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UNCHARTED TIDES: PORT ROYAL (PC)
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Publisher: Artifex Mundi.
Developer: Cordelia Games. Released: August 2019. Genre: Hidden Object. Other versions: XONE; PS4; SWI. Posted 3rd December 2023. By Tom Clare © 2023 |
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Artifex Mundi’s barrage of hidden object games continued unabated into 2019 with the pirate-themed Uncharted Tides: Port Royal, a game that likely wasn’t harmed by any associations drawn by its name. It’s no relation to Naughty Dog’s blockbuster action/adventure series, though any confusion in this regard wouldn’t have done Uncharted Tides any harm. Unfortunately, comparisons with Nathan Drake’s experiences are unfavourable, as Port Royal is a rather pedestrian effort.
Here, control alternates between seadog Mary Jane and her friend Jack. Mary Jane is searching for her father, missing for some time and last seen tracking the mythical Cursed Rose ship. Things kick off in action-packed fashion as the pair find themselves attacked by pirates, the fallout of which sees them stranded on a mysterious island, with Jack in need of medical attention. Cordelia Games’ title throws jeopardy and intrigue the player’s way in the form of puzzles and hidden object challenges, as you attempt to unravel the mystery.
The hidden object games will be very familiar to fans of the genre, but they're a little samey in Uncharted Tides
Port Royal’s lush settings, which include pirate ships, jungles and port towns, offer plenty of promise, though it’s all a little basic. Whilst there has belatedly been some effort to bolster production values to the storytelling in the form of characters’ lips moving during speech, the protagonists themselves are uninspired and forgettable. Hidden object tasks function as they do in all Artifex Mundi efforts, but even by genre standards, they soon start to feel samey.
Whilst the likes of Ghost Files and True Fear used effective storytelling to create a decent atmosphere for puzzling, Uncharted Tides is weak in this regard and perhaps as a consequence, the game never manages to get out of second gear. Things travel a little further down the action route than is normal for the genre, though in a static-screen puzzler where time limits aren’t an issue and players can play at their own pace, this creates its own problems. It’s difficult for scenes involving cannon assaults, or fleeing from guards, to generate the sort of excitement they strive to.
Whilst the likes of Ghost Files and True Fear used effective storytelling to create a decent atmosphere for puzzling, Uncharted Tides is weak in this regard and perhaps as a consequence, the game never manages to get out of second gear. Things travel a little further down the action route than is normal for the genre, though in a static-screen puzzler where time limits aren’t an issue and players can play at their own pace, this creates its own problems. It’s difficult for scenes involving cannon assaults, or fleeing from guards, to generate the sort of excitement they strive to.
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The voicing doesn’t help matters, as the audio again suffers from below-par recording quality and some ridiculously hammy NPCs. Jack’s posh ye olde Brit routine is overcooked and wide of the mark, whilst Mary Jane is worse still: her accent regularly wanders around mid-sentence and her delivery never seems reflective of the situations she finds herself in. Consequently, interactions lack immersion and are entirely absent of emotional resonance. There’s a clumsiness in this regard that the genre had largely left behind in the nineties.
Uncharted Tides does its best to up the ante through a variety of mini-games. Some of these are quite novel, including an enjoyable board game in which the player must pre-emptively block squares to prevent a ship’s escape. There are some spot-the-difference and storyboard-style interactions that are nothing world-beating, but quite nicely put together. On the other hand, walking the plank and fighting guards using mouse-based balancing feels a bit naff.
Uncharted Tides does its best to up the ante through a variety of mini-games. Some of these are quite novel, including an enjoyable board game in which the player must pre-emptively block squares to prevent a ship’s escape. There are some spot-the-difference and storyboard-style interactions that are nothing world-beating, but quite nicely put together. On the other hand, walking the plank and fighting guards using mouse-based balancing feels a bit naff.
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Its presentation is similarly underwhelming. Everything is executed to an okay standard, but with little finesse or flair. The various environments do the job, but they’re a little bland, with one or two instances when they appear zoomed in and lower resolution. A handful of brief, simple video sequences attempt to tie together bits of the action, though they look rather blocky. There’s little progress to show in terms of visual effects and Port Royal looks distinctly ordinary for a 2019 hidden object game. The same is true of the music, which fits the nautical theme without ever making an impression. There are 32 collectables to find and locating most of these is fairly routine, except that in a frankly unnecessary irritation, some of them fade in and out of shot, meaning its possible to overlook a few. Whilst the myriad of collectables in Ghost Files could be examine and pored over in some detail, the equivalents here offer comparatively little incentive for replaying.
Uncharted Tides: Port Royal is a run of the mill hidden object game, likely a legacy of Artifex Mundi’s quick turnover periods and an ageing, overly-familiar game engine. Save for its distinctly suspect voicing and weak story, it does little egregiously wrong, but a promising theme ultimately yields nothing of note. It’s entirely unmemorable, and with many better alternatives doing the rounds, it’s a difficult one to recommend, even to fans of the genre.
Uncharted Tides: Port Royal is a run of the mill hidden object game, likely a legacy of Artifex Mundi’s quick turnover periods and an ageing, overly-familiar game engine. Save for its distinctly suspect voicing and weak story, it does little egregiously wrong, but a promising theme ultimately yields nothing of note. It’s entirely unmemorable, and with many better alternatives doing the rounds, it’s a difficult one to recommend, even to fans of the genre.
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VERDICT
"Uncharted Tides does little egregiously wrong, but a promising theme ultimately yields nothing of note. It’s entirely unmemorable, and with many better alternatives doing the rounds, it’s a difficult one to recommend, even to fans of the genre." OVERALL: 5/10 |
OTHER GAMES WITH A NAUTICAL THEME REVIEWED
Galleon (2004, Xbox)
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Risen 2: Dark Waters (2012, PS3)
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