AnaCapri: The Dream is the sequel to A Quiet Weekend in Capri. The same team developed both games. When A Quiet Weekend in Capri was first released a few years ago, it garnered some good comments for its different approach to gaming, which somewhat resembled a picture tour of a popular resort, the island of Capri. In fact, players could opt to take a tour of the island, instead of playing the adventure. The game was composed of still photographs of places and people in Capri, which players clicked on to navigate around the island.
AnaCapri takes the same approach, and is also composed of many, many photographs of the island. The actors aren't animated, but are static representations, but are static representations with voice-overs. Navigation is still accomplished by the same method of clicking on the photos to move around the island. As the game advances, players are able to use the map to get around by choosing locations on the map. These are added as they are found during the course of the game. This was also available in the previous game.
The story this time around centers on an old artifact that was once on the island of Capri. This Obelisk Disk is now almost an object of myth, although extensive oral and written descriptions of it exist from many people throughout the history of Capri. Its current whereabouts are unknown. Dr. Nico N has come to Capri to conduct research on the disk. As befits a mysterious, historical object, there are tales of mystical powers that it possesses. It’s up to you and Dr. Nico to discover the truth behind the myth.
After a very lengthy installation, players are presented quickly with the main menu, where they can choose to play either the adventure or the tour. Once the adventure is selected, another menu pops up that has instructions on how to play the game, and a few in-game options, such as having the hotspots highlighted during the game (which I highly recommend).
Unfortunately, the game instructions leave much to be desired as to the amount of information. For instance, it took me a few game sessions to figure out why my menu icons weren’t showing while I played the game. I couldn’t access the map or the inventory. I assumed it was a problem with my screen resolution, so I kept playing with that. I also tried every key on the keyboard. I finally figured out I had to right click the mouse each time I wanted the menu icons to appear. This wasn’t mentioned in the instructions.
The player is immediately drawn into the adventure. The first screen is a restaurant, where a waitress hands over a letter from the doctor who invited you to the island. You are given instructions to proceed to his house, with a few instructions on the direction. This item is placed in the inventory and can be accessed later at any time. The characters who speak are also added to the player’s journal for later perusal.
The navigation in the game is handled by clicking on directional hotspots that have arrows. Reverse arrows are available for returning. Certain set locations are added to the game for use later. Players can move around the island by these “jump” points.
As before, most of this game is spent traveling around the island. It takes forever to get to places, and using the map is the only sane method. And, it’s easy to get confused, as many of the locations look alike and the names are all in Italian, I think.
The presentation of the game is slightly amateurish in appearance, as the actors are just stills, and the dialogue is stilted. The story is also humorous in ways it probably wasn’t meant to be. To present the magical aspect and legend of the disk, a large turtle appears and speaks like Yoda to detail the story behind the disk. This is just strange. Other spirit animals appear later and speak. The manner in which people speak is also somewhat humorous.
Most of the game is spent in traveling constantly around the island and visiting various characters and speaking with them. There are some puzzles to solve, which are fairly interesting and challenging, and fit the game’s theme nicely. Most are manipulative and many are pictorial in nature. As the game progresses, aspects are added to the story like a “Dream” state, which is opposite the “Reality” state of the player.
As stated before, AnaCapri is very similar to A Quiet Weekend in Capri. If you liked that game, you’ll like this one. This is a game from a small developer, and is on a presumably tight budget. However, the story and dialogue could still be more polished. Maybe it’s just lost in the translation, but it’s pretty silly. The sheer amount of traveling also takes away from the enjoyment, for me, at least. This game is best enjoyed by players who like a leisurely stroll through picturesque locations, and aren’t too picky about voice-acting or story elements.
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Scoring:
Gameplay: 6.0
This adventure is fairly enjoyable, but detractions like excessive traveling from location to location, and the stilted dialogue and voice-acting lessen the fun. The story is also a little silly. The interface could be better explained.
Graphics: 7.0
The photographs used for the game are beautiful. The actors aren't animated, and most of the photographs are stills. After awhile, they all begin to look the same. The spirit animals who speak to Dr. Nico are animated, but they are a small part of the game and so don't add a whole lot to the game experience. The ocean in the ocean scenes is animated well, and a few of the objects have some slight animations.
Sound: 6.0
Not many sound effects, but the music is pretty good. It doesn’t always fit the scene, though.
Difficulty: MediumThe game isn’t very difficult, but the puzzles require a little thought sometimes. And, it’s easy to miss important clues if all locations aren’t visited.
Concept: 6.0
There is nothing new here from the previous game in any substantial way.
Overall: 6.0
A decent game that some people will enjoy more than others. More for those who appreciate leisurely games, and love to travel.
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TORRENT INFO:
Category: PC
LanguaGe: English
Type: Adventure
Quality: DVD
Format: ISO
Size: 5.20 GB
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