Review for Plot of the Druid
I played an early access version of Plot of the Druid by Adventure4Life Studios; it’s captivating. Despite some bugs that cloud it, an irreverent light permeates its story, graphics, puzzles, and music. All of these components are knitted together by a proven point-and-click interface. There are only two chapters so far, but I had a lot of fun playing, and I'm eager to see the rest of the story. Plot of the Druid was directed, written, designed and programmed by Yakir Israel, who worked with a wider team to bring it to life.
The interface is simple. Left-clicking on the screen activates a context-sensitive menu. The upper-left portion of the screen contains the menu and presents a list of shortcuts. The lower-right corner of the screen features your inventory and a journal for keeping track of tasks. Holding down the space bar reveals hotspots.
The player uses this interface to guide Jase, a student at the Druid Academy and quintessential anti-hero. Druids use their magic to safeguard the balance between humanity and nature, but as his adventure commences, Jase wants only to benefit himself. Jase makes his first appearance in the prologue during an evening trip to the Dean’s office so that he can cheat on an exam. The story is short yet brimming with humor that Quest for Glory fans will love.
The world where Jase performs these tasks is enticingly detailed. The graphics are some of the best I’ve seen; they look like they could be part of a Disney animated movie. I played using an ultra-wide screen, and though the beautiful backgrounds didn’t fill the entire screen, I didn't mind. They are mesmerizing.
The captivating visuals are enhanced by exquisitely fluid animation. The characters move realistically and seem real. The animation of Jase’s magic spells is especially striking: he can transform into a raccoon and mosquito, ignite a fire, and make flowers bloom. These animations are flashy and intricate. They gave me a feeling of power and supported Jase’s arrogant attitude.
The music in Plot of the Druid evokes a calm intellectual environment like that of the Druid Academy Jase attends, and it isn't distracting. The voice acting brings the characters to life and endows them with likable personalities.
Jase comes across many obstacles on his adventure. Depending on the difficulty level chosen, these can be easier or harder to resolve. I chose to play on the harder level. The puzzles are challenging, but most are traditional, and experienced adventure game players should be able to find all they need to succeed without outside help. My favorite puzzle involved tracing the lines of a shape so that Jase could make fire with his wand. This puzzle was challenging but not impossible and drew me further into the story by reinforcing the idea that studying magic is difficult. It greatly increased my empathy for Jase.
I encountered some minor bugs and twitchy events that slightly marred my playing experience, this can be expected in an early-access version, and the developer has already addressed most points. Although there were some bugs, they did not significantly impact my experience. The twitchy events were more difficult for me. There was a timed challenge where Jase transformed into a mosquito, and I had to help him suck blood, quickly filling a meter by clicking with the left mouse button. This was sufficiently tricky that I couldn’t accomplish without assistance.
Despite these minor inconveniences, I found that Plot of the Druid has incredibly captivating graphics and animation and conveys a story on par with Quest for Glory and Simon the Sorcerer. I’m excited to have played it, and I look forward to future chapters.
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