Gamers of a certain age will likely remember the adventures
of Esteban and friends as they searched for the legendary city made of gold.
Now the cartoon is being brought back for a new generation and Secret Paths aims
to be the perfect companion piece. The plan is to release new levels as the series
progresses which merge sections of the animation into the game. It’s an
ambitious project, but for now we can only look at what we have here.
The game is beautifully presented with clear and colourful
cartoon style graphics which paint a rich world to look at and explore. The
sound also sets the scene well and everything is tied together with cut scenes
of a quality that look like they have been lifted directly from the show.
During your adventure you’ll play as the three children and
need to switch between them to overcome puzzles and collect items. Each of the
children has their own abilities which need to be used to get around. Esteban
can summon the son, while Zia can squeeze through small gaps and Tao can
interpret runes and send his pet parrot to steal keys from guards.
The game world is viewed from an isometric/top down
perspective which allows players to see a decent amount of the level at once.
This is useful as you’ll need to see where you need to go and also avoid the
pirates and bandits in each level.
There is no death in the game but wandering into the line of
sight of an enemy for too long will see the child captured and you’ll have to
restart from the a short distance away from the section. Enemies aren’t
massively challenging and follow a predetermined route made all the more
predictable but footsteps appearing in the ground as they walk but it does keep
you on your toes.
Puzzles generally involve moving the characters and objects
onto pressure pads to open gates and doors. Sometimes you’ll have to work out
some simple number puzzles or find rocks to drop into place, but there is
nothing here that will stop you for long. Levels also contain scrolls and
unlockable artwork for the obsessive collectors among you.
The game doesn’t pose much of a challenge but much of its
charm comes from the semi-casual nature of the title. It’s certainly aimed at
younger gamers as something to keep them occupied between TV episodes and it
clearly has had a lot of care and attention put into it to create something
that’s fun in small amounts.
Overall, this is a fun, if light weight adventure to
undertake. Fans of the show and younger gamers will find enjoyment here but the
repetition and lack of challenge does hurt its long term appeal. It’s a nice
way to spend small chunks of free time but most gamers will probably look to seek
out adventures to deeper and darker places.
Overall 6/10
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