Jack Keane 2: The Fire Within (link to steam)
I have just recently gotten back into playing PC games, that being said, I went into this game blind not knowing what to expect.
Released by Deck13 and Nordic Games, this is the second game in the Jack Keane series of Point-and-click Adventures. Following in the footsteps of the classics PC titles such as Day of the Tentacle and Escape from Monkey Island, the gameplay and puzzle aspects of the game are very well done. As well as the visual style, it has a look that is very cartoonish…and in a good way! It has a light-hearted look that draws you in, and really adds to the storytelling. The voice acting is top notch as well, and that says a lot, because there is quite a bit of voice work going on in the game.
But on to the main review…
When the game starts, Jack is trapped in a prison cell. His cellmate is a dying Shawman who is trying to pass on the knowledge of a hidden treasure to Jack through supernatural means, along with a shard of an amulet. After a few cut scenes…Jack’s goal is to get out of the prison, meet up with his female companion…Amanda, and take off for adventures around the world to collect the other pieces of the amulet before the villain of the game…Mr. Umbati.
Huge, Grand Adventures being what they are in this day and age…Humor is a large part of this game. Not all the jokes are drop dead hilarious, and some actually fall a little flat, but even those add to the overall enjoyment of the game and solving it’s puzzles. (Some of the solutions are over the top)
Needless to say there are enough funny moments to keep you interested in the game for the long haul.
The game play is very simplistic, anyone able to click on a mouse button will be able to pickup on the game. On the flip side, the game does offers two movement schemes, the WASD, and the right mouse button. The keyboard moment will be better suited if you are used to more advanced games…and are basically there because games have moved beyond the basics of the Point and Click genre.
One part of the game that needed more fleshing out was the hand-to-hand combat. It could have been done better or left out in favor of some other means to pull it off. Combat involves seeing your enemy’s first attack through a slow motion/bullet time effect, using one of two stances to dodge, and then countering with an attack. While it may be just another puzzle aspect, since this is a point and click, it comes off feeling a bit tedious.
And as with most point and click games, it does have a few minor annoying things working against it. Such as not using the right item when trying to solve a puzzle will lead to you hearing the voice of the character saying the same phrase over and over...until you are ready to pull your hair out. Also, characters will get hung up on obstacles if you are trying to click on items on the other side of a room. So making sure your path to the item is clear is a must.
The only other issue (which wasnt really a big deal) I came across when trying to click on some items. The radius is very small on some things while others have a good sized click-able area. It didn’t interfere with the game at all, but made it a little frustrating at times.
Overall, Jack Keane 2: The Fire Within (link to steam) is a worthy Point-and-Click adventure. The game is full of life and has puzzles that are fun and tricky to solve. The humor adds some spice, mixed with some great music and visuals.
Release Date: June 28, 2013
Developer: Deck 13
Publisher: Nordic Games
Platforms: PC
