Grundislav Games proudly presents:
Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
in
Case 6: Scourge of the Sea People
The Story
Following Alice's near-fatal poisoning in Japan, the paranormal investigating trio decides a vacation is in order. Traveling to Greece, they find themselves in the remote fishing village of Agia Anna. However, they soon learn that even while on vacation their work is never done. It seems that ancient creatures of legend known as the Sea People have been emerging from the ocean at night and dragging villagers down to the depths to eat them.
Ben, Simon, and Alice must investigate and stop the SCOURGE OF THE SEA PEOPLE!
The Screenshots
(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj6-2.jpg)
Wander around Greek villages!
(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj6-3.jpg)
Ride around on crappy boats!
(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj6-4.jpg)
Explore exotic islands!
Download here (http://www.grundislavgames.com/games/bj6.zip)
UPDATE 9/2/07: I've uploaded a new version which fixes the "swim behind the mural" bug.
Awesomeness!
Downloading.
Dude, this is an 27 Mb April fool's joke. Don't bother downloading it!
But it's August...
...downloading...
... 27mb ain't that bad. Once you finish the game you can always delete it again.
PS- I was joking.
Playing...
Great so far... 29 points in... nice story...
Possibly already contender for the 'Stu's favourite Ben Jordan Game' award (No.4 currently holds that prestigious title).
I'll probably have this completed today.
Harsh. Can't anyone say something nice? Looks gr8 so far. Good job!
TO2K, now BJ6, is that mean that CofSol are comming too?
... :=
ok... Downloading it too....
Ultra cool, another BJ! :D Playing now, it's fun so far 8)
I sat down to play for a couple of minutes and didn't stop until I'd completed it an hour and a half later. Excellent game, and certainly an improvement on BJ5, though it could perhaps have been a bit scarier. I'm happy to see that the overarching plot is beginning to shine through.
Spoiler
First of all, I'm intrigued by the appearance of Prof. Sanbourne who I've been wondering about for a while. The dialogue with him in the restaurant was an excellent way of handling exposition - and, I assume, foreshadowing the sequels. Ben's nightmares were also genuinly creepy, and I'm looking forward to find out the connection between Alice and the Smailholm case.
The overall gameplay was near perfect. At first I was a bit sceptic of the "escape from the airport" introduction, but the photography puzzle made it all worthwhile. The rest of the game flowed better than most commercial games. I was never in doubt what to do, and the puzzles were logical, fun and not terribly difficult. A few comments on minor design details though:
1) Due to the larger emphasis on natural backgrounds, it's rather difficult to make out where the exits are - or rather which screen edges doesn't have exits. Perhaps a highlighting of exits similar to the highlighting of hotspots (for example labelled "To bungalow") would help a little.
2) A walk-skip function would be very welcome. After a while, traversing the beach does get a bit tedious, similar to the path to the village in BJ5.
3) The drinking contest was a fun idea (and any illogical part is forgotten after Simon's comment on the silly rules). However it would be nice if you could "cancel" the game and place the mirror after the guy explains the rules. Of course you can place it beforehand, since the function of the nail is so obvious, but it would be nice to do things in the natural sequence instead of going through a drinking game that you know you will lose.
4) Perhaps a death scene could have been added for Simon in the end (even just the same picture as when the creature attacks Ben). I went to the kitchen and got some tea, and when I returned after several minutes it was still strangling him. :)
The background artwork was great - even better than BJ1 Deluxe, I think. Especially the nighttime scenes were very atmospheric, and the underwater scenes reminded me of Eco Quest. I'm guessing that the artistic references to King's Quest VI were on purpose, seeing as that game also had islands, a minotaur and all? My only small criticism is that I liked the forward walkcycle in BJ5 better than the new one, something about how his hands move. I also noticed two place, were the object edges were a bit too visible: The boulder, after it falls has a very straight right edge, and the bottom edge of the drag marks on the beach is also a bit too sharp for it to blend in properly. But those are minor things.
I loved the music. The island of the siren was particularly haunting (setting up for one of the few moments of genuine horror in the game). Is it just me, or did the electronic style of the music in the bungalow remind anyone else of Blackwell Legacy?
Great work, Grundislav. I'm looking even more forward to the sequels after playing this.
Thanks Grundislav! Can't wait to play! Downloading now!
**Screaming and ripping shirt off
Yaaay! Will play now!
Review later.
Quote from: GarageGothic on Thu 30/08/2007 11:23:51
Spoiler
Is it just me, or did the electronic style of the music in the bungalow remind anyone else of Blackwell Legacy?
Spoiler
That'll be because the majority of the soundtrack was written by the same person as Blackwell, and was much quicker at doing so than a certain lazy composer who only supplied a few quick sketches before being kidnapped by a full time job!
YES!!!! DOWNLOADING NOW!!! I'm so excited! ;D ;D ;D
Thank you Grundislav!!!
Fairly awesome so far. I'll continue later - definitely.
Oh man, I can't believe it, another Ben Joren! *giggles*
Adamski: Ah, that explains it. I didn't compare them, but the instrumentation sounded almost identical. Thanks for clarifying. What pieces did you compose?
I just finished playing the game and it was great.
