Review Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time Developer: Sanctuary Woods Publisher: Presto Studios Genre: Adventure Release Date: June 1995 Platform: Review by Ray Ivey

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INTRODUCTION: If you enjoy adventure games, then you owe it to yourself to play one of the best-built games the genre has to offer!

I must say from the outset that this is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It impressed me from start to finish.

I really enjoyed the first title in this series, The Journeyman Project. That older game told the story of the chaos that resulted when time travel was discovered a few hundred years in the future. The technology was so dangerous, in fact, that the Temporal Security Agency was formed to “protect” the past from interference by unscrupulous users of this dangerous new technology.

In the first game, your character, a hero named Gage Blackwood (Agent 5 of the TSA) saved the day by correcting sabotage in three different historical moments. However, all of the time “locations” in that game occurred in our future, so the entire game had a pretty strictly science-fiction feel to it.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

This idea is expanded on in Buried in Time. In a scene reminiscent from a “Back to the Future” movie, the game begins with your character being visited by a future version of yourself. It seems you have been framed, and it is up to you to explore four different historical periods and solve the mystery.

The level of the writing in this game is worthy of a top-notch science fiction novel.

Before the real action of the game begins, you spend some time in Gage’s future self’s house. The backstory is revealed through messages left to Gage, through a secret hologram left by your future self, and from the television. Rarely have I enjoyed the “exposition” part of a game so much. It was just beautifully done. Even the commercials contained vital clues.

NICE JUMPSUIT!

After you learn enough, you’re ready to make the “jump.” You do this through a full-body suit which contains all the controls you need. You visit the following locations: a space station in the recent past, a medieval castle in France under siege from the English army, Chichen Itza (of course, a stop in ancient Central America is now almost obligatory in this type of game), and finally, Leonardo da Vinci’s studio.

The interface of this game is a bit involved but still works very well. You spend the majority of the time in your time travel suit, and with it you use various computer chips to accomplish different kinds of tasks. For example, there’s a “cloaking” chip so you can render yourself invisible. This is helpful, for example, when there is the danger of running into a murderous medieval knight in the frenzy of battle. There’s also a chip that’s useful for translating any foreign language.

VOICEOVER ACTING THAT DOESN’T SUCK

One of the biggest surprises in this game is a character named Arthur. Arthur is an artificial intelligence you discover on the space station, and he becomes your companion for the rest of the game. Since he’s basically just a computer program, you don’t see him, you only hear him. He comments on your surroundings, makes jokes, and sometimes offers helpful suggestions.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Egad, another would-be funny voiceover character by a bad actor. Actually Arthur is the biggest surprise of the game. He actually IS funny (in a Mayan temple, he cracks “Cool door. Didn’t I see Bob Villa show how to build a door like this in ‘This Old Pyramid’?”), makes very helpful suggestions, and is performed by a very good actor. I know, I know, it surprised me too!

As you travel, you are looking for clues to clear yourself of the treasonous crimes of which you have been accused. In addition to the locales already mentioned, you also make side trips to a defunct missile silo and an ocean planet populated by a some very nasty dolphin-like beings.

The puzzles are not particularly difficult, and therefore the game may seem a bit easy to the hardcore adventure gamer.

TRUST ME, YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS ONE!!

I have rarely played a game I’ve enjoyed as much as Buried In Time. I spent most of the game staring at the screen with a stupid grin on my face, saying, “This is so cool!” over and over again. This game is a masterpiece of design and writing; I consider it a genre-defining game, and put it up there on my best list along with Circle of Blood, Obsidian, and The Rose Tattoo.

PROS: Absolutely superior writing, design and (even!) acting.

CONS: A bit of a learning curve to the interface; puzzles not terribly challenging to the experienced gamer.

CONCLUSION: An absolutely positively Must Play. A genre-defining title.

Final Grade: A+

System Requirements:

• 486/33
• 8 MB RAM
• 2X CD-ROM
• Windows 3.1

This review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link back to Just Adventure.