Les Passagers du vent
(Passengers on the Wind)
| Developer: N/A | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Infogrames | Sound: |
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| Year: 1987 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Adventure | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
5/10 | |
It’s the adaptation of a comic book series of the same name, written and illustrated by François Bourgeon in the 1980s. The original series consists of five volumes, but two sequels, each in two parts, were published many years later (2009-2010 and then 2018-2022).
The reader follows the sea adventures of a young woman, Isa, and her companions, Hoel, Mary, and Michel de Saint-Quentin, at the end of the 18th century, when the triangular trade was in full swing. The historical and maritime context is meticulously documented, supported by a realistic drawing style, tinged with a hint of eroticism. Curiously, the game skips the entire first volume and makes no effort to introduce the characters. Thus, the story begins in England, in 1780, in the following manner:
Mary: J’ai une plane aventuresque mais bonne. John s’occupe de libérer ton Hoel et Sainte-Quentin dans le nuit. Nous allons chercher eux dans la barque.
[Barely understandable French, seemingly translated from English. – Ed.]
This gives you a an idea of the confusion experienced by the player (of the French version) who knows nothing about the original work! To reassure you a bit, Mary is British, she speaks Franglais like Jane Birkin…
In the end, the text isn’t really the most baffling element once you’ve been introduced to the interface. You’re supposed to progress by clicking on the portraits of the different characters to make them talk and act. The only choice you have is the order in which you make them intervene. An unexpected click on the wrong face sometimes results in a sudden (and tragic) ending, with no way of predicting it.
I remain in awe, because creating such a simple interface (just two small buttons) and making its use so utterly abstruse is nothing short of genius!
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