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Road to India

Score: 80%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: Microids
Developer: Microids
Media: CD/1
Players: 1
Genre: Miscellaneous

Graphics & Sound:

For a long time, I have been a fan of the 3D adventure game. Not every game I play needs to be speeding by at a 100 miles an hour, even though that is a lot of fun too. I don't need to always shoot every monster in the castle either, but again, that does have its upside. Sometimes I just like to sit back and enjoy the sights in a beautifully designed graphic adventure. Years ago, Myst really set the bar for any comparisons in this genre, but let me tell you, Road to India: From Hell to Nirvana from Microids, is truly a beautiful game. India is a country that I hope to visit one day, so I was very interested in what new location would be around each corner. The locations for the game span New York City briefly to New Delhi India, and even the Taj Mahal!

The soundtrack for Road to India: From Hell to Nirvana is very effective for 3D adventures blending local Indian music, and other flavors of music from the region. An up-beat tempo during the action sequences really adds to the enjoyment and exitement.


Gameplay:

Road to India: From Hell to Nirvana , as I said before, is a beautiful graphic adventure that takes you to the exotic world of India. You play Fred Reynolds, our all American hero who has just been dumped by his girlfriend who has just told him to not try to find her. So, as any other all American male, what does he do? He goes after her! This brings Fred to New Delhi, India and to the gates of the Taj Mahal. He then sees his girlfriend being carried away by kidnappers. Here is where the game truly starts. Road to India: From Hell to Nirvana is full of thought provoking puzzles which begin with what seems to be a simple tile puzzle. The only problem is that one of the tiles is missing, and you must find this tile before you can move on in the game.

One of the most enjoyable things about Road to India is that it takes some honest detective work to figure out how to move on in the game. You must search for clues, and figure out how to use these clues before you can solve the bigger puzzles.

Unfortunately, due to the game progression being very linear, after you finish the game, it has almost no re-playability. You enjoy the game the first time and then you might want to find a friend who might enjoy it as well.


Difficulty:

Road to India has one difficulty setting. Challenging! To the gamer that loves graphic adventures and loves puzzle-solving, they will find the game mind-bending and thought provoking. To the gamer who likes various kinds of games and is not a real expert in any of them, like me, they just might get stuck in a few spots. Some of the puzzles require you to use some of the objects you have found during the game and if you haven't found the right object, you better go get it! Sometimes you have to use some objects in tandem with each other. Which ones? Buy Road to India: From Hell to Nirvana to find out!

Game Mechanics:

As with most 3D adventure games these days, you use the keyboard and mouse to navigate the streets of India. You will click on things to pick up and investigate, and use an inventory list to keep track of all the things you have found. The game is set up so that you maneuver by taking steps that change your perspective of your view. You do not fluidly flow through the environment, which seems to be standard in 3D adventures. This way, they can make the locations as detailed as possible.

In conclusion, I found Road to India: From Hell to Nirvana a nice challenge and a joy to play. To tell you the truth, I am still stuck on a puzzle late in the game. Can anybody help? Even though the re-playability is nil after you solve the game, taking the journey is well worth it!


-Wickserv, GameVortex Communications
AKA Eric Wickwire

Minimum System Requirements:



PII 266 or equivalent running Windows 95/98/ME, 64 MB Ram, Video Card 8 MB Ram Compatible with Direct X 8/Direct 3D, 400 MB Hard Drive Space, and PC Sound Card Compatible with DirectX 8, Keyboard, Mouse
 

Test System:



GX-450xl running Windows 98, 256 RAM, Creative Sound Blaster 64CPCI with Boston Acoustic Digital Media Theatre, STB Velocity 4400 with RIVA TNT chip, DirectX 7, 32 MB RAM, 6X24 DVD-ROM.

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