Spoiler
I liked the photo puzzle and the references to all the greek mythology and the labyrinth shaped like the head of the minotaur
For the overall epic story plot I had a problem. It was long long ago i played the other ben jordan games, so i did not understand all of the references.
Well isn't that nice? I was just feeling like playing a BJ game and here it is :D
Ben Who?
Afflec?
WHOO HOO!! THankies for another ben jordan game!
I am downloading!!
Isn't it typical the one day I randomly decide to check these forums after about three months of inactivity, Ben Jordan 6 comes out? :=
Great game, and I'm really looking forward to the seventh now! We're only going to have to wait until 2009 or so to get it. ;)
- Huw
Nice Ben Jordan
Cool with Indy Like Map ;)
Nice Backgrounds and nice Story :D
Hooray, I finished it with 106/107. If anybody can tell me where that last point is...
Spoiler
By the way, is there any use for the other two flowers?
The gameplay was quite smooth (loved the photography puzzle) and I was expecting myself to get stumped what to do next, but that never happened.
The future plot references were interesting, yet I forgot each character's signifigance and exactly what happened in the previous games.
Quote from: GarageGothic on Thu 30/08/2007 11:23:51
Spoiler
1) Due to the larger emphasis on natural backgrounds, it's rather difficult to make out where the exits are - or rather which screen edges doesn't have exits. Perhaps a highlighting of exits similar to the highlighting of hotspots (for example labelled "To bungalow") would help a little.
Definitely agreed.
Quote from: GarageGothic
2) A walk-skip function would be very welcome. After a while, traversing the beach does get a bit tedious, similar to the path to the village in BJ5.
Yes, this would've been very nice. It was a tad annoying to go between certain areas like the kitchen and getting back on the boat knowing it would take forever.
Quote from: GarageGothic
Spoiler
3) The drinking contest was a fun idea (and any illogical part is forgotten after Simon's comment on the silly rules). However it would be nice if you could "cancel" the game and place the mirror after the guy explains the rules. Of course you can place it beforehand, since the function of the nail is so obvious, but it would be nice to do things in the natural sequence instead of going through a drinking game that you know you will lose.
Yes, I thought the same thing when I did it. That would be a nice feature.
All in all, another great Ben Jordan game, and I'm very interested to see where the plot goes from here.
Congratulations on a BJ well done.
Great! I had forgotten about the Ben Jordan games until I saw this!
Probably the best AGS game I've ever played, but I think you cheat that a little by including so many locations & references I can related too ;) congrats Grundislav!! :)
Though I don't have the time right now to play this version I'm interested to know what the music is like in this one, since you know how much I loved your dev music, which made it really atmospheric and mellow :)
Typo: Ben says "to" when he means "too" at one point. But I can't remember when :P
Another great installment of the BJ series. What I really liked was the music, especially those on the Minotaur island and in the labyrinth. Really atmospheric.
It was not really hard, but that made it only better, since you didn't have to walk around like an idiot randomly trying to use items on the surroundings.
Great!
Seconded on most "shorten walk time" comments, but otherwise, well, wow.
Simply, wow. Everything just seemed to work in this one. There was enough mythology to create interest but not too much. The photography puzzle was very clever.
Also...
Spoiler
The way of reviving the sea person by way of green glowing rock was eerily Dig-like. I'm sure you know this, but it still made me chuckle :)
I definitely want to play 7 and 8 now. I've stuck with it for 6 games, I ain't quitting now!
Pretty good! I was sad that you didn't include voice acting again though.
Finished it! Here's my review... (CONTAINS SPOILERS!)
I'd say I was a bit disappointed after finishing the game. Previous case offered alot more polish and fireworks.
For example...
* Ageia Anna looks totally deserted. People disappearing? Where's the law? I'd blame lazy writing. In every little town with strange happenings, there's usually a friendly/not friendly local police constable or someone like this. For additional information and atmosphere.
* The final countdown ended weirdly. Ben fragged a paranormal creature and... just left him lying there?
* There was no alternatives, no parallel solutions, no extra hints anywhere. All you could touch or do was simply a solution to next puzzle. That left the game awfully empty. Few pointless hotspots, characters, descriptions and events, some of which also donating to alternative solutions to problems, would make this alot more interesting.
* Notes stopped updating quickly. There were initial objectives what to do at first, but later in game, I simply wondered what to do next.
* Exits, yes, were almost impossible to figure out. Add ultraslow movement speed and...
* Background art is better than ever. Only weak point was transition from water to land.
* Ben's walkcycle lacks color, especially on one foot.
* Music was up to quality, I really enjoyed it!
* Who sleeps on bed with all clothes and boots on? Even if it's tough to animate, you could find a workaround...
* More drama! It almost felt that Ben & crew hardly cared about what was going on.
In conclusion, I like Case 5 alot better, but this one isn't too bad. It's long and interesting, simply lacks polish from all areas except music. In whole series, 2nd place.
Very nice game. Camera and mirror puzzles were really clever and well done. Loved the Babel Fish line.
Got some questions (Spoilers below)
I finished the game but some things don't make sense to me:
- Who stole the artifact? (I suspect the professor about 60 to 70%, and Alice 40%)
- The oracle sayid something about betrayal.
