Game by

EDI Games

Gameplay: 6

Graphics: 9

Sound: 9

Appeal: 5

Final: 79%

Grade: C

Gameplay:

Lost City of Malathedra has a suspenseful storyline with twists along the way that should keep the player intrigued with what is going to happen next. The game plays like other puzzle games with an extremely linear storyline that events have to be completed in a certain order before being able to proceed to the next event. Lost City of Malathedra does so to the point that I found it somewhat frustrating when solving some of the puzzles in the game. The linearity made it where there was little freedom to accomplish anything else except for what seemed to be the next step in progressing in the game. The player was free to explore and talk to other characters, but it often seemed fruitless because nothing really got done besides basic chit-chat. The case with items was also similar, each item could only be used for one particular task in the game even though it logically could be done to accomplish the task the game designed arranged it for. For example, a plastic shovel the player discovers can only dig up a particular mound and not two other mounds encountered in the game.

The only other frustration I had with Lost City of Malathedra were the controls. They are purely mouse based and the keyboard does absolutely nothing in the game. Holding down to move the character around is something I personally find annoying in games—especially when the keyboard could just as easily perform the same task, if not better. Also, the universal way to exit a game is generally the Esc key to pull up a menu, but instead there is the hidden menu icon in the bottom right that makes it somewhat confusing to save, load, and exit the game for first time players.

If you can get over the frustrations, Lost City of Malathedra is a decent puzzle game

Graphics:

Simply put, the graphics are well assembled. Each human character in the game has a unique texture and set of clothing. The environment does not seem to have recycled textures all over the game and each location seems to have a genuinely unique feel to it while still tying together nicely. Each of the items in the player’s inventory also has a unique look to it and seems to accurately look like what the player would expect and what is being described. The “cut scenes” are simply dialog and on-screen events that the player does not have direct control over. This type of “cut-scene” works great with games of this genre and makes the whole story seem more believable and flowing.

Sound:

Lost City of Malathedra has a decent soundtrack assembled to reflect the tone of events in the game. The music is pleasant to listen to while exploring the game and the sound effects all seem relevant to events seen on screen. Locations in the game did share the same tracks, but it did not take away from the game play. The sound tracks were all professional sounding and well assembled throughout the game.

Lasting Appeal:

Due to the linearity of the game, Lost City of Malathedra has little replay value. If you are looking for a one-time puzzle game that you can spend a day solving puzzles, then Lost City of Malathedra is a great match for you. Lost City of Malathedra was a decent puzzle solver the first time through, but after playing the game through once, it would trivial to go back and play it again. Perhaps after a year of forgetting about the actual game, it may have some value to play again then

Conclusion:

As a player, if you can get over the frustrations mentioned in the gameplay section, Lost City of Malathedra is a decent puzzle game that should keep a player entertained for at least an afternoon’s worth of playing and puzzle solving.