Mr. Bill's Adventureland Review
Reviewed by Gamehound
Would it impress you if I said this game was developed by 19 programmers? What about having 32 voice actors? This title, published by Ubi Soft Entertainment in 1999, is, simply put, perfect. Everything in the game is custom designed. Every last detail is tailor made for the story designed by Alain Tascan who is also the game producer. The music composition, by Robbi Finkel, is stellar. The multi-faceted storyline will make anyone feel a host of emotions including joy, extreme sorrow and everything in between. Ladies and gentlemen, Hype: The Time Quest is a work of art. This one is not to be missed if possible. Also, once you have played through the game, I recommend reading the PDF file on the CD to learn more about Hype, the Valiant and other key characters in the game. For example, you learn that Hype is about 22 years old and Vibe, his betrothed, is about 18. This information is not covered in the game itself. The information is very interesting to read through.
The game takes place over 4 generations of Taskan rule (note the similarity with the producer's name). Hype, our hero, is from the era of King Taskan IV. One day, a black knight (Barnak) flys in on his dragon (Voydh). Barnak, a bannished god, has come to Hype's era to start his own kingdom and take what everyone has by force. Hype, a knight of King Taskan IV, attempts to protect the king and queen from the evil invader. Seemingly all powerful, Barnak turns Hype into stone then sends him 200 years into the past. Ultimately, Hype gets sent to the era of King Taskan I. Here, Hype meets Gogoud who is an apprentice magician who becomes the Guardian of Time and an important fixture in Hype's quest as well as his life. The game is about time travel throughout 4 generations of Taskan rule. Coincidentally, time travel is possible by the combination of two elements, Hype's sword (the Sword of Peace) and the Royal Jewel. Throughout the game, as long as the two elements are in your possession, time travel occurs at the sundials (one located at Gogoud's Manor, and the other in the city of Torras).
As you play through the game, you will meet many people; many of which you will count on time and time again. As Hype hops from era to era, many of these individuals will die (due to old age, etc). This game is an emotional roller coaster. You will lose many, dear friends you have made in the game. Hype, inevitably, becomes a legend for many people (from all generations of Taskan rule). You will meet new people, initially, then hop to other eras. The children of the individuals you met will learn of your quest and hold you in high regards (almost god-like). Some admire your greatness while others will fall in love with you just by knowing your story. Knowing that you have to pursue your quest, you will leave and see these individuals again in a later era. You will learn of one individual, for example, who never recovers from her infatuation, and leads a solitary life into her old age. Meeting up with her in the later era is heart-wrenching. Also, It is very hard to play through a new era knowing your friend is no longer there, or that they have aged greatly. This element is saddening, but also is what makes this game's storyline second to none. Alas, all is not grim. There is one character that stays with you from era to era. This character is Zatila (a friendly dragon). Zatila tells you of changes that happen from era to era, and you will do some flying in the skies on his back for parts of the game. Coincidentally, page 22 of HypeManual.pdf (located on the CD Rom itself), explains how to pilot Zatila if assistance is needed.
The save system in this game is rather unique in that you are only allowed to save when you come across a save lectern. At no other time in the game can you save your progress. The save lecterns are located in different areas from era to era, but once you learn where they are, there should be no problem with saving your games along the way.
This game will take a long time to play through. There are many tasks to accomplish, and many races to run to stock up your inventory on (which you will do numerous times throughout the game). Ultimately, you will play through all four eras (era 1 = day; era 2 = night; era 3 = fall day; era 4 = hazy day). When you have completed all of your tasks, you will finally go to the black tower to fight three, final foes (a certain magician is all I will say; Voydh; then, finally, Barnak himself). Compared to other 1 CD games with definite endings, Hype is one of the longest games I have ever played through. Every minute you spend playing this gem is a delight.
About the only negative aspect of the game, in my opinion, is the lack of support for Windows XP. This game runs perfectly on Windows 98 (and perhaps Windows ME), but I had absolutely no luck running this game on Windows XP. I read somewhere that someone was able to get the game running by using Windows 2000 compatibility, but they could not save at the save lecterns. So, even if you can get this game running in Windows XP, you will probably face severe problems along the way. I'd recommend playing this game using Windows 98.
Hype: The Time Quest is an action-adventure game. I would say 98% action, and 2% adventure. There is absolutely no mouse usage in this game; even the options in the game menu are selected with the cursor keys. Some may cringe at the notion of having to utilize a lot of keys to play through this game (and for those with severe arthritis, that is understandable). However, if you are to ever try another game as such, this game should most definitely be it! This game is meant for all ages. Children will enjoy it (due to the LEGOy look of the characters), teenagers will enjoy it (due to its challenging gameplay), and adults will enjoy it (due to its second-to-none storyline, emotions and occasional puzzles). Despite the game looking like one solely for children, it is not. Children can play it because there is no profanity nor bloodshed. In fact, when you defeat an enemy, the enemy gets stunned then vanishes. This truly is an all-around magnificent game that is cross-generational.
Final thoughts... This is, in my opinion, one of very few games worth the trouble of loading Windows 98 to play. My primary operating system is Windows XP, and I was unable to get this game to work in XP even with compatibility mode configured. If you have never played through this game before, I recommed finding a copy of it and doing so. This is a masterpiece, and it should be in everyone's collection. Also, there is one other thing I'd like to mention in closing. ALT+TAB to get back to Windows will cause the game to crash. So, if you want to get back to Windows to, say, save some screenshots, hit your Windows key (between left control and left alt), and you can successfully get back into the game without it crashing.
Developed (1999) by Playmobil Interactive and published by Ubi Soft Entertainment.
Minimum System Requirements: Windows Only!
PC: Pentium 200 MMX or more Processor; Windows 95 / 98 / NT; 32 MB RAM; 12X CD-ROM Drive; 16 million color screen, 3D video card; DirectX 6.1 or Higher; Video and Sound Cards 16-bit minimum or Higher & DirectX 6.1 compatible; Keyboard or Game Pad
Where To Buy This Game:
I would say eBay or the Game Trading Zone is your best bet of finding a copy of this rare game. Else,...
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Walkthroughs or Hints:
