REVIEW : Faraday Protocol (XBOX Series X)
Faraday Protocol is a first-person puzzle adventure game with a substantial backstory that builds the scene. You play Rug Zeekon, a galactic archaeologist who resembles a futuristic Indiana Jones minus the hat and whip. Your superiors have dispatched you to investigate a strange signal emerging from an old planet. When you arrive in this mystery location, you are greeted by a strange voice saying, “Welcome to Opis.” It’s here that you enter a massive structure and then through a series of trials and tests that, over time, disclose some of the ancient civilization’s secrets.
The tale is engaging, and I appreciate how the writers were able to drip-feed information about the plot into the game’s main mechanics throughout a play. I’ve also enjoyed the framing for what is primarily a puzzle game.
The game immediately throws you into the puzzle arena, placing you in a room or location and requiring you to complete a series of activities and solve the riddles to unlock the exit. Your character can leap, move, and interact with objects. On the other hand, Faraday Protocol does not hold your hand or lead you as much as a typical lesson would, especially in the beginning. However, everything appears to be in order, and you are satisfied.
Many puzzles threatened to stay, and even longer puzzles were solved in about 8 hours. It’s a good place for puzzle games. When the puzzle is solved, the chime sounds first to let you know you’re heading in the right direction. Considering that some puzzles require the element to be fired out of sight to continue, this is nice. Collectables are also hidden here and there, but I’ve never seen them before. I usually encounter at least one in other titles, so I think these are hidden well. Faraday Protocol talks about an adventurer who got lost in a strange world and is looking for an answer about where he is, why he is here, and what happened to the people in front of him. I am. It’s fun enough and combined with great visuals, RKB has created a real sense of location and size. I’m almost not so keen on the aesthetics of black and gold, as the rooms all feel the same, but that doesn’t mean it’s not technically well done.
In terms of music, the game helps our investigation more pleasant by playing various symphonies from time to time, which, without distracting us from exploring and solving puzzles, the game fills in some of the space in the scenes. The noises of the platforms moving, the shots of our tool and the dialogues of our characters for his blog of artificial intelligence that directs us are all very well done, particularly the latter, which made me grin more than bizarre-sounding without the framework of the story at first.
The puzzles are difficult to define, yet they all manage to start simple and advance to increasingly intricate circumstances as you progress. One early example is matching several symbols in a room by turning switches and opening the exit door. But then you’re given your very useful equipment, which I like to refer to as the sucky gun.’ It’s a gun that absorbs light from blue or orange alien sculptures strewn about the levels and fires it out to activate doors, switches, platforms, and jump pads. You can only use one charge at a time, with the orange one supplying power and the blue one connecting powered sources.
When written down, it appears difficult. However, it is quite simple to use. It does, however, reach a high level of intricacy, and you will find yourself scratching your brain and roaming around aimlessly, looking for a solution at times.
Faraday Protocol is a futuristic design that incorporates elements of ancient Egyptian design. The black onyx style, which is associated with the Egyptians, embellishes several levels on display in the form of statues and hues. The futuristic elements fit well with the platforms, doorways, and puzzles themselves. It’s a visually appealing game with a lot of eye appeal. That ambience is carried over into the audio and soundtrack, which create a mysterious environment accentuated by eerie sounds. However, the price of admission to Faraday Protocol appears to be a little too high, and it may be reduced to allow the game to become more competitive. It maintains a high level of gameplay and level design throughout, especially when considering hidden items to find in various levels, giving players an incentive to revisit certain regions.
REVIEW : First Class Trouble (PC)
