The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
Title: The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
Developer: KING Art
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Website: https://www.thqnordic.com/games/book-unwritten-tales-2-0
Genre: Adventure, Classic point-and-click
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Audience: 12+
Release Date: 05/02/2019
Price: £26.99 – Rapid Reviews UK was very kindly provided with a review code for this title.
Introduction
Once upon a time, in a realm of Elves, Dragons and hippogriffs, there were four very unusual heroes. Welcome to a very different kind of fantasy and prepare for sniggering at witty banter and a vast amount of references galore in this whimsical adventure.I am a great lover of Point and Click adventure games, delving deep into the environment and checking every object over like I have a terrible case of OCD. But is this just for the hardcore adventure gamer or could this be a game to make a novice into a fan of this age-old classic genre.
Looks and Sounds
If you are an old school point and click admirer, you are going to be used to the static backgrounds that stay stationary as you move around, these environments are rendered beautifully and look so natural in this fictional world, giving a crisp and colourful setting for the fable. The unique cast of characters are rendered entirely in 3D, and all look very intriguing yet still have this cartoonish charm to keep the comic fantasy of the world you are in. However, animation of the many cast and characters can sometimes feel dated as usual loops of animation are used for talking and walking.
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is hugely dialogue heavy whether it’s conversing with the many NPCs or a general description of an item or person. This is prominent throughout by the many voice actors, giving every character a unique and unusual quirk, these expressive dialogues give life to every one of these bizarre individuals.
Music on the backdrop is fitting for this fairy tale adventure, but I did find it somewhat loud in parts and could hardly hear the dialogue, it felt as if it was raised and lowered at times. Luckily, you can alter the settings, and I would recommend reducing music to around 60%.
Gameplay and Replayability
BOUT2 plays like your traditional Point and Click game, it is full to the brim with funny and exciting dialogue, and the story compels you to keep going. Solving puzzles can sometimes be disheartening at points, where it can seem like you have done everything possible, but don’t give up, like all point and click games, there is a solution, and it’s usually something so simple.
More frustrating than the puzzles was perhaps the character movement with the left joystick and trying to click on the correct items that you want to interact with, however using X will highlight all interactive objects, and you can then select what you wish to interact with more easily. I thought that touchscreen would be perfect with this game (if you have played Thimbleweed Park, you will understand) but you can only use the Joy-cons or Switch Pro controller.
Conclusion
I loved the enchanting world of Aventasia and exploring every nook and cranny, the fun of spotting many references to other video games and literature like Cloud Strife’s sword from Final Fantasy VII or the explanation of a mandrake from the world of Harry Potter. Like all Point and Click adventure games, it is very story driven, and you must check absolutely everything or find yourself running around in circles to no end. This is going to be of great frustration to many novice players of this field.
This game is dialogue heavy, and I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the more humorous moments. However, during the game, there was so much talk of the first adventure and a “War”. I have never played the first game, so when there are these moments when they jump into talking about events from the past game, I felt as if I was missing out, that I didn’t fully understand their situations. The first game is possible to purchase off steam, but there are no console ports, and I do not know if there ever will be.
All in all, it feels that this game, although enjoyable and the story quirky, is there for the fans of the first instalment. It looks fantastic and is fun for enthusiasts of the genre, but will no doubt become deeply frustrating for novices or younger players.
Rapid Reviews UK Rating
You can purchase The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 on the Nintendo eShop at the following link, https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/The-Book-of-Unwritten-Tales-2-1506017.html
Hell Warders
