In Andergast, whose inhabitants are considered to be notoriously superstitious, King Efferdan awaits a state visit from high-ranking dignitaries. For centuries the kingdom has been at odds with neighboring Nostria, but now first steps are being undertaken toward a lasting peace. But a plague of crows troubles the king, for the birds are acting with unusual aggressiveness, even attacking humans.
Moreover, there are those among the citizens of Andergast who swear that the crows are bringing them dark nightmares. As the belligerent creatures infiltrate even the castle itself, the king seeks a skilled bird catcher - an opportunity for young Geron to prove that the reputation for ill luck that has followed him since childhood is undeserved. Following an audience with the king, the prestigious task is assigned to him.
However, not only does his task prove unexpectedly difficult, but it also turns out to be the first step of the greatest adventure of his life, which will lead him to the borders of the charted lands of Aventuria and beyond. With a history of more than 25 years, The Dark Eye is one of Europe's best-known role-playing brands. In addition to the popular pen & paper adventures, TDE has also inspired a series of successful computer games.
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav immerses players deep in the world of Aventuria, where they experience an amazing story and explore lands never before featured in a TDE computer game.
The experience is remarkably evocative of the fairytale-like adventures of the King's Quest series, and nearly every facet of the game is remarkably well-executed.
Deep Silver and Daedalic Entertainment have done a great job in not trying to bring the pen & paper gameplay to the PC, but choosing the way of the adventure. Subsequently The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav is more like an interactive novel – a good one for that matter.
Chains of Satinav is a perfect substitute for a storybook. Absolutely beautiful hand-drawn art is combined with a predictable story and some clumsy dialogue, but the overall melancholic feel of a imaginary kingdom on the brink of it's demise make up for these angularities. It's hard to get any closer of an fairytale. Some puzzles are genius, but there are loads of boring logistic tasks too. [Sept 2012]
Just like inject some life into a paint, each location of this Dark Eye: Chain of Satinav is truly a work of art. It's a shame that the level of difficulty is so low in the majority of puzzles, but newcomers to the genre will be pleased. And hardcore adventurers will have their day with some clever puzzles too. A great graphic adventure that could've been a masterpiece of the genre.
Regardless of its technical shortcomings, CoS provides a superbly engaging story driven experience, that feels uniquely its own. When a story makes you care about its characters, it's a triumph, and in this, Chains of Satinav excels.
The Dark Eye is such a beautiful adventure at first glance …but its guts are rotten. Genre-typical gameplay does not offer any remarkable new ideas and weakens the whole experience. [Issue#220]
Not counting those pauses and time spent scratching my head about obvious puzzles, The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav clocks in at around six to seven hours, which makes me balk a little at its $30 price. Comparatively, Walking Dead is $25 for the season of five two-hour episodes, and Resonance is $10 -- two adventure games you really should play this year. Satinav, on the other hand, carries with it a number of disclaimers that you need to be aware of before jumping into this fantasy adventure game.
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