Ankh: Curse of the Scarab King

Point and click adventure games have always been a long lost love for me. When I was younger I was always playing the classic point and click games like Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island and Sam & Max. Whilst I have fond memories of these games I have never really played any other point and click games that have made me feel the same as when I was a child. So will this game fill me with fond memories of yesteryear or will it just be another dud game?

One thing we have to remember is that this game was originally for the PC and this is where point and clicks were at their greatest, so to move a game like this onto the DS has had its effect on the game. You start off as the main character Assil as you are trying to have a party in an ancient tomb and after an accident you break a few holy urns and end up unleashing a curse. So it’s up to you to go and speak to the pharaoh and try to get the curse lifted.  

The first problem I had with this game was the un-skippable cut-scene which you have to sit through. After the initial cut-scene you are then treated to all the characters from the game having a song and dance about Cairo and what type of place it is. This is fun for the first thirty seconds but defiantly not something that I found myself wanting to sit through every time I started the game. You will restart due to the number of issues I had with this game.

Once this is finally over you get yet another cut-scene which you have to sit through before you get to start playing the game.  Onto the gameplay itself then, the first problems are the low quality you get with the DS screens as all the action is cramped on onto one of them. While all the actions you can do are under icons at the bottom of the screen it would have been nice if you could have quickly selected them via the buttons on the DS saving you time. The next problem is that the top screen on the DS really isn’t used which is sad seeing as most things could have been put up there, for example your inventory so you didn’t have it on the bottom screen yet again. You can move your character via the D-pad but you will rarely use this as it’s quicker to just touch on the screen where you want him to go and it seems to make him move a little faster.

The game is set in a 2D/3D setting which does make the camera angle awkward at times and things can seem to get in the way. The graphics are detailed for a DS game and the background images are wonderfully done but there are some issues with objects you need blending into the background as well as some instances where your character can’t go where you want them to. On a whole the story telling in this game is very good and the humour, though in drips and drabs, does make it worthwhile. The voice acting is good apart from the quality of the sound but this is due to the size restraints on the DS cartridges which obviously can’t be helped, All of the cut scenes are well done and there isn’t a frames-per-second drop or issues with them at all and most of the seem to help link the storyline together.

The humour is well placed if a little too overdone, the fact that this game was aimed at a younger generation means it is difficult to see how they could get away with adding drinking and other more adult themes into the game. This title is a little hit and miss though and many things on the copy I had were rather buggy. There is a problem with a crash after the third act on a cut scene which completely freezes up your game and makes it impossible to get out of. After a quick internet search I did find the solution but only on the maker’s German website which I had to translate.
On a whole the game is a solid yet tricky point and click game that will have you using your brain matter and getting confused and irritable. I would of loved to try the PC version to see how they both compare. I feel that as this game is quite long and most of the time you have to remember where you are and what you are doing, having this for a handheld console has no benefits. If you are a diehard fan of the genre you will probably jump straight in and have no problems. If you are new to the genre you should try and look for some older games to whet your appetite before you try this.