YOUNG MERLIN by Westwood Studios charts the adventures of a teenage Merlin attempting to rescue a young lady named Melody from the snare of the Shadow King. A completely pictoral game with icons, the graphics and game play give this game a distinctive feel that is refreshing among adventure games.
The distinctive feel in this game is due primarily to the graphics. The graphics in the game are large and simple, without becoming completely cartoonish. Due to it's nature as a pictoral game, all of the graphics are well-drawn, easily identifiable, and full of color. Each character in the game is drawn with a particular attitude that is readily apparent and the animation flows smoothly.
Since the game is constrained to only icons, one limitation is that the connections between items and puzzles are sometimes not well specified, while others are easily linked. While this range of links between objects is true of most adventure games, it is more apparent in this game because without any words or additional meanings, the player has to rely only on what the item's uses might be or what the icon might represent. For example, it is not immediately obvious that the balloon is to be used to lift Merlin above broken ladders in the dwarven mine. However, the manual is extremely helpful at certain sections of the game in making these crucial connections. This becomes especially noticable in attempting to defeat bosses in the game, such as Cinder. It is not readily apparent in the game when bosses are damaged. Characters will often change expressions or have some additional effect that is not always apparent as damage. The manual suggests that Cinder has to be attacked from behind. When this is done, the entire screen will shake. If this tactic is not performed, the player cannot tell whether or not Cinder is being damaged.
One strength to the game is the wide variety of game play. For action puzzle lovers, the mine cart sections of the game provide challenge. In these sections, the player controls Merlin's course as he rides a mine cart like a skateboard. The puzzles require Merlin to traverse along railroad tracks inside caverns to various destinations. These segments of the game usually required some time to distinguish all of the pathways and dead-ends to complete the area. For brain teaser lovers, a section inside the dwarven castle contains pillar puzzles. This portion of the game requires players to have Merlin push large pillars onto pressure blocks that open doors and gates within the castle. The movement of these pillars is limited by other walls and blocks in the castle, such that only a certain pattern will complete each puzzle and further the player's progress. In addition to the regular game play of finding items and defeating the bosses, these special sections added some variety and further challenge to the game. Overall, game play is well-paced and flows nicely.
One further strength to the game is the humor. In conjunction with the colorful graphics, characters have distinct personalities that lend themselves to the game. One example involves the Meanies, little henchmen to the Shadow King. Merlin encounters these little creatures numerous times during the course of the game. Each Meanie is no taller than the top of Merlin's boot and when they come into contact with Merlin they kick him in the shin and scamper off, making noises at him.
One final strength of the game is the password function. Passwords in the game are a series of 16 controller movements. For example, the sequence RYXYYBBBXBBBBBBB, where each of those letters corresponds with a button on the controller, is used in the game. It is a very simple system to use and lent itself to allowing the player to swiftly enter game play. One drawback is that passwords are awarded infrequently. However, this is balanced by the fact that if Merlin dies, he is repositioned usually very close to where he died, instead of having to regain a lot of lost ground.
Overall the game is very refreshing and a great deal of fun to play. The bright colors, large and humorous graphics and game play made the game very enjoyable. It is especially well suited for families with young children. Since young children may not immediately comprehend the puzzles or be able to manually complete the mine cart sections, it would be a good game to share between parents and their children. The game is colorful and entertaining enough for small children, yet still challenging enough for the adults. The game is worth at least a trial test for any player that likes adventure games in general.
This review is Copyright (C) 1994 by Shawn Doherty for Game Bytes Magazine. All rights reserved.