1954 Alcatraz | a Review
originally published on 16/08/2020;
1954 Alcatraz | A Review
Hello everyone, I am the imprisoned G.E.M.Simov, a wrongfully sentenced to jail time in the prison that is life man that will now talk to you about a game, in which there is at least 1 prisoner - 1954 Alcatraz.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. Also, I am a gameplay designer and a writer so I got the credentials to talk shit.
Gameplay
1954 Alcatraz is a point-and-click adventure game that incorporates the mouse to deal with everything. There are a few hotkeys, but their usefulness extends to the opening of menus. In essence, the gameplay of this game is very simple.
However, point-and-click games are known for being simple to play and difficult to get through, as they are the main proprietors of the dreaded puzzle mechanics incorporated in them. Puzzles, in adventure games that are point-and-click, are incredibly difficult, forcing the player to wrack their brain as much as possible, fail, go to bed, wake up, and try again. The solutions to the puzzles are oftentimes incredibly stupid. An example I, personally, have encountered in my days of playing such games, was a puzzle that required the player to lower their music volume, from the settings of the game, to progress.
Having mentioned that feature of point-and-click adventure games, I am happy to inform the audience that 1954 Alcatraz is more grounded in reality, and the puzzles are actually things that one might consider doing in real life. There is no magic or made up science, instead just actual objects that existed in 1954. The puzzles themselves are not actually puzzles, but rather problems that need to be solved.
The way that this game handles these issues makes me really impressed, and also incredibly confused, as it is made by the same studio that made the Deponia franchise, and that franchise is filled, to the brim, with bad puzzles that make no sense at all. The juxtaposition is incredible.
Overall, the puzzles, their implementation, the manner in which the game is played - all of those leave a satisfied feeling in my gut, as if I just had something very tasty to eat, and, alas, it was not ass. 2/3
Presentation
The presentation of 1954 Alcatraz is… Strange. The game has 3D backgrounds that look like 2D backgrounds and 3D characters who navigate these backgrounds quite well. Instead of going for the cartoony style that Deponia is praised for, Daedalic, the folks behind both games, opted for 3D. The characters are mostly stylized, which makes me think that, perhaps, having the whole thing be 2D and cartoony would have helped set the mood, although then another point crops up.
The characters are supposed to be somewhat rough. The story, and the setting, and the time period within which the game takes place, are all grimy. Unclean, nasty. The characters, themselves, are all linked to crime - be it through the mafia, direct connections to criminals or a disregard for the laws, be it due to upbringing, social standing or relation to the police force. In a way, this ugly 3D artstyle, chosen by the studio, works in favor of the presentation, although the fact remains it does not look as good as it could have.
The music is some nondescript, uninteresting jazz that can be associated with noir films. It is neither bad nor good. The sound effects and voice acting are both at the same level, although I feel as if I ought to give a tad more credit to the voice actors - it was not bad. 2/3
Story
1954 Alcatraz, as a point-and-click adventure game is bound to have a focus on its story. And so there is a story that is told through the lens for two characters.
First, there is Joe, who has been incarcerated on accounts of robbing a bank. He starts off in prison, but seems to have a plan to get out of there. Then, there’s Christine, Joe’s wife, who is dealing with life outside of prison, living right above the poverty line, but seems to have a plan as to how to make her life better.
The story is centered around those two and their interactions with other characters in their respective environments. As coherent and interesting as the story is, around the escape from prison, the feeling of missing something was always there. This was a very personal, very small-scale story. No great subjects were brought up, no massive questions were asked, no possible answers were given.
There is a measure of commentary on humanity - about greed, about lust, about envy, about love - things one expects to find themselves thinking of whenever they are brought to look upon the world of mankind.
I was left a little disappointed by the story’s simplicity, although that, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. Other than that, it was splendid. 3/3
Legendary Point
Does 1954 Alcatraz get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? No. It was not as memorable as I would have hoped it could be, nor was it as impactful as I hoped it to be. It was a simple game that told a simple story. I am not going to put it up on the same pedestal as Fallout. 0/1
Conclusion
7/10. A game that is, actually, a good game. Game studios should aim to make games that are as good as this, and, if they succeed, their games are going to be great, maybe even greater. 1954 is a game I would wholeheartedly recommend to people looking to cool down from heavy action games or large-scale strategy, so they can relax with a little story about a man and a woman.
I tuck it under my belt, another achievement that I proudly display. So nice, so simple - yet it somehow fits in perfectly along the rest.