Cleo - a pirate’s tale
„Cleo - a pirate’s tale“ is a Solo Developed Retro Pixel Art Pirate Adventure with a lot of nostalgic flair, humor and a linear story, inspired by the old Zelda games and the classic LucasArts adventure games.
THE STORY:
„What is the most important part of a story?“
Cleo is a 14 year old cynical girl, living a repetitive life with her father in a bar. She knows everything about the epic adventures of pirate legend Captain Cabeca, but in her everyday life, she is just surrounded by boring fishermen and unsuccessful pirates, hanging around at the counter.
But when Cleo finds a strange pirate-logbook and sees a ghost, who gives her a mysterious hint, her boring life is about to get turned upside down. She is thrown into a dangerous adventure and finds herself in a world of lies, deceit, greed and bad breath - the world of pirates - and most of them are looking for the same thing:
THE TREASURE OF ETERNAL MEMORY.
KRAKEN FODDER:
“Kraken Fodder” is a mini game inside the game.
It is a card and dice game, which is taken pretty seriously among fishermen and pirates. One round takes about 5 minutes and the game is about destroying your opponents card deck with canon balls. HAHAHAR!
Throughout the game, Cleo has to play this card game against a few NPCs.
The game was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2020. The release is planned for late 2021 with full voice acting in English and German.
ARRRGH!
Read More: Best Pirates Top-Down Games.
The Curse of Monkey Island
My favorite game of all time, hands down. I play it every year or so since I first played it, probably in 2000 where I bought it at a store that sold used video games that came in CD cases (this was a 2-CD game). There is one significant problem with this game: I’ve been searching for its equal ever since, and I’ve never found it. The gentle mix of humor, of lightheartedness, challenging puzzles, voice acting by Dominic Armato, the beautiful graphics and amazing musical score… Nothing comes close. I don’t think that the folks who created this knew what they were making at the time, it was just another game from LucasArts. Bill Tiller did the graphics, and there is something so soothing about the visuals. I think most importantly is the intelligence of the puzzles, where each item you get will be put to use in some creative form later on in the game in a way that makes you think about what you’re doing and what is possible, but doesn’t go too far in difficulty nor is it too easy, either. The fact that all of this came together in one game is truly remarkable feat.
– Real player with 25.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Pirates Cult Classic Games.
I never got the chance to play one Monkey Island game until now, and this is actually my first eventhough it’s the third xD. I’m clearly missing a lot of references to the first and second game, there are some characters that I can tell is not the first time “we” met so I’m clueless to most of the funny bits regarding these ones.
The humor is the best part of the game, at least to me. I had lots of fun with the dialogs and incredibly horrible dad jokes. Puzzles are sometimes hard to understand, there may be very very very little objects you thought you clicked on but you didn’t , maybe you thought you could solve the puzzle certain way because it’s the most logical to you but NOT and the solution is one of the silliest you could ever think of. So yeah, puzzles are not exactly unfair but rather… weird? You just gotta get used to the game’s logic, that’s all.
– Real player with 11.9 hrs in game
Flynn and Freckles
| Byte-sized review | A platform adventure best left marooned on a deep sea ocean island |
| Review | I adore 2D/3D colourful platformers (next to RPG’s it’s my second favorite genre). In fact some of my favorite gaming memories consist of myself huddling around the NES, SEGA Mega Drive, Playstation 1 and 2 playing through each systems latest colourful platformer, often staying up into the wee hours of the morning getting lost in each ones world. While the genre has fallen out of favor somewhat unfortunately with the big publishers thankfully we have indie game studios trying to rekindle the flame and through that we have seen a popular resurgence with 2D 8/16 bit adventures such as Shovel Knight and The Messenger and in the 3D realm with the brilliant A Hat in Time to the mediocre and somewhat disappointing Yooka-Laylee (disappointing considering the talent behind this one) to even Crash Bandicoot making an appearance on modern systems with the well received Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy. The moment I saw Flynn and Freckles pop up on the Steam store I knew I immediately had to give it a try. Sadly, and really it pains me to do this because I can see the developers clearly have the same love for the genre as I do even citing Spyro, Guybrush and Crash in the credits as inspiration for the game, I just can’t recommend this game. While the PS2 aesthetics didn’t bother me in the slightest (I found the graphics quite charming in a simple way) what is unfortunate is how bland and unremarkable the adventure is. Had this released in the early noughties it would probably have gone completely unnoticed as well and while it tries to pay homage to the era it does nothing to make it stand out. Coupled with terrible animations (Flynn walks like he has a carrot stuck up his backside) and a dull-as-dishwater plot (young pirate searches for the treasure of one fabled pirate), I could have probably gotten over those issues and simply given the game a “meh” rating if it were not for the one mechanic that simply ruins it all, a mechanic you need to absolutely nail in a platform adventure, you know - the jumping bits. Jumping bits that require precision but that are totally broken. I spend more time dying and getting frustrated with the jumping, especially since the game is quite puzzle heavy (nothing taxing), but often requires that the jumping mechanic actually works, which it doesn’t. Lots of trial and error ensured much to my chagrin. The second major issue I have with this game is that it only saves periodically but not enough (mostly only when you enter a new area) and should you die (and you will thanks to the broken jumping mechanic) you are often forced to replay through large sections, having to resolve puzzles you just solved (and often struggled to solve because of the jumping mechanic working against you). This ultimately ends up sinking this adventure. |
– Real player with 9.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Pirates 3D Platformer Games.
