PLEURGHBURG: The Dark Ages (my review)

[Lordhoban]

PLEURGHBURG
(some spoilers abound)
I just beat this recently, and felt the urge to relay my thoughts on my likes and dislikes of the game.

It started up really well, I thought. It jumps you right in there with a murder. And what you do, from talking to the old man, to everything in the morgue, was pretty well laid out. Even the inclusion of Lucas and the grenade. I also liked the look and feel of the game, the noncharacter animation graphics, the pacing of the first half of the game. For the first time, it started out feeling like you were actually being a detective. The dna scanner, camera, the plastic bags and gloves, all great ideas for inclusion. The transitionary stuff, from morning, afternoon, evening, was all well and good. The split between the sewers and the printshop, great turn. The multiple endings, was nice. The overall story was good enough to keep interest high, despite some problems.

First of my dislikes is the action sequences. That first one, especially, was frustrating to behold. I thought, given the genre of game, they did more damage in removing me from the game than adding anything to it.

Second, with the plastic gloves/bags being such a great idea, I think they should have been implemented fully. Any handling of murder scenes should be done with these. Maybe even use the pencil to lift something and put it in the bag (which I've seen done on some shows). It didn't make sense that they were picky about some things, yet handling the bodies was perfectly alright to do normally. 

Third, your computer. I think the idea was a throw away. The e-mail function is used only twice in the game, at the beginning, and once to find out about a supposed contact. We could have cut a lot of the time spent going to the PDA had some of the info passed on via e-mail, instead. And it would have made your computer feel like more of apart of the game, rather than always checking it only to find nothing, and then, later, not checking it at all because of this, only to find out that you actually did receive an e-mail from a contact. Though, how were we to know this with the computer being a nonissue up until then? Also, the search feature. There were several instances that information like addresses could have been searched instead of getting the info from your boss. If you are not going to use the feature such as your computer (which was a good idea, if used enough to justify it), cut it out of the game.

Fourth, the CIA guy. It just felt like an unnecessary extra step that really adds nothing to the game or plot, yet you are forced to deal with it because its there. The old man could have just as easily given you another piece of evidence instead of or with the key that could have led to the Park. Maybe, the key had dirt on it, and when analyzed at the PDA, it leads to the Park? Just an example of a way to bypass the need for the 'contact'. Better to just eliminate him from the game, or if not, integrate him more into the plot. Give him something to relay that's useful for the player. Maybe give him something to do.

On a related note, Lucas, a gadget man, was completely ignored for the second half of the game until the attempted assassination. It's like, after some point, they forgot all about the fact that they had a neat gadget guy to do stuff with and help the player along with weird inventions. The store kept its presence up during the game, so that was good.

Also, the whistle boy, completely random. And the boy doesn't remain the only bit of randomness. You could have had a boy character early on, maybe the boy in the store, who you talked to, and learned somehow or heard him using the whistle, and then, combined with the news report which, I don't remember too clearly, but it adding the information that certain loud whistling noises might scare off the panther. The point is to integrate it, so that it is no longer some random occurance. The same could be said with the randomly inserted in the game for just the right moment diamond ring. At least they only required entering the initial scene for them, if only the apartment was more useful (which leads back to the problem with the computer).

Fifth, some of the dialogue is gut wrenchingly bad. Like stating the obvious in such a way that, frankly, I couldn't help but moan. Many times in the middle of important information. I am reminded of 5 Days a Stranger, in the last part where you can get the obviousness of the plot relayed by way of one of the characters, in case you missed something, in a way that doesn't feel pushed on you. And you can easily bypass it since it is clearly marked.

Last, a minor problem, the character animation. It really felt underdeveloped compared to the look and feel of the rest of the game, but not enough to keep me from enjoying the game at all.

Overall, I think there is a lot of good going for it with a lot of great ideas... but bogged down by several things that get in the way of making it a truly great game. Things that get in the way of the plot, that have a very removing effect from gameplay, and unneeded frustration. There is a flow to the first part of the game that worked so well. So it was sad to see it conflicted by the problems cropping up. Some adventure games have a tendacy to throw in completely random things, and I have to say I couldn't disagree more with that approach.

The purpose of this review is to hopefully, give someone, somewhere, a bright idea or two that'll help them make their game flow and feel much more natural. Maybe they'll step back and go, 'Oh, you know, that one bit is pretty random, maybe I can do this and make it feel like it belongs?' Or something, I don't know. Opinions, of course, are welcome. Was there a point who were at odds with? Let me know.

[Kweepa]

Interesting review - I had a lot of the same thoughts when playing too.
I didn't mind the action sequences: after the first death I saved often.
And I didn't have a problem with the character animation. It was basic, but that was the style of the game. Better to keep it simple than to reach too far and fall on your face.

