Arcana Agency: Prologue
| Category | Price | Seller | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | $4.99 | Megara Entertainment | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
Arcana Agency:Prologue is a graphical Choose Your Own Adventure game.
Arcana Agency, set in 1930s New York, puts you in the role of Humphrey Brown, a professor of anthropology who dreams of adventure and is unexpectedly hurled neck-deep in it as he turns private eye. Along the way he’ll meet interesting, suspicious, obsequious, and disreputable characters as he is pulled deeper into a mystery that threatens his health and sanity — and it’s your job to keep him sane, healthy, and on the case.
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FULL REVIEW can be read at :
http://www.frapstr.com/2009/06/22/arcana-agency-prologue/
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- toucharcade.com - "Great clean polished interface. Very nice artwork. The story is well written."
"I cant wait to read another page!"
"The choices in the game are many."
"You must, it seems, manage some sensitive personalities as the story goes on! Quite well done. I like it - Go Get It"
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Reviews
Great choose your own adventure!
GreenLightJerky
This game is very well done. The story is very well written. Lots of interesting character and dialogue. There are so many decisions to make that alter the path!! I'm impressed with the work on this game. 5 stars. Get this game if you like game/books!
Good Story
DaveMc999
You can chose how to proceed in the story after each paragraph. If you are looking for a unique choose your own adventure game, this is it.
Deciding the fate of the main character can be rather entertaining
AlbieOne
I grew up with Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books, the one’s that were actually printed on paper, and I always loved the premise of making choices that would alter the outcome of the story. Arcana Agency: Prologue is takes a rather polished approach to providing the same feel and with a story that can be hit or miss, but mostly hits depending on the route you choose. Arcana Agency combines storytelling with mini puzzles and the outcome is influenced by decisions and in some cases luck. The story’s main character is Dr. Humphrey Brown who decides to become a private investigator during his sabbatical from his anthropology professorship. The story takes him through various cases and he comes across even more interesting characters. Admittedly, the story isn’t particularly deep, but it can be entertaining nonetheless. I’ve already played through Arcana Agency a dozen times and most of the time emerged with a different result. The graphics are really well done in that old comic style, and you can even tap on them to enlarge them. The print font may be difficult for some to read, and an option with different fonts would be a good option. Additionally, beyond the opening theme song, there isn’t any background music or sound effects. The sound effects would definitely add some atmosphere to a good story. The interface is rather elegant and not complex nor cluttered. At any time during the story, you can access notes on the specific characters, a map showing the location of various venues, and even a bookmark to save your progress. As progress through the story, it can be difficult to follow along and make choices. But, if you’re focused and spend some time on it, Arcana Agency can be entertaining. The mini puzzles spice things up a bit, but the choices are what this app is all about. After reading a part of the story, a series of choices are provided and from the here the story can go in multiple directions. I’ve had instances where the story ended somewhat abruptly which can be off putting. In other cases, the story can go on for a while. Honestly, I found myself replaying Arcana Agency more than I expected, and if you like reading books like I do, this is worth considering. This isn’t for everyone, and as with stories, tastes will vary. Because of the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure format, I hope the devs continue to update the story with more storyline options or come out with other titles.
Nice idea
bwherman
Here is a game that brings me back to my childhood, though if you play straight through, you will find that it isn't very long. Like 1112, you find that just as it is getting interesting, the game is over (I think). I don't like that these episodic games are charging so much for the prologue to the story, otherwise I would give this 4 or 5 stars. Again, great game, but wait for a price drop. Also, there aren't actual minigames; there are instances where you roll one die and that is it.
What an adventure!
Prab09
This game has a peculiar graphics style thats pretty enchanting. The artwork has this smokey kinda feel that really draws you in. The background music fits the theme of the story perfectly -- like those old detective movies. This app has all the necessary components: artwork, music, character and storyline. I have not finished the game/story yet. But im definitely eager to get back to it.
A different kind of game
Maelef
First, you absolutely must like reading to enjoy this game. Even if you are a more casual reader you will enjoy it. Very well put together and the music fits quit nicely. If you like laid back games that require thinking, then this is it.
choose your own picture
simkn
Every phase of this game consists of a drawing, which takes up 2/3 of the screen, and some text, which takes up 1/3 of the screen. You read the text, then select from a few cryptic action choices. I'll describe each of these in turn. The drawings are nice and well-done, but they quickly become redundant as the same drawings are reused over and over. Sadly, the (repetitive) artwork is the game's only selling point. The text looks and reads as if it were thrown in as an afterthought (that's why I call this a "choose your own picture" game instead of a "choose your own adventure" game... there's no adventure if there's hardly any text). The dialogue is extremely clumsy, and the notation makes it unclear who is speaking at any given time. Continuity is lacking, in that you will "turn the page" and start reading something that seems completely irrelevant to what you were just reading. The text is so poorly written that I suspect English is not the author's first language. You will find little suspense, excitement, or adventure in this sloppily-written story. And now on to the action choices: as I mentioned, these are cryptic. That is because they are often just one or two words (again, too little screen real estate was used for the text in order to make way for the game's only strength: the drawings). What does a choice of "head down" mean when a woman asks you a question, and for that matter, do I even know what I'm speaking to this woman about yet? Nothing is made clear and the game reduces to a series of guesses. Making matters worse is that the action choices are often completely inconsequential. What does it matter if I choose tea or not? (I'm not making this up, that is one of your choices.) As it turns out, nothing! (I've tried both.) One more thing that appears thrown in as an afterthought is the rolling of a die. This happens on occasion. You are never told what you are rolling against (i.e., am I trying to roll above a certain number, below a certain number, and what number, and why that number?). There is a cheesy animation of a die that eventually settles on a number. You are told whether you failed or not. Then the story resumes. Some interesting dice dynamics would be a welcome addition to making this into more of a game, but unfortunately die rolls are not at all implemented in an interesting way. Apparently there is a mystery to solve here, but it's never made clear what the mission is, nor what clues you have collected. I love the 1930's setting, and a mystery game like this is a great premise. Sadly the execution here was about as poor as it gets. Don't bother paying a cent for this one.
