Eamon Adventure Reviews
Reviewed by Tom Zuchowski
MAIN PGM Version: 6 Extra Commands: DEFLECT, SCARLET-TAPEWORM, PROPELLER-BLOW, WAIT, USE Deleted Commands: GIVE, SPEED, POWER, WAVE, PUT, FREE Special Features: Animated HiRes screen at startup Playing Time: 2-3 hours Reviewer Rating: 8.5
Description: Long have you been in search of Ketil and Halfdan Jormunreksson, two Viking brothers who had participated in the murder of your lord, Nobunaga. You now find yourself in Sweden, knowing that you will find them somewhere to the northwest.
You have heard tales of Ragnarok, the end of the world, and it seems that you see many of the Signs in the land around you. You fear the strange and supernatural things that you see happening, but your fear is replaced by wrath as you finally sight your goal!
Comment: Like Nate's earlier "Samurai Cat" Eamon, your character in this adventure is Samurai Cat himself. You live by the code of the Bushido and are peerless in combat. Your quest this time is to find the murderers of Nobunaga and avenge his death. But other events intervene...
This adventure is unlike anything else in Eamon. It draws heavily from the "Samurai Cat" comics, and if you aren't reasonably familiar with the style of these comics, it will probably seem pretty bizarre to you. Such things as Vikings, Apaches, Nazis, spears, cannon, guided missiles, and even land-traveling battleships are routine to see in the same room or battle.
At first glance, this seems like a smallish adventure, with only 44 rooms and 25 monsters. However, there are 87 special effects, and they are used very skillfully to depict a number of special events which range from a single effect to scenarios that run on for many screens and require player participation.
While there is some minor puzzling, a Samurai's strong point is combat, and there is plenty of it to be found here. And no ordinary combat, either; many if not most of the combat encounters are special events that include much more than the usual simple melee printout. Many know that I am no fan of mindless combat, but it is well-done and varied here and kept my interest quite well.
My favorite aspect of this adventure has got to be the special combat commands DEFLECT, SCARLET-TAPEWORM, and PROPELLER-BLOW. I never got tired of attacking an opponent and seeing WITH PRETERNATURAL FEROCITY YOU LASH OUT THE DEADLY SWIRLING SLASHES OF THE DIVINE WHIRLING OUTBOARD MOTOR PROPELLOR BLOW. It didn't hurt that this command is a savage attack on the bad guy, either!
Unless you are somewhat familiar with "Samurai Cat", you will probably be put off by all the incongruous and often downright bizarre things that you see. Don't let that stop you; this is a topnotch, very complex adventure and deserves a play. I also suggest that you play it through a second time after you have successfully completed it. You will enjoy the special effects and events much more once you have seen it and know what to expect. I have played it 5 or 6 times, and it is one of a very few Eamons that get better with replays.
There are several combat situations that require careful reading and quick, correct action or you will die. While there is an amusing resurrection sequence, it is not always easy to see right away what you need to do to defeat this or that supernatural opponent. For this reason, I give it a (9) for difficulty.