Lure of the Temptress
| Developer: Revolution | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Virgin | Sound: |
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| Year: 1992 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Adventure | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
8/10 | |
While serving as the king’s beater during a hunt, Diermot the commoner found himself unwittingly caught in a battle with man-eating creatures (the Skorls). The battle took a dramatic turn, the king was killed, and poor Diermot was captured. I hope you’ve read the page explaining how to escape from a video game’s dungeons!
The story takes place in Turnvale, a once-peaceful village, until a witch arrives with an army of monsters. You know what you must do.
It’s an adventure game slightly more lively and interactive than usual, and perhaps a bit less slapstick. While one still occasionally picks up minuscule objects, barely visible in the scenery, the bulk of actions consist of dialoguing with a multitude of characters by asking the right questions. These characters have the incredible ability, when not chained to a wall, to walk and attend to their own affairs. As a result, they won’t always be stationed where the player expects them, with a key item in hand. This “human” behaviour gives rise to new gameplay possibilities, such as listening to others’ conversations, peering through windows to spy on people, and even asking a third party to accomplish a series of tasks in your stead! This innovative system known as Virtual theatre, was reprised in Beneath a Steel Sky and Broken Sword (PC and PlayStation, 1996), albeit in a less developed form.
Mouse control is easy. Simply click directly on the scene and follow the menus (left button to move and observe, right button to perform an action). Incidentally, one even has the opportunity to fight with an axe twice (simple but rather well-executed phases).
Finally, compared to other games, you don’t feel like you’re following a linear storyline. There are actually multiple ways to solve certain puzzles. However, there’s no travelling. All the action takes place in the village of Turnvale and its citadel, which often gives you the impression, rightfully so, that you’re going in circles.
Note: According to Hall of Light, one version of the game (the only one you’ll find on the internet, I believe) would suffer from a bug preventing completion if using a saved game. Solution: save exclusively via the emulator.
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