I love the classic gamebooks from the 80’s. I fondly remember the furious back-and-forth page-turning to see which decision would be the best one, the fingers jammed into various places in the book to mark important decisions that could be revisited, and the sheer wonder at the fact that I could play a game in book. So I was excited about Australian studio Tin Man Games’ adaptation of what was probably one the most innovative and interesting gamebooks I have ever played, Steve Jackson’s Appointment with F.E.A.R.
A self-styled “interactive graphic novel”, Appointment with F.E.A.R. fully embraces the camp spectacle of the 80’s superhero comic book with humorous, self-mocking panache.
The beautifully-made artwork, much of it taken directly from the original, does much to set the tone of the game. Over-the-top costumes, bold colors, and crisp lines, sometimes peppered with subtle animation. What’s not to like? You even get a choice of typeface.
You begin by creating your character, choosing from a number of preset looks and names. The interface here is a little clunky and slow, but the process is short enough that it isn’t too big of an issue. The sheer absurdity of the preset “supernames” masks any frustration with a heavy coating of “WTF?”-style hilarity.
Once you finish creating a character (which includes picking a super power from a choice of four), you’re plonked into a richly-colored, goofy world of a comic-book caper. As a superhero with an undercover day-job, you simply go about your day, waiting for hijinks to ensue. Missions can range from stopping a band of (literally) flaming punks from burning down a mall, to a nabbing team of alchemists who are melting through the locks at a bank, andare filled with wacky humor and geeky references: What do you put on over your superhero costume to blend into the crowds? A pair of glasses. What gadget are you handed to help defeat one of the big baddies? “Looks like a sonic-powered screwdriver!”
For the most part, Appointment with F.E.A.R. plays just like a text adventure: when presented with a dilemma, you choose from a list of actions or things to say, and see what happens next. However, the original book had a cool “clue” mechanic which is nicely reimagined for the digital world: certain actions yield mysterious clues, and at different points in the story, you’re allowed to rifle through all of your clues to see which ones apply to your current situation. Pick the right one, and the outcome of your mission may change dramatically. While not particularly challenging, the clues do add a fun element of problem-solving to the interactive fiction genre.
Combat is turn-based and equally simple: each round, you pick from a weak but easy attack, a moderately-powered attack, and a strong but inaccurate attack, basically trading blows with your opponent until one of you is downed. Even in a fight, the game’s humor shines through. Instead of picking “moderate attack” you may choose to “rub a cat to charge your electrical powers”, while landing psychic hit might cause your opponent to “see a vision of tax-collectors”. Unfortunately, battles can get a little tedious; I’ve certainly spent many-a-battle where round after round goes by with neither party landing a hit, and impatience quickly overcomes my interest in the witty banter.
My major gripe with the game is with the ending (no spoilers, I promise). Throughout the game, even while you’re dealing with purse-snatchers and park-monsters, there’s an underlying goal of obtaining clues in order to infiltrate a meeting of a super-villains that’s supposed to occur in three days’ time. Unfortunately, based on which missions you decide to take, you simply may never find the right clues. It’s not about failing or succeeding at stopping the various nefarious characters you encounter, it seems to just be about which parts of the game you decide to explore, with no indication of which ones would help you with your end-goal. And since many missions are semi-randomly assigned to you, you may have to play multiple times before you manage to get the right clues to win. I played the game three times over before finally winning, and that included a lot of rewinding (which the game allows). So while I respect the idea of a challenge, a game that’s impossible to win unless you make exactly the right choices doesn’t sit too well with me. I shouldn’t have to rewind and repeat in order to succeed (unless that’s what the game’s specifically about, see Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time).
Ultimately, although a game driven by the written word may not be for everybody, Appointment with F.E.A.R. is a fun romp that faithfully conveys the spirit of the original sourcebook. While there will undoubtedly be a few of moments when you just want your game to get on with it, and while it may take a few playthroughs to actually nab the baddies, you’ll nevertheless have a fun time doing it.
Hardcore?
Sure!
Fun, campy and replayable. Unfortunately, random win conditions mean you do have to replay it. If you want to win.