter, and send the zombie flying across the canyon to be reanimated. Cue a James Bond credit sequence. I can’t quite tell if it’s charming or trying too hard to be unique. A bit of both perhaps.
0:06 – In the last minute the game has shown pictures of both Sam & Max and Day of the Tentacle, as well as referencing the Lucas Art’s glory days making adventure games. They weren’t really humorously woven in as much as thrown up there. Probably not a good idea to remind me of the all-time greats of the genre unless you’re reaaaaally confident in your game.
0:10 – If the point is to create a feeling of familiarity between the two main characters, mission accomplished. The banter between them gets the feeling of being humorous to them but not so much to the outside observer. A neat effect, but for a genre driven by humor and punchy writing it’s quite out of place. Not as out of place as the music, though. Horribly repetitive to the point of annoyance.
0:12 - As per usual, this being an adventure game, I have failed to hop onto the developers train of thought and am now looking at a walk through. Only 12 minutes in. Go me. I’ll bet I’m going to kick myself from how obvious the solution seems afterwards.
0:13 - *Kick*
0:16 – A quick teleportation, alien abduction, and dimensional portal later and I’m in a zombie apocalypse version of London. The banter is getting funnier but would be helped by voice acting. Also, the change in background music is greatly appreciated.
0:20 – A simple puzzle involving looking up bible verses and candles provides a welcome change of pace and I’m talking to a crazed priest in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Not much to be said for originality, but can’t complain about the execution.
0:26 – The key is hopping various dimensions to collect items to open doors to new dimensions to get more items to eventually open the one door that leads back home. All this while aliens are planning to nefariously do… something. It doesn’t make much sense, but hey, it’s an adventure game, so that’s par for the course.
0:30 – Hit the first bit to actually make me laugh out loud after meeting three jaded games journalists who quit to become evil scientists. Finally, the bizarre vibe of the game is starting to work in its favor.
0:35 – The alien plan has been revealed! They’re going to take over the world using… Bejeweled? Eh, not the worst plan I’ve heard.
0:38 – In a dimension where Britain is part of the United States. Usually stuff like this just ends in annoyance and bad attempts at humor, but there are some genuinely good jokes about both nations cultures. This game is starting to win me over.
0:45 – A bit of beer tampering and three passed out Brits get me a top hat. I swear it makes sense in context.
0:50 – So far this is an amusing, if unspectacular, adventure game. I’m off to the dimensional lift (exactly what it sounds like), so hopefully there will be something that stands out more through there.
0:51 – Game developer dinosaurs. Huh. At least with the dimensional travel context the weirdness seems less forced and more entertaining.
1:00 – Apparently the alien overlords are pleased with my progress and that people like Bejeweled. A convenient stopping point.
Conclusion: Ben There, Dan That is, so far, a solid adventure game. The production qualities are low with repetitive music and Newgrounds level graphics, but the writing is solid (and getting better) and nowhere near as frustratingly esoteric as most adventure games. For a game that costs a couple of bucks, you get more than your money’s worth.
Will I keep playing it: Yes, if nothing else to see what other bizarre dimensions the creators have thought up.