Hope you answer these in the next case :D
Apart from animated movements, plot and such mentioned above I like Ben Jordan because there are hints within the game that'll move you forward. Ths Ben Jordan cases can be played without a walkthrough, maybe a hint or two in this forum.
Other games I've played leaves me mystified at times and I find myself going in circles and trying everything in the inventory without much thought, just because I'm soooo frustrated. With Ben Jordan I don't end up frustrated, I just play and enjoy - which I hope is the authors intention.
Well done!
Great game so far...
I'm stuck on Minotaur Island with 58 points, I don't know where to go and what to do. I probably missed an exit. Can anyone help me?
Thanks
Once again, good game, but I don't really have to say that. People know they've got a good game here if it's all the way up to a part 6. The puzzles in this were well placed, well explained, with easy to find inventory, and most importantly: the puzzles were logical. My biggest complaint with the puzzles is that I usually picked up the items without any knowledge of needing them whatsoever or what they were needed for. Often times, this would lead to the game putting two and two together LONG before I would.
Spoiler
Such as using the seaweed with the rock to make a sling, but finding Ben covered it completely for some reason.
Spoiler
I also found the minotaur's maze to be disappointing as well. It was, once again, logical, but I thought it to be too logical (with all the rooms being four-walled at the exact same angle). I could basically visualize it in my head very quickly because of it's small size. I may be limiting myself to comparisons, but it's very much dwarfed by the one from King's Quest VI
Unfortunately, because every puzzle was very well explained, so was every threat beforehand, which took away a GREAT amount of the suspense. My best example of this is...
Spoiler
The Siren's Song, as the boatsman explained the exact horror that was supposedly there. The first thing I did was save, so I was basically invincible and unafraid, then went to kill Ben, expecting it completely.
Without the suspense, almost all of the plot was predictable to me (because it was once again, VERY WELL explained each scene happened). Especially when...
Spoiler
Simon went to stand right at the edge of the beach, after two drunks did so beforehand and "disappeared", and after Ben had a dream about the same thing. The one thing that could've been avoided was showing the exact form of the sea monster during Ben's dream. That could've saved a lot of suspense, if the title screen didn't show the outline of the creature anyways.
Those notes aside, the graphics were wonderful and the animations smooth. The puzzles were very logical and not too confusing (I didn't need any hints for this one) If the game sticks to those good points and works on making a more suspenseful and unpredictable plot line, Ben Jordan 7 could prove to be a GREAT game in general for me.
Also:
Spoiler
Are there correct responses to the professor's questions during the restaurant conversation? And is there a way to make Simon drunk at the drinking contest?
I admit, I complain a lot, and without releasing any form of entertainment with the use of AGS, what right do I have to complain? I have no honest idea, really.
I have to agree with Jojoboy, as great as the artwork was, the puzzles were very easy. And I was also surprised with the length of the game, it seemed much shorter than any other BJ game.
P.S. Why did Alice headbutt Ben at the last cutscene? :P
Edit: Also, is there a bonus of some sort if you get 107/107?
Spoiler
Walkbehind bug: you can swim behind the mural!
See: http://ssh.me.uk/img/bj6glitch.jpg
I'm afraid I've seen too many spoilers of this game at the last Mittens - it breaks the suspense and the sense of exploration. But I've put some of the earlier BJ games on my to-play list.
Quote from: Jon on Fri 31/08/2007 11:49:18
Edit: Also, is there a bonus of some sort if you get 107/107?
Spoiler
I had 107/107 at the end. There was nothing special to see
Ah yeah I just remembered Grundislav is a silly dwad so I won't be downloading this game or any of the other BJ's.
Hey, Grundislav - how come you haven't pimped your developer diary (http://bj4u.livejournal.com/) in the forum? I only discovered it by accident today. Interesting reading, and that background for BJ7 looks awesome. Does the San Silvestro church actually play a part in the game, or is it just a setting for more Vatican intrigue? I researched it a bit and saw that they allegedly have the head of John the Baptist there (hmmm, "The Baptist's Head" would fit with number of letters for the title, though it rather conjures up images of decapitated rednecks). The head of Baphomet, the Knights Templar... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Once in a year I'd have computer problems and just then, a new BJ is released! It's great that you finished it Grund, and I'll play it ASAP.
Quote from: GarageGothic on Fri 31/08/2007 23:00:39
Hey, Grundislav - how come you haven't pimped your developer diary (http://bj4u.livejournal.com/) in the forum? I only discovered it by accident today. Interesting reading, and that background for BJ7 looks awesome. Does the San Silvestro church actually play a part in the game, or is it just a setting for more Vatican intrigue? I researched it a bit and saw that they allegedly have the head of John the Baptist there (hmmm, "The Baptist's Head" would fit with number of letters for the title, though it rather conjures up images of decapitated rednecks). The head of Baphomet, the Knights Templar... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
I believe in viral marketing. Obviously, it worked!
I'll let you come up with your own theories regarding the role of San Silvestro for now.
Just a tip. I won't say if the game is good, because regarding the Ben Jordan series I take quality for granted. However I'm gonna give you a tip. I started playing the series after I saw your teaser for this game. I think it would be a good addition to add it here, since it's a very good teaser. Just a thought.
I'll let you carry on, mingling with the bodies..eh.. games that is.
At last another BJ game! Congratulations Grundislav. I'm starting it right now.
