Friday, November 2, 2012

Doctor Who: The Gunpowder Plot Review

Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series two was announced shortly after series one ended. It was advertised to be a "bigger and better gaming experience" than its predecessor. This turned out to be partly true. Series two wasn't bigger than the first, as it ended up consisting of only The Gunpowder Plot. However, it definitely was a better gaming experience.

The story is the most intriguing one out of all of the Doctor Who Adventure Games episodes released.  It's nuanced enough with enough twists and turns that it could have easily been used as one of the scripts for the television show.  Some of the best moments of Doctor Who come from when the Doctor and his companions meet historical figures, and that is certainly the case here.  In grand Doctor Who tradition, of course, everything is not as it seems, and classic Whovian aliens are thrown into the mix as well.  One of the aliens in the game have not been seen since Tom Baker's time, which should be a treat for longtime fans of the show.  These aliens are given the new millenium makeovers that most of the classic Doctor Who creatures have received, but the way they are written is very true to their roots.

There is a lot of area to explore here, and a lot of people to communicate with.  Never before has a Doctor Who Adventure Game episode felt so lively.  The puzzles here are still of the casual adventure variety, but, like the last few episodes of the last series, they are varied and are not repeated as was the case in the earliest episodes.  There are also more inventory based puzzles here.  There is nothing that will stump any veterans of the genre, but it's nice to see this episode add more staples of the adventure genre into the gameplay.

The Gunpowder Plot is definitely the best episode to come out of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games.  There is more adventure-style puzzles, the casual adventure puzzles are varied and not monotonous, the storyline is interesting, and the Doctor Who aliens are written to be true to their roots.  With the understandable exception of Rory, all the characters are voiced excellently.  The music and sound effects, taken from the television series, are once again put to excellent use in the game.  Although Series two wasn't as big as was advertised, The Gunpowder Plot definitely ended the adventure games on a high note.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

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