TL;DR - it’s busted on a fundamental level. Due to serious collision detection problems, your character freezes on landing from a jump, or falls through the platform, or fails to jump. The level design does not account for this. I did not finish the game because my save file has permanently preserved or not preserved the state of various level elements in such a way that it can’t be completed anymore, with no option to restart the level. Do not buy this game.
The game has crippling problems with collision detection, even with recognizing whether you have landed from a jump, and so you can receive fall damage from a relatively small fall. The collision detection problems also make your character come to a dead stop for like a fifth of a second on landing, and make you simply slide off some platforms without jumping, or fall through solid platforms when falling fast enough.
– Real player with 6.9 hrs in game
Time Commando
Wow.
I was only 7 the last time I had ever touched this game, that was all the way back in 2009. I got frustrated with Time Commando because of how difficult it was, never being able to finish the game after already halfway through it and eventually gave up. I ended up losing the disc somehow and when I did decide to give it another try I never found it again nor could I find another copy anywhere else, so I gave up looking and eventually forgot the game even existed.
Then LO AND BEHOLD, 12 years later and I stumble across this game again on Steam. Words cannot express how absolutely THRILLED I was to be able to play Time Commando again!
– Real player with 4.9 hrs in game
i own it on CDROM now I own it on SteamROM
if u want the DOSBox to be in windowed mode with higher resolution, you have to go to the steam folder you installed it, like “X:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Time Commando”, find “TC.conf” and change the window resolution to something like “windowresolution=1280x960” then either “fullscreen=false” or just Alt+Enter when it opens
– Real player with 4.4 hrs in game
Monkey Island™ 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge™
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AUDIO
| Great OST |
VISUAL
| Flexible Eyecandy |
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DIFFICULTY
| Tough |
VIBE
| Devilish |
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CRAVING
| Classic Point ‘n click |
ON SALE
| Sometimes |
PROS: Voice-acting is superb, environments are exceptional. iMUSE works beautifully in this, making the soundtrack feel alive. The game is completely unaltered, and concept art from the original development decades ago was used to fill in the blanks instead of simply extrapolating from what could be seen. The puzzles are just enough of a challenge, and the game is a fair length for a point n’ click adventure. Guybrush and all other sprites look fantastic.
– Real player with 34.5 hrs in game
“Monkey Island 2 - LeChuck’s Revenge” comes right from the golden era of point and click adventures games when Lucas Arts was releasing one masterpiece after another. It is easily one of the most hilarious games ever existed while it packs some nice hand drawn visuals, iconic characters, unforgettable music and many clever puzzles. Unfortunately it is also one of the most difficult adventures ever made, so that after many hours of unsuccessful searching you will feel too tired to laugh with its exceptional jokes. If you are a patient type of guy you should try it.
– Real player with 18.5 hrs in game
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
The classic of all classics.
It’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t played The Secret of Monkey Island or heard a name Guybrush Threepwood in adventure gaming. Following pirate wannabe on his quest to rescue governor Elaine Marley from the clutches of evil G.P. Le Chuck doesn’t get old even on the umpteenth re-play. Rediscovering old favorites became even easier with an ability to seamlessly switch from 1990s version to a remastered one in-game, at any moment it pleases you. Whether you prefer to look at updated visuals or nostalgically go through the original – you’re guaranteed hours of swashbuckling fun.
– Real player with 22.6 hrs in game
The Secret of Monkey Island is one of the finest games ever created. Impeccably designed, incredibly funny, wonderfully charming. While some areas have aged better than others, I still firmly believe that Ron Gilbert understood the adventure game genre better than anyone else.
I do have a few reservations about this Special Edition however - while I admire the effort put in to update all the art assets, the new style leaves a lot to be desired. It’s reminiscient of the art direction from the Curse of Monkey Island onwards, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, but I don’t think it works as well for this game. After Ron Gilbert ceased to be the lead on the series, it took a slightly different approach, which warranted a cartoony style.