I've been waiting for this one. I downloaded it earlier today, played it through and thoroughly enjoyed it. Beautifully done. Thanks for sharing this with us Francisco! :)
I just complete it.
Great job Francisco!
I like when it continue from previous game.
I just completed the game and I thought it was great. I liked the (however small) love story and found myself rooting for Ben when Alice went walking off with that shirtless gigolo. The music was *great*; my favourites were the tracks in the village, in the oracle's cave and at the ending. The puzzles were straightforward, yes, but that was part of the game's charm for me, as it made the game flow with some pauses, but without any overly frustrating halts. I never thought, "Ah, that's just too easy". There are just too many games out there that get me to the point where I start using every item I have with every other item randomly just because I have absolutely no idea what to do. I'm glad BJ6 is not one of them. I agree would be cool if you made exits more visible and if you shortened the walking time.
Overall: Great work!
I'm playing it a 2nd time around - that's how good it is. However, Grundislav, I have to say a few things.
First, there's a glitch in the room with the Sea People leader. You can swim behind the mural.
I shared my opinion with Simon Booth as he saw Ben and Alice kissing - finally!
I was expecting a connection between Alice and Smailholm, due to a tombstone in the Smailholm graveyard with the Wilkins name. In fact, the tombstone reads Alice Wilkins!
I noticed a dramatic change in the style of music. I did prefer the old style, but since apparantly the old composer now has a full-time job, it looks like we won't be seeing it again.
I found the ending sequence somewhat easy. Well, I guess there hasn't been really a difficult Ben Jordan ending.
I didn't find the walking time much of a burden. The only really frustrating part of the game was when I had to distill the water to meet the Oracle - I had no idea what to put water in.
>:( Thanks alot Grundislav, now you're making me play through the whole series again! Well, there goes another day or two of my life immersed in the great universe of Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator.
For now, here's my ratings of the series:
Case 1 - 6/10 - It was good. A little boring at some parts, nonetheless it was good.
Case 2 - 7/10 - A notch up from Case 1.
Case 3 - 10/10 - This WAS my favorite.
Case 4 - 10/10 - One of my favorites as well.
Case 5 - 9/10 - I liked the atmosphere, I liked the gameplay, but I don't believe it to be as good as Cases 3 or 4.
Case 6 - 11/10 - Now THIS is my favorite. Absolutely amazing, Grundislav. I think the reason it's my favorite is because things are finally starting to unravel. All the things I've noticed in previous cases are starting to be integrated into new storylines, such as the Wilkins connection in Smailholm.
I've just finished this game (after having spent the last couple of days catching up on games 3-5 which were sitting unplayed on my hard drive. Bloody uni work!) and I have to say its pretty awesome.
Until I played this I would have to say that number 4 was my favourite, but this totally overtook it by such a wide margin! It's nice to see the over arching plot start to reveal itself too.
Keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to the next one :)
I agree with most of the compliments and criticisms of the game. Certainly there aren't many freeware writers out there on par with Grundislav; rather than getting too het up with the imperfections with the game, maybe we should be grateful that there are people out there making games of the quality of the BJ series.
The quality of the stories and writing in the majority of AGS game is pretty poor, but authors like Grundislav and Yahtzee are a cut above.
Looking forward to BJ7.
Finished it... an adequate addition to the series.
This is a great game. But there was one thing missing...
Spoiler
"G. R. U. N. D... i s l a v grundislav"
Simply unforgivable ;)
haha stupot! Too right!
Huzzah! I'm going to give those sea people such a scourging...
Thanks Grundislav.
Aww, don't AGA and scotch look cute having their romantic bonfire ;)
And they DIE! Awesome :D
;)
Just beat it, awesome game!
The ending was highly satisfying, especially when Simon barges in.
Teehee.
Just finished the game and it was awesome! I was definitely pleased with the ending.
I look forward to your next one! Thanks for all your hard work Grundislav! ;D
Quote from: Nlogax on Sun 02/09/2007 09:23:55
I agree with most of the compliments and criticisms of the game. Certainly there aren't many freeware writers out there on par with Grundislav; rather than getting too het up with the imperfections with the game, maybe we should be grateful that there are people out there making games of the quality of the BJ series.
The quality of the stories and writing in the majority of AGS game is pretty poor, but authors like Grundislav and Yahtzee are a cut above.
Looking forward to BJ7.
I second this and admit that I think that I was a bit too harsh on my previous post.
Then again, I've always been a true fan of BJ series and since I'm a game maker too, I maybe see too much things from developers point of view and all those little things I would made better so It'd be a game of my dreams.
But it's not my game, but Grundislav's and as BJ series tend to be, a damn good one.
QuoteAnd they DIE! Awesome
PLEASE tell me that WASN'T a spoiler! I've been reading this thread very carefully, avoiding spoilers, counting the days until I have the time to play this game. CJ's post (an uncommon event outside the tech forum) caught my eye, and read it, and thought it was an in-game joke, referring to two characters. And your reply, m0ds, made me think that those two characters die.
PLEASE tell me that I've got it wrong, and that you didn't just spoil some part of the game for me.
Alliance, same comment for your 2nd sentence. Sheesh. What's so hard about using spoiler tags, especially in a game that's been as highly antecipated as this?
