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Hype: The Time Quest June 4, 2002 Price: $10 (full retail packaging)
Hype: The Time Quest is a game that probably never should have been made. While ostensibly for young children, possessing an uncanny resemblance (to the point of plagiarism) to the Nintendo 64 hit, Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, it is often too hard for its targeted age group. Few parents purchasing the game for their children will have a large-format game pad controller attached to the PC, forcing kids to attempt it instead with a myriad of key strokes, ramping up the difficulty level even further. On the other hand, while the game makes good use of the venerable playmobil (spelled lower case) toy license, relatively few adults will find the nostalgia of the game compelling. For those who do not know, playmobil is a brand of young children's toys that are international, culturally diverse, and often verge on being an art form. The small figures that populate the world are minimalist in design, yet the accessories are all interchangeable, down to the boots and hats--all tailored to the twenty or so different eras and themes represented within the playmobil lineup.
Unfortunately, the toys themselves are often prohibitively expensive as the larger play-sets often cost upward of $150 US, far more than competing offerings by other brands. Because of this, more gamers will recognize the faces and environs of Hype: The Time Quest from wistful memories of catalogs and in-store displays rather than childhood play. Drawing from both the medieval and "magic" playmobil settings, Hype: The Time Quest really does manage to infuse the toys with life--their blocky forms becoming more of an asset representing an alternate reality than a limitation of the rather simplistic graphic engine (which is limited to 640x480 resolution, 16bit color, and features many items such as swords and shields only as 2D decals).
However, the material not drawn directly from the toys, such as the typical forests and underground caves connecting the major locations, are as boring and poorly rendered as the vast expanses of living room carpet that might surround their real life counterparts. The game tells the story of Hype, a knight who was transformed into a statue and sent back in time--a double curse turned blessing. Revived by the help of a fledgling magician (and eventually befriended by a peculiarly morose dragon), Hype must then travel through four eras in his quest to defeat the Black Knight.
Hype has many weapons at his disposal: a sword, a crossbow (able to be aimed in a special first person view) as well as magic spells and items--so many that a controller with a minimum of ten buttons is necessary to fully enjoy the game and execute special moves such as sidesteps to avoid the many projectiles that enemies use. Necessary jumps are also unforgiving, making the game a good deal more difficult than it is intended to be--and is only compounded by the save system which only records a player's progress at predefined points. In stark contrast to such fatal falls, events such as timed races (which reward the player with special bonuses such as being able to carry more arrows or potions) can truly be considered child's play.
Hype: The Time Quest is a game in search of an audience. UbiSoft
miscalculated when they assigned a relatively steep learning curve
to the game featuring both instant deaths and a console inspired save
system. Though Zelda: The Ocarina of Time was attractive to
gamers of all ages, Hype: The Time Quest really suits none.
As it met with limited distribution, it is often hard to track down
for a bargain bin price--though it may be well worth it for those
who wish to revisit the world of playmobil, lacking children of their
own. by Richard Leader |
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