Back The Journey Down Chapter Three On Kickstarter

The Kickstarter for the third and final chapter of The Journey Down, the awesome African themed adventure game inspired by classic adventure games such as Monkey Island and Grim Fandango is now live!

Sales, Releases, and Previews

For the next couple of hours, you can pick up The Journey Down: Chapter One on Steam for less than $1 USD. If you hurry, you can also continue the journey for a discount, as Chapter Two is on sale on Steam as well, for 10% off the usual price.

If you're wondering how the third and final chapter of The Journey Down is coming along, you can head over to the Skygoblin website, where they have some work in progress sketches of locations you'll visit in Chapter Three, as well as some hints as to what the game will be like.  They're aiming for an 80′s action movie feel for this chapter, in contrast to the noir vibes of previous chapters, which make for an exciting finale.

The Shadowgate remake has been updated with a quest for Halloween entitled the Dread Pumpkin Quest. The update also comes with new features, such as additional achievements. additional options and keybinds, the ability to play with retro graphics, a new Iron Man mode that increases the challenge of the game, an advanced hint system, a key to highlights all objects that can be interacted with in a room, a new tutorial system, an additional game mode for those new to the Shadowgate universe, and a wheel based command system.

Also, if you pledged high enough on the Massive Chalice crowdfunding campaign but couldn't test the beta right away since it was originally Windows only and you use Mac or Linux, you're in luck. The 0.83 beta patch was released on Halloween with Mac and Linux support.

While we're on the subject of Double Fine, Brutal Legend Limited Edition is shipping now after a short delay. If you already ordered it, you should be getting an e-mail with a tracking code shortly. If you missed the October 23rd deadline, don't worry, as you'll be able to pick it up after all the boxes have shipped for $25, while supplies last.

Point-and-Click Adventure Review: The Journey Down Chapter Two

The second chapter of the three part saga of The Journey Down is finally here.  It's been in development for quite a while, but they say good things come to those who wait, and that idiom is certainly true in this case.

The game picks up right where chapter one left off, and the trio find themselves in deeper trouble.  Bwana and Kito are separated from Lina, and they must escape their situation and find out what happened to her.  The story really picks up steam here, as the game slowly unfolds the mystery surrounding the events that led Bwana and Kito to the state in which we met them in the beginning of chapter one, and we begin to get an idea why the journal of The Journey Down is so important to so many people, including the antagonists.  In addition, the new characters introduced here are really quite interesting, and are all multifaceted people who fall in the grey side of the law, which is carte blanche in the mist shrouded port town of Artue.

The art style was brilliant in chapter one, and that brilliance continues here.  All of the new characters have the awesome style inspired by real tribal masks from Africa. There's a lot of variety in the new faces, but they all fit right along side the ones we have already met.  The locations are also all just as beautifully detailed as the first.  There is actually more variance in art styles in some of the cutscenes, such as displaying the scene in silhouette, which actually works well, and works well with the misty, gloomy mood of this chapter.

The composer of the first chapter, Simon D'Souza, unfortunately passed away this past May.  There are some tracks on the game which are by Simon, which set the tone of the game just as brilliantly as before. There are also some new tracks by Jamie Salisbury, which really work well with Simon's. All the tracks are jazzy, but there is a little bit more variety in them, which works well as Port Artue is a very different place than St. Armando, both in the mood of the people that live there and in its architecture. Port Artue is made to feel like a living, breathing town much more than St. Armando was in the first chapter, both in it's characterization and in the fact that Port Artue is given such a rich history in game.  This makes exploring the town much more satisfying. Rounding out the sound of the game, the voice work also continues to shine.  The returning characters are just as excellently voiced as before, and the new characters compliment them well.  There is a wide range of personality brought through both in the dialog of various characters, and in the performances of their actors.  The feeling of elation on exploring is increased as it is fun to talk to each of the town's interesting characters.

The puzzles are also excellent here.  Where there were one or two puzzles in the last chapter that stretched the boundries of reality somewhat, the puzzles here are all quite logical.  The game is much longer than the first chapter, and the puzzles are all excellent throughout.  The puzzles also increase in difficulty as the game goes on, with the final chapter having some excellent puzzles dealing with artifacts which are reminiscent of some of the best puzzles in classic adventure games such as Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.

The second chapter of The Journey Down is one of the best adventures of this decade.  Everything is excellent, from the unique character art style inspired by real African tribal masks to the wonderful background art that compliments the characters wonderfully.  The story is excellent, and there is a great deal of backstory learned, both for the characters and the town itself.  The latter, mixed with the wonderful dialog and voice acting of the town's inhabitants, makes the town a joy to explore.  The puzzles are all well done, and increase in difficulty as the game goes on.  The first chapter felt like, with a few improvements, it could be a contender to the throne of successor to the adventures of the classic era.  Those improvements are here in full force. If the third chapter is as strong as the second, The Journey Down could potentially claim that throne.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Chapter One Review

Chapter 3 Review Coming Soon.

The Journey Down Chapter Two Is Out Now

The Journey Down Chapter Two, the second part of Skygoblin's episodic adventure game inspired by LucasArts classics such as Monkey Island 2 and Grim Fandango, is out now for Mac, Linux, and PC on Steam and for iOS.

The Journey Down Chapter Two Taking Pre-Orders

Chapter Two of The Journey Down, the adventure game inspired by LucasArts classics such as Grim Fandango, is scheduled to release on August 25th. If you pre-order now, it's only $5.99 and you get The Journey Down Chapter One as well (the key is transferable if you already own Chapter One). Half of all pre-order revenue will go to help the Mavuno girl's school project. Find out more about the pre-order deal and see a couple of scenes from the upcoming chapter in the trailer embedded above.