Call me dumb, but I can't get past the siren.
The most interesting thing in the BJ games (apart from story and puzzles) is the setting in various countries.
I got to explore scotland, Japan and even Greece. It would be great if a Ben Jordan game featured India as well!
Another good installment. The music was great, the graphics were consistent, and the story, and what was hinted at, was fun.
Criticisms:(And I haven't read anyone else's posts, so excuse me if I repeat something someone else has griped about): SPOILER WARNING
Spoiler
I hate it when Ben says "Hi, bye" type of dialog. If there is nothing currently in the dialog tree, then he shouldn't say anything.
I thought directing the ship was awkward. I would have preferred a map interface, and if you wanted to just see the ship, you could have clicked the ship. It was just annoying, when most of the time I was on the ship I intended to go somewhere, rather than just be on the ship. I understand why it was done, but I think there was a more elegant solution.
Killing the monster was very reminiscent of the Longest Journey Scene with the monster. There was nothing to really fear, and I just didn't understand what Ben couldn't have distracted the monster himself.
While I did think the drinking game was a bit silly, I did love the solution.
Overall, the game was great. What you do wonderfully, in all these games, is you have the ability to set a mood, which goes a long way. As always, looking forward to the next installment.
-MillsJROSS
I just finished it and thought it was a very fine game! I like how the last two are being set up. I have a couple of theories and such myself, but I won't say anything here for now in case I am horribly wrong!
Overall I would give Grundi's work an A-, it would be an A++ were it not for one key missed opportunity:
(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/veryweirdguy/benjordan.jpg)
I'm was disappointed in the colour of these cups Mister!
Another good Ben Jordan case! I'll post my review soon.
Reading Mills critics, I have also one: I found it very annoying to talk to the fisherman over and over again, when I wanted to go sailing. After the first time, there should be a faster option, like using the ship or something.
I need help getting past that siren. Can anyone help me????
Claudia try the hint thread.
Hmm... Never played any of these games actually. Maybe I should give it a go...?
Quote from: veryweirdguy on Mon 03/09/2007 21:30:28
I'm was disappointed in the colour of these cups Mister!
Ha, I considered making them blue for a split second, but I figured that's been done to death, and didn't want to make such an obvious reference. If it makes you happy, there is a blue cup in Case 7.
Also, I'm curious to hear your theories!
Grundislav will you marry me?
that or i might kidnap you and force you to make games.. misery-style.
jk but.. seriously, think about it.
OK... a theory of sorts.
Spoiler
Alice is not who she seems.
She knows more about Ben than possibly he even knows himself. It was her who dug up the box in the 'sun-tan lotion' cave... I don't know how she managed to get them to there and make it seem like Ben's idea...
Unless... everyone in the airport (taxi driver, black woman) were part of some big conspiracy and lied to Ben about not being able to go to Athens... Just to direct him to Angry Anna (or whatever the place is called again).
The Monster at the end was also strangely humanoid... Maybe he was just a guy in costume and didn't really kill the people on the beach (they were in on it, too and just made pretend drag marks in the sand and walked off). This would explain why he doesn't kill simon...
(okay it doesn't explain why he kills Ban if you let him, but the idea is you're not supposed to let him, so in the complete true version of the game, Ben lives, therefore the Monster hasn't killed anyone.....
This would also explain the lack of police... if nobody has really died or gone missing then of course the police have no interest.
But theres definitely a conspiracy, and Alice is definitely in on it. The last six cases, and maybe the 7th, too, have all just been mere training exercises for the real test which lies in Case 8...
Tenuous and roundabout theory I know, but it's just a couple of Idea's I had, most of which came to me as I was writing.
To be honest, my personal theory is that
Spoiler
Since everybody expects Alice for everything, it would be a brilliant plot twist if the whole betrayal thing was done by Simon.
Alice IS more than meets the eye, didn't someone say that one of the tombstones in Smailholm said "Alice Wilkins"? ... But I'm rooting for Simon to be some kind of bad-ass, too. After all, he's the one who went missing in nr. 50, and how come he and Alice are ALWAYS doing things together?
And Percy is obviously a part of things too, of course.
Spoiler
Oh yeah Percy's definitely up to something. It really hit me when the professor said that he never heard of him.
Quote from: Grundislav on Tue 04/09/2007 04:25:28
Ha, I considered making them blue for a split second, but I figured that's been done to death
Funnily enough, they seemed to stand out more to me as red than they would have blue. I thought it was some kind of anti-reference. But that's more my problem than the game's of course :P
Anyhoo, I wasn't going to discuss theories really because this isn't Lost or something, I thought there would only be a handful of people who would be interested.
But nonetheless:
Spoiler
When the oracle mentioned a betrayal, I immediately thought Simon for some reason. No logic behind that, it was just my first thought, and I was gutted as I really like Simon. Then I remembered Percy and that made more sense.
Towards the end though, I thought Alice could be in on "it" - whatever "it" is - too. As mentioned above, it's possible she took whatever was in the box. Not to mention the gravestone, that certainly raises eyebrows.
