Some of my personal favorite video games came with the ability to choose a pathway. A strong narrative with options as to where the story can go has made for some incredible gameplay. While I’m not the biggest history buff, I was still rather intrigued as to how Herald: An Interactive Period Drama would play out as it gave players a choice-driven adventure set in an alternate historical timeline.
The game, Herald: An Interactive Period Drama, by development team Wispfire, takes place in an alternative 19th century where players control the protagonist Devan Rensburg. We quickly learn that Devan Rensburg has left living the life under a colonial superpower in order to seek his original homeland.
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Devan knows very little of his homeland as he was adopted,leaving his birth country while just a baby though he seeks to learn more of culture roots and perhaps locate his birth parents. In order to get there, Devan took a position on a merchant ship known as HLV Herald. While on-board the HLV Herald, Devan becomes responsible for keeping the peace and solving any problems the inhabitants of the ship may have whether it be crew of passenger.
It’s here that the game sets players up for episodic stories, each will tell their own adventure of Devan’s. Currently, there are two installments available right now with two more slated to launch as episodic content at a later date.
If you enjoy point-and-click adventure titles then there are a number aspects that you might keep a close eye on during gameplay. This can include the narrative, voice acting, collectibles, and overall details. I’m glad to say that there are really no big gripes when it comes to these aspects leaving the game a nice little unique experience.
Graphically, the game offers a slightly more cartoonish visual style with bright vibrant colors along with an image displaying right next to the dialogue box of whichever character you may be speaking with. This ultimately comes down to preference, but in a game that focuses on conversation, the backgrounds and scenery really pop making it more of a delight when listening in on NPCs or simply wandering about the ship.
Speaking of conversations with characters, the game features satisfying voice acting. Each character has a voice that brings life to the NPC and since conversation is a key factor for the game, overall quality in the acting could have easily hinder the gameplay.
Gamers will spend plenty of time going through each NPC conversation and solving their problems. Of course, the choices you make will further tweak how the game plays out. Though outside of conversations, players can explore their surroundings and discover collectible items, each with a description background that can be read in a separate log Devan keeps with him at all times.
What some gamers may enjoy in particular about this adventure is that both current available adventures for Devan Rensburg are relatively short. Each installment, which are known as Books in the game, will take about four hours to go through. With that said, because choice plays a role in the overall gameplay experience, some players may find an interest in replaying the story to see where certain narrative choices will lead them.
Likewise, the point-and-click adventure doesn’t require a powerhouse rig to run. All that’s needed is a dual-core processor at 2.4 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, and a Direct X9 video card which will meet the minimum system requirements.
Players interested in giving Herald: An Interactive Drama a shot can download the title right now through Steam.
Disclosure: A copy of the game was provided for review.
