The Little Big Adventures
Aaah, another pair of oldies but goldies. I wonder why I haven't thought of writing about these two games before? Anyway, on with it ...
The two LBA's take place on the planet Twinsun. You take the role of Twinsen, whom you guide across the planet in an attempt to free Twinsun from the threat of the evil dictator Dr. FunFrock. The action is viewed from an isometric perspective, where everything is pre-rendered and looks very good in a smooth, cartoonish kind of way. In the second game outdoor scenes are all 3d, viewed from different camera views. This makes it look very good and move at good speed even on slower computers. Both views still look very good today, as do the wonderful characters and animations. Twinsen is a joy to behold as he moves through the world. He has four different "modes" which affect his behaviour: normal, athletic, aggressive and discreet. The last one is especially funny, in discreet mode Twinsen sneaks around using very long toe-tip steps, and every step is accompanied by a "dum"-like sound.
Gameplay generally consists of running around, talking to people, doing some careful platform jumping, picking up different objects and fighting different enemies. The controls themselves are a little frustrating at times, and some jups are hard to align correctly for in the isometric perspective. The game has a very open-ended feeling to it, a bit into the game you often have quite a lot of places to visit and a lot of problems to solve at the same time. The problems aren't all that difficult, although some jumping can be, so the story tends to move along at a nice pace.
Everything is accompanied by some great music, which really sets the mood for the game. It gives a story book kind of feeling, quite soft and calm but with a hint of worry in it. The music of a calm little world troubled by evil, just right for the game. In fact, the music is so good you can listen to it without playing the game and enjoy it.
You don't really want these two games to end, you just want to keep on exploring different wonderful locations, especially in the second game's 3d view, pick up more bonuses and solve more puzzles. Fortunately, there is a lot of each game so you won't finish too quickly. PC Gamer compared the second game to a bottomless jar of candy. You start eating slowly, and then suddenly you realize you're so deep into it you can't get out, but you don't mind beacuse there is nowhere else you'd rather be. They're right on target ...
I want more!