Also - and I may be mixing this up with some other piece of fiction - isn't Ben a virgin? I seem to recall this being mentioned in Case 3 or something? If he's with Alice now, that could change - or not if Alice chooses so...(if I've gotten that mixed up with an episode of Buffy or something then I apologise)
Percy is clearly a key player of course, especially now we know he definitely is not a police officer. I hope we get to see him soon so he can give us some more clues.
I do not think, however, that Ben has been played from the very start. I think there are...forces that are moving him in the right direction, namely things like Quincy showing up, but I think things such as Case 1 or Case 5 were just coincidental. There may be an overall plot arc, but each game is contained as well, not everything has to be connected necessarily.
The dreams are interesting in this Case. Either he is seeing through someone else's eyes or "reliving" a past life or life of one of his ancestors perhaps? Case 1 Deluxe hinted that Ben's grandfather might be part of things to come, and while 1805 would be too far back for him, it could be a relative of his.
I apologise if I've got any names or facts wrong. It's been a while since I played the others. I have some time free so I may play them again to refresh my mind and make some amendments.
I look forward to the next one, especially since all the interesting arcs are starting to come together.
Thank you for sending me your game BJ6, I really enjoyed playing it.
The game is very nice, I'll be waiting for your next one.
Muchas gracias por tan buen juego. Me divertà mucho jugándolo.
Espero tu próximo juego.
Bye!!!
Quote from: olafmoriarty on Tue 04/09/2007 07:05:56
To be honest, my personal theory is that
Spoiler
Alice IS more than meets the eye, didn't someone say that one of the tombstones in Smailholm said "Alice Wilkins"? ...
The above can't surely be a coincidence! It also seems a remote possibility that Alice had an ancestress with the same name 200 years ago. What I think when I put two and two together is:
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The present Alice Wilkins is well...not really alive. I also think Mary has something common with her/something to do with her. :-\ The "betrayal" could just be when Ben finds the truth about Alice being dead.
This probably might be the most weird theory so far, but I strongly suspect this.
Reading these has been very interesting! I'm glad to see people are paying attention and picking up on stuff. Keep them coming!
Now, not to be too spoileriffic, (is that a word? oh well, it is now) but I felt I should respond to a few of them.
Stupot:
Spoiler
An interesting idea, but I can assure you there is no "big conspiracy." The Knights Templar are not behind any of the stuff going on. There is a main "source" linking everything together, but it's not on a global scale or anything like that.
olafmoriarty:
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Of the 3 paragraphs in your theory, one of them is correct.
Jhumjhum:
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You have definitely got some of the right ideas...just not exactly the right ones ;)
Also, for those who have REALLY been paying attention:
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The link between the subject of Ben's dream in Case 6, the matter of the tombstone in Smailholm, and Alice can kind of be found out by stuff both in the games and included with them...
But it will be explained fully by the end of the series if you're still stumped.
About the overall plot:
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Whoa, so the guy in Ben's dream is actually Marcus Wilkins who wrote about Zortherus in the Paranormal Investigator's handbook? Will the last game take us to New England, I wonder?
So, another comment.
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It seems that the Alice Wilkins tombstone was one of the more obvious foreshadowing things in the entire series. If Alice is an enemy I'll be mad because Ben deserves a woman. Really.
Okay, I have an account now.
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I noticed a real resemblence between Mary Blaine in Case 5 and Alice in Case 6.
What I really want, but don't want at the same time, is an "All vs Ben" type thing. Ben has most likely been set up from the beginning.
Mike didn't you read what Grundislav said? It hasn't been since the very beginning. And it doesn't include everybody.
Darn spoiler tags! Give me a second...
- Huw
Okay, what's the code to make a spoiler hiding thing? :(
GG is clearly onto something though! Good job in finding that in the Handbook!
And roll on Case 7!
Huw: [spoiler]Here thar be spoilers[/spoiler]
My theory:
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Grundislav stole the whole plot from Micheal Crichton's Timeline :D
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Hey maybe there is something to this Simon theory. I'm playin case 4 and the psychic/seer woman Madame Rosenquist said that Simon was reckless and it could lead to tragedy. And she had a vision about Simon and all she saw was a black void.
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That sounds to me more like he's not gonna have a happy ending than he'll betray our man, to be honest...that would be a shame 'cos I like Simon.
My Girlfriend and I just finished this game and we really enjoyed it. I particularly liked uncovering the 'reality' behind greek myths.
As far as theories go, is it too much to hope that...
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...everything turns out lovely, and everyone is alive and happy in the end?
LOL Ali I don't think so. It would be nice wouldn't it!
Also I remember something else when playing case 4:
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When Ben's in Percy's office (an office that oddly has a chair for Ben but nothing for Percy to sit in) he says they he'll be in touch and then leaves. And after he's gone Percy says "You most certainly well be" in an evil sinister way!
Oh yeah he's totally up to something.
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...and he claims to have gone to Oxford but didn't...
...and he's on the plane in case 5...
...and Grundislav has said that Percy is important in other threads...
Hey Hammerite you used the wrong tags. It's not "spoiler" it's "hide" :)
Nice game, I thought the soundtrack was fantastic and well worth the wait for it. Looking forward to the next one ;D
Quote from: CosmoQueen on Thu 06/09/2007 19:36:01
Hey Hammerite you used the wrong tags. It's not "spoiler" it's "hide" :)
Oh, right.