Progress Update on The Journey Down Chapter 2

If you're like me, you might be wondering how chapter 2 of The Journey Down is coming along. Luckily, the Chapter 2 Work in Progress thread at Desura has just been updated with news and new screenshots.

They've got an internal preliminary playable-to-the-end build of the game up and running, but there's a lot of things missing yet and most of the movies are still animated storyboards. There are still some puzzles that need inside knowledge to solve, but they hope to have an internal beta version of the game ready by February that will allow the game to be completed by people who don't know the solutions to all the puzzles.

It's good to know that chapter two is coming along nicely, as The Journey Down Chapter One was one of my favorite adventure games of last year.

The Journey Down On IndieGameStand.com

IndieGameStand now has chapter one of The Journey Down available in a pay-what-you want deal. This game is excellent (see my review for more about it). If you haven't picked it up yet, do so now. You won't regret it.

Indie Royal Includes The Journey Down: Chapter 1

The Indie Royal Summer Bundle includes the fantastic adventure game The Journey Down: Chapter 1.

If you pay the minimum (currently just over $5.00 USD), along with The Journey Down Chapter One, you get Harvest: Massive Encounter, Serious Sam 2, Gundemonium Recollection, GundeadliGne, Hitogata Happa, Acceleration Of Suguri X-Edition, Dino Run SE, and AirMech (with an exclusive in-game item, the Indie Royale Companion Pet).

If you pay $8.00 USD or more, you also get a bonus music album, Pixeljams Volume 1.

Here's my review of The Journey Down: Chapter One if you're on the fence about it. Suffice to say, this bundle is worth it just for The Journey Down: Chapter One alone.

The Journey Down Chapter One Review

The Journey Down: Chapter One is SkyGoblin's high definition remake of their free low definition adventure game, The Journey Down: Over the Edge. It is the first part of a four chapter adventure. It's an episodic game akin to The Dream Machine, as opposed to Telltale's episodic games, in that both games are made with a small team (a team of four core members in The Journey Down's case). As such, the future chapters do not have any set release date, and this chapter is going to have to leave a lasting impression on those who decide to play it before all four chapters are released. Thankfully, it does manage to do just that, for the most part.

The story is interesting, but it's clear this first chapter is meant as an introduction for things to come.  The game's main character, Bwana, and his brother Kito run the bayside Gas & Charter.  The problem is, they haven't had a flight chartered in twenty years, and the gas business is so slow the company can't pay their electric bills.  Luckily, a mysterious woman named Lina shows up one night looking for a mysterious book and wanting to charter a flight out of town.

The puzzles are centered around finding the book and then fixing the plane so they can take Lina where she wants to go.  The puzzles are pretty interesting, and they are centered more in the classic adventure puzzle mold. So, they do need some more thinking than an episode from Telltale Games, but never as much as a LucasArts or Sierra adventure.  The difficulty level lies somewhere in-between, which should sit well for people looking for more of a challenge than is usual in modern adventure titles.  Being a modern adventure game though, there are, thankfully, some modern additions.  If you take too long to solve a puzzle, Bwana will say something to hint at what you should do next.  These are subtle hints, similar to those said by the characters in Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, and fit within the context of the game's world without drawing you out of it.

Where the game really shines is in the art design and music categories. The game's style is reminiscent of the LucasArts classics, particularly Grim Fandango.  Where the latter game used Mexican calaveras as the inspiration for it's game's characters, The Journey Down uses African tribal masks as its influence.  It works really well, and helps add to the African theme of the adventure.  The music also is wonderful, with a Caribbean style soundtrack that really sets the mood for the game.

The voice acting is also well done, for the most part.  Bwana and Kito sound great, and the voices really fit their characters.  Lina is also voiced well, although her performance is a bit flat at times.  The latter is true for the rest of the characters as well.  They are voiced well for the most part, and fit their characters, but their performances are lacking at times.  Thankfully, this is better voiced than most independent adventure games by a small team, as. although the performances are hit and miss, the voices don't grate on you enough to want to turn them off.

The first chapter of The Journey Down does a nice job of setting up things for future episodes, while being entertaining on its own.  The art and music really shine, and help set the mood for the African theme of the adventure.  The game ends on a cliffhanger setting up the next chapter, but the abundant puzzles and interesting story so far should leave you satisfied enough while you wait for Chapter Two.  The voices of Bwana and Kito are excellent, but the other voices are hit and miss.  They fit their characters, but the performances can be a bit flat.  Thankfully, this is just a small blemish on an excellent game.

Update: June 26, 2012: Since I first posted this review, the game's price has been reduced by half. I definitely recommend this game now at this price. It's a reasonable price to pay for one chapter of a four chapter game.  Plus, it does go to help a small team, and the game is well designed and fun, so you'll likely feel like you've gotten your money's worth.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Chapter Two Review

The Journey Down Chapter One Is Available Now

The Journey Down Chapter One is the first part of a four part point-and click adventure game. It is an HD remake of a free low-resolution game, also named The Journey Down. The game has been getting a lot of pre-release buzz at the Mixnmojo forums for it's art direction. Developer Skygoblin was "inspired by the cartoony style of Bill Tiller's COMI, as well as Peter Chan's Full Throttle and Grim Fandango", and you can definitely see the influence in the art direction.

The wait for the game is over, as The Journey Down has been released for PC and Mac in downloadable form at Adventure Shop, Desura, and a whole lot of other places.