I’m a huge sucker for adventure games, Monkey Island in particular, but there aren’t as many of them around today. Yesterday Steam announced that they are selling Jolly Rover, a brand new addition to the adventure game genre with a demo included for the faint hearted.
Like many of the classics, Jolly Rover puts you in the boots of a wannabe pirate, and yes, the game is featured with dogs. Now, my favourite Monkey Island game was the 3rd one (didn’t have proper English skills for the first two) and Jolly Rover is kinda like the rehash of that in the beginning. Both start with the lead character being captured by pirates and is forced to escape his quarters to progress. This first act in both games’ demos.
Jolly Rover brings a few pop-culture elements to the play, like collectible items and a hint system, so newcomers don’t feel overwhelmed. As in the predecessors, the humour is a key element, though at times it seemed to be a little overdone. I’m also a bit unfriendly of the art style, it’s not that sharp or clean to what i’m used to.
The options menu is a bit underdeveloped as well. No resolution setting or shortcut keys to access your inventory, etc. At least I wasn’t able to find them.
All in all, I recommend the game to anyone who likes an adventure.