Note that in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I was a beta tester for the Linux version of Full Throttle Remastered.
Full Throttle was a point and click adventure game. It was tonally very different from other LucasArts adventures, as it was inspired by project leader Tim Schafer's love of heavy metal music.
It takes place in an unspecified time period where motorcycles are considered nearly obsolete as they are being replaced by hover vehicles. Ben Throttle is a leader of the Polecats, one of the biker gangs holding onto tradition. Malcolm Corley is the founder of Corley Motors, the last producer of motorbikes. When Corley is murdered, Ben is the prime suspect, so he has to investigate the case himself while avoiding authorities.
Full Throttle was a point and click adventure game. It was tonally very different from other LucasArts adventures, as it was inspired by project leader Tim Schafer's love of heavy metal music.
It takes place in an unspecified time period where motorcycles are considered nearly obsolete as they are being replaced by hover vehicles. Ben Throttle is a leader of the Polecats, one of the biker gangs holding onto tradition. Malcolm Corley is the founder of Corley Motors, the last producer of motorbikes. When Corley is murdered, Ben is the prime suspect, so he has to investigate the case himself while avoiding authorities.
The game design brings forth the verb coin opposed to the usual verb bar. This takes the form of a heavy metal-inspired interface which is displayed when the right mouse button is held down. There are eyes, a mouth, a hand, and a boot, which act as the verbs look, talk, use or take, and kick.
The story influences the art, as the obsoleteness is represented in the background art, which is full of rust, dirt, and grime. The characters also have a rough look to them as well, with thick linework and thick, black, undefined eyes. The voice actors also give a suitable amount of roughness to their performances, from the deep rich tones of Roy Conrad as Ben Throttle, to the smarmy deep register Mark Hamill channels for Adrian Ripburger, the old coot vibes of Hamilton Camp as Malcolm Corley, and the rough and tough voice performance of Kath Soucie as Maureen. The only other LucasArts adventure game to rival this cast in terms of the perfect performances of the voice actors is Tim Schafer's last game at the studio, Grim Fandango.
The puzzles are fairly challenging, but mostly not unfair, with the sole exception being a pixel hunt for a specific brick near the end of the game. My favorite puzzle involves a box of rabbits in the desert. That last sentence sounds like a non-sequitur, but you'll understand once you get there. The reviews at the time criticized the game's short length, however it's length of eight hours is not considered out of place among adventure games in the modern era. The people who were children when this game came out in the mid-1990s, myself included, are now world-weary adults with jobs and obligations, so time is more of a factor for us than it used to be. The newer generations are also more tolerant of short games, assuming the price is right, so it falls into a nice little groove for all fans of point-and-click adventures.
One of the best aspects of the game is, without a doubt, its soundtrack. Peter McConnell brings his usual high caliber compositions, infusing each location with a suitable vibe that matches the well worn quality of the game world. He also collaborated with Gone Jackals, a rock band from San Francisco, a city near the LucasArts offices in San Rafael. They gave the game an air of rock authenticity. The theme song, in particular, is iconic. The rock band's song, Legacy, plays over a fantastically directed animation at the start of the game, setting the tone for what's to come. It will almost certainly be stuck in your head long after the game is over.
Full Throttle is one of the absolute bonafide classics of the golden age of LucasArts. It has a fantastic voice cast, a great story, and fantastic grimy backgrounds which fill out the game world admirably. Other than one unfair puzzle near the end that ends up being a pixel hunt, the puzzles are fun. The elements that are the icing on the cake of this adventure classic are fantastic tunes by LucasArts stalwart composer Peter McConnell, and the rocking songs by the San Francisco band Gone Jackals.
The story influences the art, as the obsoleteness is represented in the background art, which is full of rust, dirt, and grime. The characters also have a rough look to them as well, with thick linework and thick, black, undefined eyes. The voice actors also give a suitable amount of roughness to their performances, from the deep rich tones of Roy Conrad as Ben Throttle, to the smarmy deep register Mark Hamill channels for Adrian Ripburger, the old coot vibes of Hamilton Camp as Malcolm Corley, and the rough and tough voice performance of Kath Soucie as Maureen. The only other LucasArts adventure game to rival this cast in terms of the perfect performances of the voice actors is Tim Schafer's last game at the studio, Grim Fandango.
The puzzles are fairly challenging, but mostly not unfair, with the sole exception being a pixel hunt for a specific brick near the end of the game. My favorite puzzle involves a box of rabbits in the desert. That last sentence sounds like a non-sequitur, but you'll understand once you get there. The reviews at the time criticized the game's short length, however it's length of eight hours is not considered out of place among adventure games in the modern era. The people who were children when this game came out in the mid-1990s, myself included, are now world-weary adults with jobs and obligations, so time is more of a factor for us than it used to be. The newer generations are also more tolerant of short games, assuming the price is right, so it falls into a nice little groove for all fans of point-and-click adventures.
One of the best aspects of the game is, without a doubt, its soundtrack. Peter McConnell brings his usual high caliber compositions, infusing each location with a suitable vibe that matches the well worn quality of the game world. He also collaborated with Gone Jackals, a rock band from San Francisco, a city near the LucasArts offices in San Rafael. They gave the game an air of rock authenticity. The theme song, in particular, is iconic. The rock band's song, Legacy, plays over a fantastically directed animation at the start of the game, setting the tone for what's to come. It will almost certainly be stuck in your head long after the game is over.
Full Throttle is one of the absolute bonafide classics of the golden age of LucasArts. It has a fantastic voice cast, a great story, and fantastic grimy backgrounds which fill out the game world admirably. Other than one unfair puzzle near the end that ends up being a pixel hunt, the puzzles are fun. The elements that are the icing on the cake of this adventure classic are fantastic tunes by LucasArts stalwart composer Peter McConnell, and the rocking songs by the San Francisco band Gone Jackals.
4½ out of 5
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