• Graphics
  • Gameplay
  • Story
  • Sound

Man, it has been forever since Monkey Island and the prime of the point and click adventure game. Recently, this genre has made a slight comeback in a world dominated by the all-to-eager shooters with Telltale’s gem, The Walking Dead. But if you look away from the consoles and head over to the vast and vivid world of Steam, you come across many interesting and cool games that take old conventions, like point and click, and make them tell a great, modern story. Of course I’m talking about Resonance, a recent Steam indie release from the team behind point-and-click adventure hit Gemini Rue. This intricate Sci-fi tale is definitely something to look at if you want a deep retro appeal full of fresh story and gameplay.

Ed is the first character met at the start of Resonance. Guiding you through the story with a tight narrative that is the major drawing point for this game’s appeal, you learn more about why you should care about this blonde scientist with the sexy pair of glasses. Science has gone awry when a revolutionary technology called Resonance could be falling in the wrong hands, and Ed feels the need to defend his life’s work.

Resonance has straight-forward gameplay that is expected of the genre in which it resides. Pointing and clicking around your environment to find clues is a majority of the time you’ll spend with the game. If anything, this is my biggest qualm. Failure to play the game with a very open mind will lead you to many road blocks. The game is difficult to rush through, though you won’t want to when you are captivated by a very intriguing sci-fi story. All you need to keep in mind is you have the ability put environmental objects in your inventory in order to inquire to NPCs for information to solve the game’s often intricate, yet common sense driven puzzles.

Graphically, Resonance is a mixed bag. Some may like the low res, 8-bit appeal of the in-game visuals. Facial expressions are border lined hard to relate with because of a sometimes bizarre look about them. The title screen art by contrast is much more appealing. I just wish the rest of the game reflected this sort of creative style.

One of the most stand-out aspects of the game is the stellar voice acting. Character dialogue is fantastic, and comes through great with some amazing voice actors and a well written script. Speaking to the previously mentioned low-res character models, the top notch quality of the voice acting comes off a bit odd to say the least. Sort of like watching Street Fighter 2 as voiced by the cast of Mass Effect 2.

Final Thoughts

Resonance is a relentlessly cool tale. To compliment, the game keeps your mind going with frequent puzzles that reminds you to think on your toes like a real detective, using the skills of each of your partners to achieve whatever you need to move the case forward. Featuring some amazing voice acting, but feeble character models all are part of the charm that this point-and-click adventure have. It has been a long time since I’ve given this genre the time of day, and boy am I glad I did.