– Real player with 13.1 hrs in game
Skycadia
This is by far the most exciting thrill ride of a highscore leaderboard battling game I’ve played in many years.
At the start, you are set to begin unlocking the other pilots and weapons (3 of each). It may seem like a huge hurdle, but once you get your mind past the unlocks and just concentrate on the leaderboard, it becomes all or nothing.
Set in a retro 90’s look with it’s vibrant landscapes and scan lines, you feel right at home. (Well I do).
The chiptune music sets the scene for the 3 stages the game throws at you. First a light tune as the first wave of enemy ships spawn in, then a faster arrangement as the flying centipedes swoop around and finally the boss music kicks, and you know by then, things are gonna go down.
– Real player with 34.4 hrs in game
“Pixelized, Fast paced, Action packed flight shoot em up'”
The more and more i played the more challenging the game got, keeping me at my toes with it’s rouge-like enemy system, as soon as i had overcome a difficult enemy a new enemy would appear and kill me several more times.
The controls are simple and easy and the smoothness you can achieve once you’ve mastered the plane is awesome. I did have to toggle the inverted vertical controls, as flying felt much better that way.
The daylight cycle makes the game more interesting as the environment changes with the lighting. At night you can watch your bullets light up the clouds and environment as you blast enemies. and vice versa
– Real player with 11.8 hrs in game
Escape from Monkey Island™
They tried to take the pointing & clicking out of a point ‘n click…
Wew this is easily the worst Monkey Island. Which saddens me as it is the only one I played as a kid so I’m pretty nostalgic for it.
The game does not use the mouse at all despite being a point ‘n click..the way the controls work is you control Guybrush with the arrow keys by turning left & right & pressing up to walk forward, Resident Evil style. Instead of highlighting items it shows three options on screen you can select with Page Up/Down depending on Guybrush’s view, so you will have to wrestle with the horrible movement to try and get him to look at whatever thing you want.
– Real player with 18.7 hrs in game
This game has certainly received a lot of negativity which i feel in many areas is highly warranted. Indeed the controls them self were so awkward compared to previous titles, that I was tempted to fall into the same camp as many before me and write this game off as the miss that sank the series. However persevere and you can uncover a rough gemstone of a game that has stepped its problem solving dilemma’s back up to a standard on par with the best of the series.
Pro’s
- Maintains theme and humour of previous games.
– Real player with 16.9 hrs in game
The Last Pirate Adventure: Drake’s Treasure
The last pirate adventure
Legends of the great pirates continue to be told in the town squares, including Captain Drake and his loot, the greatest ever known. But all this is behind us. Or not. Embark on this new adventure in the footsteps of Captain Drake and become what you’ve always wanted to be.
A graphic adventure like the ones before
Relive a new adventure like the old ones. Look. Talk. Use. Pick Up. Unravel all its puzzles as you enter the 18th century Caribbean, show that you are a real sailor and find what you want. Captain Morgan and his crew will help you in your mission, but beware of playing with voodoo forces that you do not know.
Gameplay & Features
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Point-and-click adventure game
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Unravel logic puzzles
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Find the KEY to move from room to room
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Multiples characters to interact with
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Dialogues to choose from, each one more hilarious than the last
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Collect various strange objects that will help you as you progress
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Graphic style that will remind you of Pixel art but renewed
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Soundtrack with rasin style, Haitian roots music
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Learn the History of the 18th century and feel like a pirate
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The most complex first puzzle in adventure games
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Only with intelligence will you find the hidden treasure
ScubaVenture: The Search for Pirate’s Treasure
Treasure in the abyss.
The wreckage of the Barbosa, one of the last terrible pirate ships to sail in Caribbean waters, rests at the bottom of the sea with its cargo of pillaged gold and valuables. The journal your father left behind before he mysteriously disappeared while searching for the Barbosa’s lost treasure holds the secret to locating its sunken remains. Strap on an oxygen tank and flippers, it’s time to finish your father’s work and go diving for fortune!
Plunder the submerged wreckage of a pirate ship in this colorful 2D side scrolling underwater action adventure originally developed by Apogee Software Productions for the pioneering PC publisher Softdisk. All manner of deadly sea life, hostile divers, and even spooky ghosts seek to prevent unwary adventurers from obtaining the lost treasure. Will you return to the surface with immense riches, or will you perish along with the pirates in a watery grave?
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Scour the wreckage of the Barbosa to find all eight hidden treasures.
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Fight off sea creatures and rival divers with your harpoon gun and bombs.
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Plan your route and watch your oxygen level carefully so you don’t run out of air.
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Beware of vengeful pirate ghost bosses who haunt the wreckage to protect their treasure!