Doomed Xycanthus

Baf's Guide

A game about exploring a jungle area and the ruins of an ancient city. Some of the imagery is intriguing and quite memorable, and the game does a fair job of implying the existence of a larger world and history beyond the boundaries of the narrative you experience. The pacing seems somewhat off, in that for much of the game it seems as though you're exploring what must be merely the prologue, and then suddenly you have already arrived at the conclusion.

All the same, worth playing if you're in the mood for a brief game with archaeology and fantasy themes.

-- Emily Short

The opening scenes of this game left me with the impression that I was playing a hunt-the-wizard adventure but that turned out not to be the case. Instead the wizard Malevol, initially portrayed as the game's main villain, doesn't make another appearance and Doomed Xycanthus is actually about the exploration of a ruined city (the Xycanthus of the title) and what you find within. No big problem really as the city itself and its surroundings make for an interesting if frustrating adventure. Death strikes the player often, many times killing you off without so much as a warning; other times warnings are given in such a vague way that you might never even notice them. Several difficult puzzles - including one with a statue - really gave me pause for thought but I can say this was one game I enjoyed playing.

-- David Whyld