Gamebook Adventures 7: Temple of the Spider God Review

By , on November 22, 2011


Gamebook Adventures 7: Temple of the Spider God
  • Publisher: Tin Man Games
  • Genre: Books
  • Released: 28 Oct, 2011
  • Size: 156.8 MB
  • Price: $5.99
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Digital is the perfect format for gamebooks, as the computer can keep track of stats and dice rolls.
  • Bookmark system is clever to help get you through the bad luck that can ruin these adventures.

CONS

  • The same issues that gamebooks have are present here; tough fights, and a wrong turn can end the adventure.

VERDICT

For those who enjoyed the Fighting Fantasy series, this is essentially a digital version of the same thing. It most likely will only appeal to fans as its random nature and tough difficulty will put off those just looking to enjoy the story.


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Most of us who grew up in the 1980s remember the 'Choose your own Adventure' books, but how many remember the 'Fighting Fantasy' series? It was a style of choose your own adventure that involved using dice to roll up a character with stats, and then during the game, dice rolls were required for skill checks and combat. Success or failure would change the outcome of the story, and the outcome more often than not was death.

Temple of the Spider God is a tale that takes this style of gamebook and digitizes it, allowing the computer to handle all the character building and dice rolling, so the player only has to deal with the choices they make. As the right hand of the Duke of Miramar, a chest is presented that holds a dangerous presence. This kickstarts an adventure involving the last expedition of the famed explorer Cortez, and an emerging threat to your homeland.

The tale is intriguing enough but sadly this game is plagued by the same issues associated with the 'Fighting Fantasy' series. You're at the mercy of luck when it comes to the dice roles, and more often than not a bad roll can end your adventure before its begun. Also a wrong choice can also spell adventure's end. The bookmark system somewhat alleviates this problem. You can place a bookmark on a page and then if your choice, dice roll, or combat spells death, you can return to the bookmark and make another choice. The difficulty you choose will determine how many bookmarks you receive, but this more a band aid solution to a game flaw that needs a little more attention.

This won't matter to those who love this title. This style of play is a throwback to the mechanics of a type of game many of today's players would find too frustrating to be enjoyable. If you're a fan of the 'Fighting Fantasy' books or are curious about this old school melding of game and story, Temple of the Spider God is worth a play. For the rest of you, the game is going to annoy those trying to enjoy the tale, and sadly those who don't care about the tale won't find too much game.

Screenshots

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