Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Mar 19, 2015

  Okay, be ready not to play but to read a lot thoughtfully. You don't have any choice while reading, all the process is strongly linear like a book. It's not a shortage, it's a fresh experience. 7/10
• gamedeal user

  Apr 3, 2015

  This is a great blend of a video game and an e-book. Not spoiling anything, this is a great spy thriller set right before WW1. There is limited interactivity since you are usually just clicking on various locations, finding helpful items and clues, and piecing together the mystery. The artwork is fantastic. So many times I wished I could be sucked into the game just to enjoy being in the world of England 1914. While the backgrounds are stunning, the characters are given a silhouette, letting the player draw their own conclusions to their distinct features. I love the cut scenes. They are done in a silent film style, which again draws from the time period. The cast of voice actors is spot on perfect. Now whether or not this game is worth the full retail pricetag is debatable. I bought this game for 1.49 and it was well worth it. Knowing what I know now, I would have paid full price. However, I love story above all in video games. For those who are bothered with the limited interactivity, wait for a sale. I cannot wait to see what The Story Mechanics will do next! This is an indie developer I will keep my eyes on.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 8, 2015

  [b]Original example of how a novel can be transformed into a game[/b] [i]The 39 Steps[/i] is a unique interactive visual novel, developed by [b]The Story Mechanics[/b] and first released on Steam in april 2013. The game is based on the novel with the same title by John Buchan, which got quite well-known thanks to its being the inspiration for Ian Flemmings [i]James Bond[/i] books. The novel tels the story of Richard Hannay, a bored-to-death gentleman who all of a sudden finds himself in the eye of an espionage storm. Buchans story has its flaws: some plot-turns come across as unbelievable, but the characters are drawn very fine indeed, as is the time period against which the plot evolves. Buchans novel is followed very closely in the game, which does an excellent job in transferring the overall feel and atmosphere of the period and place during which the action takes place: London, Scotland and the English countryside early summer 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War. The developers achieved this by using a brilliantly designed and executed visual style, with a lot of hand-drawn images. Actually, the story is told in several different ways, all with their own level of interaction. The narrative part of the novel is being projected on the screen, with the player having to click through the different lines. But the game manages to introduce variety even in this simple mechanic: the tempo of the clicking varies: sometimes a screen is held onto longer, while at other times clicks has to done much faster. Dialogues are being voice-acted in a very convincing way, some self-contained stories are even being projected as short movies. There is some point-and-clicking too, although this is allways clearly indicated and not designed as a challenge or puzzle. All in all, the variety in interaction between player and game helps a lot to draw one into the story. The awesome visuals and interesting storytelling are accompanied by a soundscape that mostly stays in the background, punctuating some important actions without drawing any attention to itself. A bit more of these, and a more convincing musical envelopment would have painted the period even better I believe. But this is only a minor quibble. More problematic are the click-and-drag actions one has to perform to unlock doors or achieve other minor tasks. These feel tucked on, and do not integrate well within the overall concept. [b]Highly recommended to anyone interested in visual novels, in literature or in artistic games in general. It's a real shame this development studio hasn't released any more games yet.[/b]
• gamedeal user

  Dec 29, 2016

  Very torn on this one. It's a "digital adaptation" of Buchan's espionage story [i] The 39 Steps, [/i] and it's about as well-made as a visual novel can get. The voice acting is superb (performed by a real theater company, I believe), the gorgeous hand-drawn artwork really makes you feel like you're in pre-WWI Britain, and the overall interface is sleek without betraying the lovingly-rendered throwback aesthetic. Unfortunately, the story itself is the main thing holding me back from giving this a more enthusiastic thumbs-up. It's essentially an innocent-man-on-the-run thriller, and the middle 3/5ths or so of the game basically have the main character escaping one sticky situation after another, with little in the way of actual plot or character development taking place. Because this is a straightforward novel with no player choice involved, this middle section really dragged for me as chapter after chapter of near-misses began to give me deja vu. The story picks up some momentum towards the end as the main plot finally begins to unfold (there's a global conpsiracy involved, which is always fun), but don't expect much in the way of action or suspense; the climax felt appropriately genteel for this most old-timey of British thrillers. (The original novel was written in 1915, so what do you expect). With those caveats, I do recommend this game to visual novel fans, both for its production value and because the story does ultimately maintain some interest even during its repetitive middle chapters. [i] P.S.: [/i] This was the first project of a development team called The Story Mechanics, and it looks like their intention was to produce "digital adaptations" (their term) of various literary works, beginning with this one. I went looking for them online and was sorry to see that they appear to be defunct, which is really a shame given the amount of skill and obvious enthusiasm they brought into making this game. Hopefully they'll return in another form? [i] P.P.S.: [/i] I've never actually read the novel this is based on, but I have seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie version, which is fantastic and you should definitely watch it regardless of whether you get this game. (Though I was confused why the main character in this game didn't have a woman handcuffed to him while he was on the run... only to realize that Hitch probably threw that in there just to spice things up. Not a bad call, really)
• gamedeal user

  May 29, 2017

  This was on a 90% sale recently and I decided to give it a try; I wasn't disappointed! It is a visual novel with minimal interactive moments, but with rather pleasant music and realistic sound effects. Also an interesting story, [spoiler]an adaptation of the adventure novel written by the Scottish author John Buchan in 1915,[/spoiler] great dialogues and voice acting. Apart from the 20 achievements, there are cards and awards within the game, which explain parts of the narrative and can be gathered by paying attention to all the details [spoiler]e.g. at the initial crime scene.[/spoiler] Overall, it was a quite good 4-hour experience and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I recommend it, especially if it is discounted.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 24, 2018

  I wouldn't really call this a game, but it is entertaining. It's a good conspiracy story, and the illustrations are beautiful. Beatable it in just a few hours even if reading/watching all sequences. Guaranteed 100%. I played it completely on a tablet and all menus and gameplay were fully functional. The 39 Steps an interactive multimedia story; kind of a mixture of audiobook, e-book, picturebook and even some short videos. There are no decisions to be made, you are just watching it play out. Occasionally there is a tracing activity for when the main character does actions within the story, but otherwise it's just clicking between sequences. If you're into interactive stories then it's worth a play through.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 4, 2014

  The 39 Steps leads you on a journey through lush hand-painted backgrounds, moody music, and excellent voice-acting. You are Richard Hannay, a well-to-do British gent living a boring life in London in 1914. Calling 39 Steps a game seems to be doing it a disservice, as it is more of a interactive story that just has you along for the ride. There are points in the story where you 'control' the protoganists action, but you have no real power to affect the momentum of the narrative. The story is gripping, though, and these attempts to insert a more direct hand in the game are infrequent. I have never read the source material, so cannot say how well it holds up to the original. The 39 Steps stands well enough on its own, though. Achievement hunters interested in 100% games will find this one easy to complete, as achievements are awarded through story progression and are impossible to miss. I'd recommend not reading the achievement list before you start the story, though, as they could spoil some future events. So, if spy thrillers are your thing, grab up your pipe and your brandy and dive into this one.