![]() When trying to skip text regarding an item or object, however, even though the text and voice acting disappears, Malachi often ends up freezing for at least as long as the speech would have taken, rendering the skip useless. Certain cutscenes and conversations can be skipped by clicking. The first time I realized I could venture beyond the visible background, I had accidentally double clicked out of frustration as I realized I had to do more but could see no useful options on my screen. Few locations are larger than what’s displayed, making it hard to tell which boundaries can be explored. Malachi walks to a spot with a single click or teleports with a double click. Though this inventory concept is sensible, the execution doesn’t live up to its expectation and results in much unnecessary backtracking. ![]() For example, after discovering I needed an item to progress, I had to travel by train to Malachi’s apartment and back, but in reality, the person I’m looking for would likely have moved from or even left his initial location. ![]() ![]() While I understand the logical reasoning behind such an inventory system, the rest of the game does not follow the same rationale. These give the player an idea of what might be useful in the future (some red herrings exist), as Malachi is loathe to pick up items unless he realizes he needs them. After selecting an object or person, up to six options are shown: talk, psychoanalyze, operate, look at, pick up, or use with the active inventory item. Interacting with objects in Moebius is much like in any other point-and-click. Though many point-and-click games run the same way, the restrictions seem painfully obvious in Moebius. If you don’t make the decision required of you, well, you either don’t progress or you die. The presence of pseudo options in conversations and actions only serves to accent the linear progress, failing to make even the tiniest illusion of choice. That’s not to say the story is bad, but it’s a simple feel-good tale that fails to touch on the huge existential potential of its premise. None of the “twists” caught me by surprise, and Malachi expectedly learns to trust others and show affection. Unfortunately, its innovation doesn’t go much further, as the plot quickly becomes predictable. With a refreshing premise and a realistic environment, the story provides satisfying answers yet still makes the player wonder. Aside from Malachi and perhaps a couple of others, the characters are rather one-dimensional but serve their roles well in moving the plot forward. As someone who values logic over emotions, I find Malachi rather relateable, but I can see some players being frustrated by his dismissive tone. The prequel comic reveals a rather traumatic childhood as well, which preps the player’s empathy towards a character that may seem insufferable otherwise. Though Malachi comes across as self-absorbed and cold, he is surprisingly fascinating due to his no-nonsense demeanor, extensive encyclopedic knowledge, and calculative, distrusting nature. Not one to turn down money, Malachi accepts the job in spite of his curiosity regarding the classified reason for his assignment and the obscurity of F.I.T.A., the government agency behind this orchestration. Does the game live up to fan expectations?Ī prequel comic introduces us to Malachi Rector, a highly intelligent but generally apathetic appraiser whose penchant for running his mouth tends to get him into “security trouble.” Upon recuperation from his latest beating, a wealthy Amble Dexter hires him for an assignment unlike his usual job - instead of appraising antiques, his mission is to gather details on a murdered woman and to determine if her biography matches that of any famous woman in history. Moebius: Empire Rising, a Kickstarter game that raised almost 50% over its $300,000 goal, promised to be a spiritual successor to the Gabriel Knight series. As a growing name in the point-and-click genre, Jane Jensen has garnered much fanfare for Gabriel Knight and Gray Matter.
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