I'll change it now. ;)
I wonder what the scrapped case was going to be about...
will Grundy ever tell us?
Hi!
Grundislav, After reading your reply I played case 3 again and read the paranormal handbook chapter that came with it. I have got another idea that is...
Spoiler
Is Alice a witch? She is the same Alice Wilkins who was supposed to be "Smailholm's oldest resident" She somehow survived the destruction of the Pennsylvania cult in 1804? Ben Jordan is also from Pennsylvania. Is he a reincarnation or something? Maybe that's why Zortheus specifically wanted to sacrifice him in case 3?
I also observe that Zortheus and Mary don't "die" in case 3 like the other witch-townsfolk. Mary just disappears when assaulted by Zortheus and so does Zortheus when he is stabbed by the stake.
But maybe, this time I'm going way offtrack with my overactive imagination. ;)
Very interesting....I'm gonna go play case 3 again!
Soooooo.... another great Ben Jordan Game! :=
First of all allow me to compliment you on the background & the animations, which are just exactly what you'd expect Greece to look like. Great job on that, just like you did with the previous game with Japan.
Second, the music is great and the sound effects are especially excellent for the way they contribute to the atmosphere. The song of the Siren was especially awesome.
But what I like most about this game (the whole series in fact) is how the game flows. The dialogues, puzzles & cutscenes advance the plot in just the right pace, and you just play through the game as if you're in the story, cos everything is just right and it just flows. The puzzles are challenging but not frustrating to the point where you get stuck too much, I did have to consult people in the hints& tips section but not too much, it didn't hurt the flow of the game. You even managed to take a hated adventure game bummer - the maze - and make it enjoyable since A) well it just fits in the location of the game with the minotaur and all, and B) it was a fair maze, not too hard and you can go through it and do what you're supposed to do without frustrating endless random wandering.
For all that you deserve many many credit because so very few people can do achieve just this pace & flow in a game. Kudos!
Also, the side stories - the Alice thing and the dreams have complimented the main plot and added to the overall atmosphere, fuin & flow of the game. The dreams are especially a great addition, they make you thing and they keep you in mystery for the next games (or previous ones as has been suggested in the thread).
Wonderful game,,,,,, Thank you..... I have not come back to this forum for quite awhile now because so many of the games were not Ben Jordan games, or games like Wretched (Bog) use to make...... Glad I did come back to see you had made another one, I really enjoy Jordan games............Made my day..........Please keep on making them, you are so good at it......
I'm having this weird urge to make a fangame...
would it be okay?
game has good strengths and some plot/puzzle weirdness
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when i scooped a cup of seawater, i tried to use it on the oracle statue and i got a hint from ben. so i go back to the beach and enter the cabin, clicking the seawater on the bathroom door wanting to fill it with fresh water. only one way to get the right result, that's using the machine on the boat. game is too linear
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also, how come after he dives under and learns about seapeople, he doesn't go back to the oracle and see if she's been tricking them all? if she's all knowing and not a trickster, then what reason does she have to lead ben on to believe that the sea people are bad? if she is all knowing and is a trickster, then why reveal anything about sea people, knowing that ben is the person who will communicate with them when given a chance?
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only one sea-monster? according to the myth in the story, there were a lot of them. what point is there to celebrate if there could be more monsters and while the oracle remains unquestioned? also ben didn't do very much in the way of warning other campgoers of their doom. at least invite them inside the cabin! i didn't understand the rock/seaweed stuff, but glad there was a minotaur included
InCreator: Go ahead, if you want. Just be nice to the characters, please. :)
motukutonga:
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The Oracle wasn't a trickster, she just wasn't "all-knowing" as you put it. She just knew about stuff on land, like everyone else. Also, the King of the Sea People makes it clear that the monster is the last of its kind.
Here are a few fun things to try that you may have missed the first time around:
Spoiler
Did you try talking to the campers at night?
Did you try going into the campsite after seeing Alice go with Vaggelis?
How about going back and answering different things when talking to Professor Sanbourne?
Hehe. Awesome game. I loved that you used the Politecnio part. Everybody hates going to the centre of Athens that day. Good job. Paixnidia Grundislav. You've put a lot of effort on this one.
A very nice game! Better than part 5, but not as good as part 4 IMHO. The puzzles were all fitting and logical, although almost too easy and too linear. No alternative solutions, few items with more than one use, few things you could do in parallel and hardly any red herrings, which I, perhaps unfairly, found all the more noticeable because of the high quality of the rest of the game.
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For example, not being able to get fresh water anywhere except by distilling it yourself or not being to take the mirror off the wall again once you've placed it there.
I never found the walking speed too slow or too annoying, which might be related to the above point, as I never found myself walking around aimlessly not knowing what to do. I really did enjoy the animations and the audio.
I'm not sure how I feel about the storyline, both of this game in particular, which seemed a bit less exciting than what we've seen before, although the game can hardly be blamed for not surpassing every other title in an altogether great series, and, besides, my memory might be a bit off, and of the series in general at this point, which really might be up to something cool. I don't have any theories at this point and I guess I should replay all the cases to form a clearer opinion on that. I have to admit that I'm a bit worried that too much foreshadowing might spoil a twist or two.
