Not Comics: Bone PC Game

I don't know anything about video games and my computer is from 1982, so I asked CR reader and games-savvy freelance journalist Gus Mastrapa if he had any thoughts to share on the free download of the new Bone game. I thought the Bone game was interesting in theory because it seemed to feature a business plan that might be appealing to a bunch of similar properties that aren't exactly served by licensing in that field right now.

Gus went above and beyond with this full report:

Some Notes on Bone: Out From Boneville

The game takes the form of a near-dead gaming genre, the adventure game. Those who have been using PCs longer than a decade may remember early examples of the genre such as King's Quest or Leisure Suit Larry. Gameplay consists of exploring areas, clicking on and interacting with onscreen items -- and most importantly taking part in conversations with characters.

Since Fone Bone isn't the kind of character to bonk people on the head ala Mario or enter a room guns-a-blazing, this seemingly antequated kind of gameplay suits the subject matter nicely.

The downloadable demo is very brief, but gives a decent taste of the game's potential. A scene in which the player, as Fone Bone, must mediate a kind of truce between Phoney and Smiley to move the game forward seems indicative of the kind of interactions the game will offer. This initial conversation puzzle speaks directly to one of the main conflicts of the comics and establishes the relationship between the three cousins nicely.

The second segment of the demo is a very simple action sequence, with about the level of challenge and depth as your average web-based Flash game. Being that the meat of games such as this come from character interaction and puzzle solving, this really comes as no surprise.

As the name suggests, the game covers the Out From Boneville story arc. I'd imagine that hope is that this budget priced game does the kind of business that will allow the Publisher to continue the story line.

At this point Bone: Out From Boneville is PC-only and is not available in retail packaging. It's highly recommended that you update your video card and DirectX drivers before attempting to play the demo.

It should be noted that Telltale has acquired the game rights to another comics-related property, Sam & Max. A sequel to the 1993 game Sam & Max Hit the Road was recently scrapped by Lucas Arts. Telltale is starting their follow-up from scratch and plans to release it episodically, adding chapters onto the initial game for a nominal fee.

Gus maintains a pop culture web site I like very much called Things I Like. Please visit it. Thanks, Gus!
 
posted 8:27 am PST | Permalink
 

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