Plot: What’s it about?
An old school gaming take on the original sci/fi classic, The War of the Worlds has invaded consoles, but does it do the acclaimed source justice? This game makes you feel like you’re in H.G. Wells’ novel, as the atmosphere is potent and the sense of dread is constant. An old school style platform adventure, The War of the Worlds lets you control a scientist who has to endure a gauntlet of danger in order to survive the invasion. This involves precise jumps, a lot of running, some light puzzle solving, and tons of trial and error. Like some other recent retro platform games, The War of the Worlds often has scenarios that are certain to kill you the first time, simply because you don’t know what to do. So expect to die often, as this game offers a substantial challenge even for veterans of this kind of experience.
While some of the deaths seem cheap, most of the time when you fail, you’ll know why. Some of the jumps require exact timing and placement, but they’re all manageable. I have read some complaints about the controls, but I didn’t have many concerns with the responsiveness. Your character is not a superhero, so he runs at a normal rate and has realistic jump abilities. This is what causes some to rant, as they want superhuman leaps and blazing run speed out of the character. Do I wish he was faster at times? Of course, but the mechanics of encounters are set up knowing you’re kind of slow. So adjust to the speed and don’t try to Master Chief the game, and you’ll progress. I don’t really like some of the situations that walk you right into a death, but they’re part of the trial and error game mechanics. These events aren’t common by any means and as you get into the game a little, you’ll know what to look for and what certain signs indicate.
The War of the Worlds is no doubt going to cause some frustration, even to decorated platform wizards. If you’re new to this kind of experience, you might end up wanting to smash your controller a few times. But just because a game is hard doesn’t make it bad, especially when you’re given the tools to succeed, as in this game. You’ll need to learn your limits, pay attention to the environment, and learn from your mistakes, but you can overcome the aliens. And with such lush visuals, effective atmosphere, and Patrick Stewart as narrator, you won’t want to miss out on this one. Even if you don’t normally play games of this kind, the masterfully crafted world inside this game is enough of a reason to take a chance. I can only dream of this level of detail and immersion in most games, so The War of the Worlds deserves a high recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
This is impressive stuff, as the game has visuals that make you believe you’re inside the invasion. The attention to detail is remarkable, which yields atmosphere that few games can match. The graphics might have an old school texture, but there is still great animation and impressive depth to the environments. The dark, dread filled visuals really bring the novel’s world to life in grand fashion, simply excellent work.
Audio: How does it sound?
The sound design is great as well, starting off with Patrick Stewart’s narration. As you can imagine, this adds a lot to the game and while there is some repetition, it still has a solidly organic feel in most cases. The audio is minimalist in most situations, which helps bolster the dark, imposing environments. Some of the later encounters feature some more potent sound effects and of course, the alien element is well represented.
Supplements: What are the extras?
N/A