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Betrayal by someone close? Doesn't leave that many options (at first glance). I hope it will still be a surprise when we see it happen.
Something that might be a mistake, but not being a native speaker I can't be sure (emphasis added):
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When trying to talk to the woman standing by the exit of the airport for the first time, the game tells you: "The woman shrugs and shakes her head. She must not speak English."
Somehow, I always seem to emphasize minor gripes, rather than the stuff that I liked, sorry for that and please don't get me wrong. It's a very nice game, I really enjoyed it while it lasted and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. 8)
Wow, I'm stuck. I haven't met up with the Professor at 8 yet, and there doesn't seem to be anything to do. I'm trying to get to the island depicted on the mural. Help, please! (:-\ I feel really stupid. Everyone says these are so easy, but I can never even finish the HerInteractive Nancy Drew games without help!)
EDIT: Tsk. Figures once I ask for help, I figure it out.
Please post calls for help in the Ben Jordan 6 thread (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=32242.0) on the Hints and Tips (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?board=7.0) board. If you feel stupid, it should be for not reading the forum rules (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=1615.0) and not for being stuck, which is something that happens to all of us from time to time. ;)
I haven't finished the game yet but I would like to mention that from what I saw so far it is reminding me VERY MUCH of KQ6 "Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow". Some island backgrounds and the labyrinth backgrounds are looking quite similar (not in style but in composition), there's also "an island shrouded in mists" in KQ6 and I think even the same words are being used for it, the whole island-labyrinth-minotaur-oracle-???-thing... and I'll wait what else will come ;)
As I am sure that Grundislav does not need to steal ideas, I'd just think it's some kind of hommage ... could I be right there? After all, it's the same number in the series ...
I loved this game along with the rest of the series. Thanks!
Quote from: Anym on Mon 10/09/2007 14:39:44
Something that might be a mistake, but not being a native speaker I can't be sure (emphasis added):
Spoiler
When trying to talk to the woman standing by the exit of the airport for the first time, the game tells you: "The woman shrugs and shakes her head. She must not speak English."
OK, I'm putting my teacher's hat on. Grammar lesson coming up... :) Ignore if you aren't interested.
The sentence is correct but ambiguous, because "must" can be used in at least two ways in English, and this sentence can be read in either of these two ways.
"She must..." can mean either "she is required to ..." or "It must be true that she ..." (in other words, "I think that she ..." or "I believe that she ..."). So
Spoiler
"She must speak English" can mean "She is required to speak English" (rather than another language) or "It must be true that she speaks English".
Now, in English, "must not" usually means "is required not to", so when it is used to mean "It must be that ... not ...", it can look a bit strange because the meaning is not always clear. So
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"She must not speak English" looks like it means "She is required not to speak English" (but to speak another language instead) rather than "It must be true that she does not speak English."
So, to avoid this ambiguity, you can reword the sentence as something like
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"It must be that she doesn't speak English." or rewrite it as something like "I don't think she speaks English."
So the sentence is fine as it is, but ambiguous.
The same applies to "can":
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"She can't speak English" might mean "She is not able to speak English" or "It can't be true that she speaks English."
OK, grammar lesson over... does that help, Amyn? Maybe you knew all this already, because your English looks as good as any native speaker's to me.
Wow. Another Ben Jordan case!!! Must download now.
Edit: Just finished it. It wasn't as scary as the previous cases, but I liked the remaining half of the game a lot. This is a great series nevertheless. I can't wait for the next one.
Finally completed it.
Great BJ game! Like the puzzles and the story timming.
(minus the dough one)
:D
I finished the game a bit late :) 6th game looks shorter or easier to me. But the story, is amazing. Considering 6 games of the serie, Ben Jordan tells you more than paranormal matters and you start to wonder what will happen in the next game. You may call me crazy but i think Ben Jordan should be a good Hollywood movie :)
I like this game series a lot. I think my favorite is "Horror at Number 50".
That being said, I think this is probably the weakest game in the series. It lacked the details that made me enjoy the last two games so much. The plot was kind of flimsy too.
Why did they just leave the monster's body on the beach? If Ben had taken it with him, it would have been a major discovery! Then maybe his parents wouldn't be nagging him about getting a "real" job, as the teasers for the latest game suggest.
This also seemed to easier than the other games. It's the first one I've been able to complete without consulting a walk-through. I liked that, but at times it seemed a little too easy.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next installment. The developments concerning Percival Quentin Jones were very interesting, and I can't wait to see if we learn more in the next game.
Grundislav... Wonderful Game... I've played 3 or 4 so far. Always entertaining. Sometimes people can be very harsh in their criticism. So much work!!!... and incredible work it is!!! Don't let em get you down. Keep it up. There's one person out here and probably many others that think the time, energy, creativity and ingenuity is mind boggling in this democratic world where criticism is more important than thankfulness. Well done!
Hi! I really enjoyed this game...until now. Well, to cut to the chase, I have around 50 points and i'm supposed to make the fisherman translate the inscription on a statue. I did everything right, I even read some walkthroughs but i can't use the notepad on the fisherman. I get a message that " i don't wanna give things away just like that"...or something like that... Can anyone help me? Maybe I'm doing something wrong... :(
I really like this game.
Woo! Way to dig up a 9 month old thread. ;)