I don't know how constructive it is, given how old the game is, but a couple more thoughts.

o Nobody else at the station seems to do much thinking. The chief in particular doesn't always respond to plot twists in a rational manner.
o Why do I have to steal gadgets from Lucas, if he's such a good friend? Couldn't I explain that I need them to solve a life-or-death case? It seemed like a forced puzzle.
o I'm a cop. Couldn't I shoot a man eating tiger with a gun, rather than scaring it away with a random whistle? On the whistle front, is it that hard to find a whistle in a shop or a police station?

Steve
(biting the hand that feeds him games)

[Huw Dawson]

Hey.

Personally, I never finished Pleurghburg. I have a habit of reading the entire walkthroughs for games halfway through the them... It spoils the fun. Also, as a wimp I hated the tension of it, but that was why I liked it so much.

Anyway, I have a couple of things to say for this game:

1) It made it so that the (relatively common) deaths were in a style so that it wasn't random like the old sierria games. It first told me that deaths were possible without spoiling the plot, which has given me a few pointers, I can tell you.

2) Also, the tension was fantastic. Whoever wrote the music for that game must have been a genius! I genuinly felt scared in a few points.

Of cource, I hated the length of it to try and get something done. For pity's sake, a game cannot contitute going to the same place and talking to the same people over and over again as part of the storyline!

- Huw
(Found in a christmas cracker)   

[Lordhoban]

I was thinking the same thing with the panther... why couldn't I just shoot it? I kept trying to pull out the gun and it kept mauling me.

But yes, I really enjoyed the music. Forgot to mention that.

For the character animation, I don't mind it at all... but that doesn't stop it from being any less... underwhelming. Way too blocky. I'd rather that, though, and get the game finished, than someone spending forever working alone trying to get that aspect done. It is a minor problem, as I said, and not one that stopped me from enjoying the game.

[Chrille]

I am well aware of Pleurghburg's faults (especially the terrible dialogue) and the rather strange puzzles (like the whistle and all). You make some very good points and I agree.

A big problem I had was squeezing in puzzles just for the sake of having more puzzles. I should have focused more on investigation and examining crime scenes. It wasn't until later that I wondered "what was I thinking?". I guess I didn't stop to think much about anything because it was made in a short of amount of time considering its length and the fact that the plot was improvised didn't help. I did however have fun making it, I think that if I had planned out everything in advance it would've been a better game but I might not have finished it at all.

Not until a long while after I actually released the game did I realise that the finished game wasn't very close to my original plans for it. As you've mentioned for example, the computer is very rarely used and it yet it was supposed to be pretty much the only form of communication with the PDA (like the MAD in the Manhunter series). There is also way too much dialogue and I'm quite sad that it turned out that way. Because originally I wanted people to figure out what had happened and what might be going on without getting everything explained, like it turned out.

I don't think it's a bad game, I am quite proud of it. I am however disappointed in myself for ending up so far from the original idea. I have considered making a new version of it at some point that's closer to my original plans but I wouldn't want to ruin a game that many people seem like by saying something like "the old version is obsolete, get this new one!"

[strazer]

I have considered making a new version of it at some point that's closer to my original plans but I wouldn't want to ruin a game that many people seem like by saying something like "the old version is obsolete, get this new one!"

Have you ever considered re-compiling it with at least AGS v2.5 so we can play it with modern engines? I use Linux and can't play it at all (doesn't work in DOSBox either).

[Chrille]

I could try re-compiling it in AGS 2.5, but it's been at least 2-3 years since I compiled it last so it might not work.

[Lordhoban]

I could try re-compiling it in AGS 2.5, but it's been at least 2-3 years since I compiled it last so it might not work.

I heard around about a project called PLEURGHBURG:The Asylum? What's with that?

[strazer]

http://www.gaspop.com/index.html?articlewhathappened

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Have you ever considered re-compiling it with at least AGS v2.5 so we can play it with modern engines? I use Linux and can't play it at all (doesn't work in DOSBox either).

(way to make a late reply) I don't see what you mean as regards "modern engines", it runs just peachy in my peecy - Windows XP. Pretty modern. ANd I didn't need DOSBox, it's a WIndows compile...

[strazer]

The AGS Linux version only plays games made with v2.5 or later. Trying to use WINE to play Pleurghburg, I get "INI_Lib (E154): Parse Error".

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

...hmmm. Ok. Just out of curiosity - try deleting the acsetup.cfg file and see what happens...

[MillsJROSS]

Chrille, if you need any help updating it, I do have a few older versions of AGS that might help. I can't quite remember, and I'm not at my home computer right now, but it's much easier to update to the AGS version before the Windows version came out, and then update to a windows version. It's the same process I used for updating AQ with commentary, and it is quite a short proceedure.

-MillsJROSS