July 16, 1999
First Riddle of the Sphinx™ beta-release demo is reviewed on The Edge.com
Riddle of the Sphinx: NEWS JUST IN – July 13 1999
“We at The Edge are proud to announce that, as far as we know, we are lucky enough to be the only people this side of the US to take a peek and a play at the game – we were sent the very latest (and, we are told, the last) Beta version of the game this morning from the developers themselves.
“Whilst not allowed to distribute or sent the software anywhere, let me tell you personally that Riddle of the Sphinx looks like being THE game of 1999, adventure game or not. The atmosphere it generates, with intense egyptian-poowered music, rapid animation as you move swiftly from one location to another, astoundingly accurate visuals plus attention to detail, all makes the title truely an astonishing prospect. Not since the likes of Riven have we seen such true devotion to perfection.
“The demo gives you four options. Two different locations allowed you access to the control system – the tent and the secret passageways. Both were outstanding. Think of all the things that made Myst and Riven great, atmosphere, sound, great visuals, and multiply this by infinite. From what The Edge has seen, ROTS is certainly something to rave about. For example, the two playable sections have so much scope for depth and exploration, that they make the more intense sections of Myst look almost dull.
“The attention to detail is superb. In the tent section you are able to select any of three cassettes, insert it in the tape recorder, rewind, or fast forward, as in a normal device, reset the counter, record, turn the volume up and down, eject, etc etc. These might be small points on their own, but collectively you begin to see the wealth of hypnotic detail within the game. In the same section, clicking on the bed causes you to sleep – you hear yawning, and the screen gradually closes til darkness ensues. Another click on the mouse and the reverse, til you awaken and its dark again. You can light your match, blow it out, get a key, and test it in numerous locks. You can do just about anything you’d imagine in a normal tent!
“Okay, so perhaps we seem to be raving about nothing! Perhaps. But consider that this is merely a thousanth of the entire game and you start to see its depth. In the secret passageway section you must negotiate through a maze of…you guessed it…passageways, til you reach a box with sword. With the combination of almost eerie Egyptian-style music, the hieroglyphic details on all walls, with a faultless interface which actually LETS you go forward and not to the left or right by mistake, this one’s shaping up VERY nicely indeed.
“Dont be surprised if THIS is the game to turn those heads that said, a single year ago, the genre was dead. Riddle of the Spinx promises something TRUELY AWESOME. From what we’ve seen, it looks like it might just deliver too!”
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