The new game from Daedalic Entertainment, 1954: Alcatraz , is scheduled for March 11 and I have already been able to play it! In line with the point-and-click style games of which the publisher has the secret, 1954: Alcatraz takes us to the San Francisco of the mid-50s where Joe is serving a 40-year sentence for robbery army. He will do everything to escape the island but his only chances of getting out are with the help of his wife, Christine.
As you will understand, we will have to play the two characters alternately. Joe, stuck in his prison and Christine who is free to walk around San Francisco. Just after the introduction which takes place on Joe's side, you can then change the character at any time by using the notebook on the left of the screen. This interface appears with the passage of the mouse or the scroll wheel.
This same notebook serves as a menu of options and inventory. The latter is effective and classic: you can take (left click) or observe an object (right click), which triggers a monologue of the character describing the object. After selecting an object, we use it in the world by placing it on a reactive element (another object or a character) or directly on an element of its inventory to try to combine it. With the space bar, you can highlight everything there is to see on a stage! Useful to avoid the "I click everywhere" syndrome. Rest assured, we must not find a use for everyone. Many objects are just decorative, of no particular interest to move forward, apart from giving a bit of information about a character or an event (an old photo, jazz records, clothes ...).
Obviously, Joe's possibilities for action are limited, at least at the beginning. He is stuck in his prison with unsavory companions. Finally, luckily, he can talk and eat!
A little later, he will have greater freedom (quite relative) and will have to repair machines (riddles, riddles!).
Joe's goal, of course, is to organize his escape from Alcatraz Island, attempting to negotiate services right and left, trading whatever can be. But the bulk of the work will fall on Christine's shoulders. The poor young woman has to face many problems: paying her rent, avoiding her husband's former associates, tidying up her apartment vandalized, not being killed ... Well, poor ... maybe a little overwhelmed, but not so naive and innocent as that. Christine has a criminal record for theft and is particularly good at manipulating people and opening all doors with a simple hairpin.
The main concerns will come from Joe's former partner, Mickey (above). Because now, it seems that the money Joe stole is stashed somewhere and all the thugs in town want to find it. In order to settle the couple's concerns, Christine will go to different places in San Francisco, which are unlocked as the story and dialogues progress. We are completely free to come and go without time or order constraints.
Suddenly, we lose the often too linear side of games of this type. Of course, you have to perform an X action to be able to move on to step Y, but you don't find yourself stuck on a stage. You can always walk around, see if the other character is doing, or if a place has evolved while we think about finding a solution.
On the graphics side, I think you could judge from the screenshots above. The style is certainly a bit old-fashioned but fits perfectly with the mood of the story. To add to the realism, it is also possible to check an option "1954" in the menu, allowing you to have the impression of watching an old television set in black and white! On the left, the normal mode, on the right the activated option:
The music also fits perfectly. You can judge from the video of the intro scene (at the beginning of the article) and it is the same style once in play. The dialogues are only dubbed in English (and German) but entirely under- titled in spanish. The interface is in spanish.
1954: Alcatraz uses the standards of the point-and-click genre to offer us an unprecedented adventure in a city where drug trafficking, blackmail, suicides and murders are part of everyday life. I took great pleasure in trying to unravel the puzzles. Even though I still have some way to go to give Joe his freedom and find the nest egg, I have never been stuck for more than a few minutes. However, being a big fan of the publisher's games, I regret the absence of a character with improbable actions and an explosive character, like Rufus the hero of the series Deponia.
The game will be available in a week, Tuesday March 11, on Steam and GOG for € 19,99 (PC and Mac).
